GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – No. 2 seed MSU Denver continued its postseason run Thursday night, defeating UCCS 7-2 in the quarterfinal round of the RMAC Tournament to advance in the winner's bracket.
With the victory, the Roadrunners improve to 38-14 overall and will now face the winner of Friday morning's matchup between Colorado Mesa and UCCS at 7 p.m. Friday night.
Despite being outhit 11-9, MSU Denver capitalized on timely hitting, strong pitching, and key defensive moments to pull away late for the five-run victory.
Second Team All-RMAC selection Alejandro Maltos-Garcia delivered another strong outing on the mound, earning the win after tossing six innings and allowing just two runs while striking out seven batters. The right-hander consistently worked out of trouble and kept the Mountain Lions from building momentum throughout the evening.
After Maltos-Garcia exited, Drew Peters shut the door out of the bullpen. The reliever earned the save after firing three scoreless innings across the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to close out the game and secure the Roadrunners' spot in the next round.
Offensively, MSU Denver was led by Marques Abulhosn at the top of the lineup. The junior went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI, and a walk, helping spark multiple scoring innings.
Brayden Oram also turned in a big performance, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Brooks Rasmussen continued his strong postseason play by reaching base four times, going 3-for-3 with two runs and a walk, while Noah Wicks added two RBIs and a walk in the victory.
With back-to-back RMAC Tournament wins, the Roadrunners remain unbeaten in postseason play and now move one step closer to a conference championship appearance.
