LA MIRADA, Calif. – After a 7 ½-inning pitchers' duel, Biola (Calif.) broke the game open with eight runs in the bottom of the eighth and handed MSU Denver its first loss of the season, 12-2, Thursday in the opener of a four-game baseball series.
Cody Schultz started MSU Denver off strong with a leadoff homer in the top of the first, but the Roadrunners couldn't do much else with Biola starting pitcher Lucas Bixby, who allowed two runs on six hits while striking out five in six innings.
"I'm disappointed in our effort more than anything," MSU Denver coach
Ryan Strain said. "We had some guys who had good weekends last week and maybe we were feeling too comfortable. We're not going to win games if the middle of our order has days like today."
Schultz scored MSU Denver's second run after delivering a two-out single, stealing second base and then scoring on a
Caleb Albaugh single. That tied the game 2-2 in the fifth, but Biola answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and held the 4-2 lead into the big eighth inning.
Biola reliever Jake Anderson pitched three no-hit innings for the save, walking four and striking out two.
"Give them credit, their pitchers didn't make their own mess and did nice job keeping us off balance," Strain said. "We walked 10, and they walked five, and they threw strikes and competed. We did hit quite a few balls hard early but couldn't get them down."
Brady Mello was the most effective of MSU Denver's five pitchers, working 2 2/3 no-hit innings, with one walk and four strikeouts.
"(Reliever)
Gabe Austin did a nice job, and Brady did a really nice job," Strain said.
In addition to the two hits by Schultz, Ross Schuler singled twice, but the rest of the Roadrunners combined for just two hits.
"Hopefully we can learn from this," Strain said. "We're not going to win every game, but this should be a wakeup call. As good as our offense should be … we just didn't deserve to win this game."
Both teams are now 3-1.
The series continues Friday with a noon MST doubleheader.
