Right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris threw a seven inning one hit shut out against a tough Roadrunners offense on Friday night.
Morris got the start Friday night to kick off the weekend series against Metro State University-Denver (MSUD) and he continued to be dominant on the mound for Colorado Mesa University (CMU).
Morris started the game off with a lead off walk to Chase Anderson but found his groove as he struck out the next two batters. A throw down from junior catcher Spencer Bramwell to freshman infielder Johnathan Gonzalez ended the inning. Morris then did not walk another batter until the third.
After the walk in the first inning, Morris made quick work of the next inning only allowing three Roadrunners to the plate.
“Throughout the game I just tried to settle in cause there was a lot of adrenaline going at first and just trust my stuff,” Morris said.
Realizing that the off speed pitches were not working like they were supposed to be, Morris found command of the fastball and at times hitting 96 MPH.
“I had a hard time finding a feel for my off speed stuff so it worked out well that they weren’t hitting my fastball,” Morris said.
Morris found two more strikeouts in the top of the third and after three his strikeouts total was already at five. He was able to get the strikeouts going all night.
The Roadrunners went down in order in both the fourth and the fifth innings as Morris was able to strike out the side in two consecutive innings.
In the sixth inning, Morris found himself in a little bit of a jam as he started the inning by striking out Colin Stone and Zach Pachke. But on a 3-2 count walked Anderson once again and then walked Caleb Albuagh. He was able to get out of the inning though with his 14 strikeout of the game.
By the time the middle of the seventh came around it was predominant Morris was flirting with a no-hitter.
The eighth inning came around and Morris trotted back onto the mound. MSUD sent pinch hitted Cade Peters to the plate to see if he could do anything against the powerhouse on the mound.
On a count where Morris was ahead 1-2, Peters was able to single right in the second base gap.
That ended Morris’s night as Head Coach Chris Hanks went to his bullpen. Rightfully so Morris got hugs and the tip of a cap from his teammates as he walked off the field.
“It means so much to be able to put in a show like that for the fans as well as perform for my team and get the win on Fireworks night so it’s really exciting that it turned out like that, I’m very pleased,” Morris said.
Morris ended the night with a fantastic final line. He ended the night with one hit, zero runs, four walks and 15 strikeouts. This is the fourth start this season and also consecutively that the Maverick has had ten or more strikeouts in a start.
The CMU defense helped Morris out a lot as there were plays throughout the night that were crucial in the game.
Junior infielder Caleb Farmer played a strong third base as he saved multiple hits throughout the night. Senior infielder Blaine Demello took away another hit from MSUD as he was able to make a diving play and throw it to junior first baseman Jordan Stubbings in time. In the outfield, senior Tyler Parker made a terrific play to rob the Roadrunners of extra bases.
“Making those plays, we like to say it’s routine lol but Andrew Morris set the pace for us and it’s easier to make plays like that when your guy is just dealing on the mound,” Farmer said.
CMU got things going in the second offensively and Farmer got things rolling as he singled up the middle allowing Bramwell to score.
Farmer was able to continue to dominate at the plate as he went 2-4 with four runs batted in (RBI) and four runs scored. Farmer discussed after the game about how he took a simple approach at the plate.
“My approach was simple, hunt fastball. We were told metro has good arms and that they take pride in their pitching so I knew they were going to load hitting up on fastballs trying to dominate us like that,” Farmer said.
Another CMU hitter that had another solid game at the plate was junior outfielder Matt Turner. Turner returned to the Mavericks lineup for the first series in a couple weeks and made his impact on this game for sure. In the fourth, Turner stepped up to the plate and on a 2-2 count he hit a home run to center field and the Mavericks were up 7-0.
CMU was able to capitalize on five walks from the Roadrunners but also two fielding errors. The Mavericks were also given four more free bases as they were hit four times.
The Mavericks going into this weekend wanted to play relentlessly and play competitive baseball and they plan on doing that the rest of the weekend as well.
MSUD and CMU will play a doubleheader Saturday afternoon starting at 1 p.m at Suplizio field in Grand Junction, Colo.
