DENVER – After a redshirt season and not being in the lineup for the season opener, MSU Denver third baseman Gavin Schmeh was understandably a little nervous Saturday when the Roadrunners played Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
But, after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his first three at-bats, Schmeh got some sage advice from Cody Schultz before stepping into the batter's box in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
"Cody being an older guy on the team and another infielder, he's a big mentor of mine," Schmeh said. "He just told me to sit back and get yours (your pitch). Try to be patient up there and don't try to do too much. And drive a ball."
 
And that he did.
 
Schmeh drove a double over the head of the Rangers' right fielder, driving in two runs to break a 10-10 tie while lifting the Roadrunners to a 13-10 victory at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
"It's nice to have a veteran who has been there before," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "If anybody is in position to give good advice, it would be Cody.
 
"(Schmeh) is a talented kid. He would have played at a lot of places last year. But we had a pretty good lineup and it was tough to crack it, so we decided to redshirt him. He put on about 15 pounds and looks good."
 
Schmeh's two-run double was just part of a six-run inning that turned a 10-7 deficit into the eventual final score.
 
With sidearming left-hander Zane Covey and right-handed closer Eric Cox lined up for the final two innings, the three-run lead was more than enough.
 
Covey struck out two of the three batters he faced, getting the other on a soft popup. Cox hit the first batter he faced, then struck out the side.
 
"Those two guys, that's as good as it gets in our league, the region, the country," Strain said. "They're good."
 
Cox now has 20 career saves, the program record, and needs four more to break the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record. But after seeing Covey do what he did in the eighth, and after two impressive scoreless innings by Reese Lansville after he'd given up three runs in his first inning, Cox joked that maybe the Roadrunners didn't really need him.
 
"We're never out of a game with our offense," Cox said. "I didn't know we were going to come back, but I knew there was a shot. We've just got to keep it close, and our bullpen compared to last year is at a whole new level.
 
"We're a mature group, an older group, and it's going to show down the stretch. It's going to show early, too."
 
The MSU Denver offense got rolling Saturday, as Ross Smith homered and Jake Williams and Zach Schuler each drove in three runs.
 
With seven starters back, plus Williams (the 2021 cleanup hitter who missed last year due to injury), everything is in place to once again have another prolific offense.
 
Maybe the only spot that isn't nailed down is third base, where Lance Kelly started Friday and Schmeh on Saturday. Kelly was 1-for-4 with a double in the opener, Schmeh was 1-for-4 with a double in game two.
 
"The nerves are always flowing the first time out – I've never done this before," Schmeh said. "But as the game went on I loosened up a bit and my teammates helped me out.
 
"I've been waiting a year and a half for this. I'm thankful Strain kept me in there after a tough first few at-bats. I got one pitch and I was able to help the team out."
 
Schmeh said redshirting last season was beneficial for him.
 
"Being able to watch those dudes like (Bill) Ralston and (Chase) Anderson – all those guys, being in the dugout with them, I was able to learn a bunch of things," he said. "And the biggest thing they always say is be consistent. Put your head down, shut your mouth, and go to work every day. If you do that, good things will happen."
 
Good things happened in the seventh, which started with five straight hits, a walk, and then Schmeh's double.
 
"We had some of the best at-bats in that inning that I've seen in a long time," Strain said, who then laughed and added. "Although the three outs were some of the worst we've had.
 
"But we kept battling and kept swinging. Early in the year, you've just got to find ways to win. We'll continue to swing it and we're going to find the right guys on the mound. And to get wins while you're figuring that out, that's huge."
 
The series concludes with a noon game Sunday.