WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 12, @Middle Tennessee 7
UT Martin 9, @#22 Alabama 4
MURRAY STATE 12, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 7
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Murray State baseball team's (1-2) bats came to life in a big way and the offense exploded for 15 hits to top Middle Tennessee (2-2), 12-7. Three Racers notched multi-RBI games and Perkins went deep as part of big night for the bats.
The scoring started early with the Racers putting up two runs in the first. McCullough picked up two RBIs on a single to left field to give the Racers the early edge.
Middle Tennessee responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. DJ Wright hit a two-run home run to tie the game.
The Racers kept things going in the second, putting up a three-spot. Alex Crump opened the inning with a single to left and one batter later, Jake Slunder did the same. Bryson Bloomer picked up his first two RBIs of the night, lacing a double to left center. Ryan Perkins followed with a single of his own to plate Bloomer.
In the third, Brennan McCullough walked and came around to score on a wild pitch.
Murray State quickly added to its lead with the biggest inning of the game and posted a four-spot in the top of the sixth. The Racers opened the inning with four straight hits. Jordan Holly singled to center followed by Slunder doubling to left center. Bloomer picked up two-more RBI on a single to center and Perkins capped things off with a two-run home run over the wall in right field, his first of the season.
Middle Tennessee tried to claw their way back, using four walks, one hit and one error to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Once again, the combination of Bloomer and Perkins was too much for the Blue Raiders as Bloomer doubled and Perkins brought him home on a RBI single to center field.
The Blue Raiders matched the Racers single score in the eighth. Wright came home on a RBI double from Brycen Thomas.
Back-to-back doubles from Wes Schad and Crump tacked on another run for the Racers.
Connor Holden sealed the game for Murray State, earning the save and taking down the Blue Raiders 1-2-3 in the ninth.
Murray State used five pitchers in the game. Jordyn Naranjo started going 3.2 innings, allowing six hits, three runs, two walks and striking out five. Ryan Fender and Carter Poiry both saw their first action of the season while Alec Whaley went 2.1 innings, allowed one run and struck out four.
UT MARTIN 9, #22 ALABAMA 4
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin bats got rolling this afternoon at No. 22 Alabama as the Skyhawks played a clean game all around in a 9-4 triumph at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
With the win, UT Martin has now defeated a nationally ranked opponent for the third time in head coach Ryan Jenkins’ four-year tenure (also beating No. 30 South Alabama in 2020 and No. 13 Southern Miss in 2018).
The Skyhawk offense erupted late, pushing all nine runs across over the final five frames. Casey Harford went 3-for-5 with three RBI’s and two runs scored out of the 3-hole, finishing just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. Ethan Whitley (had two hits, two RBI’s, two runs scored) and Wil LaFollette each went deep for the Skyhawks’ first two homers of the season while Sean Dixson recorded an RBI and a run scored.
Five UT Martin pitchers combined to concede just eight hits to the previously unbeaten Crimson Tide. Sam Folks earned his 10th career victory as he tossed one inning of relief while freshman Ryan Insco was credited the first save of his young career, allowing no hits over the final two frames.
Mitchell Ford made his first career start and was very effective, fanning three batters over three-plus innings. Matthew Shunk followed by striking out the side in the fourth while Nick Wohlbold was sharp in two frames, racking up a pair of strikeouts over a scoreless appearance.
Ford kept Alabama off the scoreboard until the top of the fourth as the Crimson Tide took a 3-0 advantage off a pair of RBI singles and a passed ball. The Skyhawks cut into their deficit in the top of the fifth as each of the first three batters (Whitley hit by pitch, LaFollette walk, Blake Davis walk) reached base safely. Dixson followed with an RBI groundout to short to make the score 3-1.
Wohlbold entered the contest in the fifth and carved up the heart of the Alabama lineup for a pair of punchouts. That allowed UT Martin to once again nudge closer after a manufactured run in the top of the sixth. Harford led things off with a single and soon advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch. Cleanup hitter Christian Hall lifted a deep fly ball to the warning track in right center which allowed Harford to advance to third. Houston Wright then plated Harford with an RBI groundout to the right side to pull the Skyhawks within a single run.
After Wohlbold allowed a harmless two-out single in the sixth, UT Martin took its first lead of the game in the top of the seventh. Both Jack Culumovic and Dixson walked on four pitches, setting up Harford for a clutch two-run, go-ahead double that one-hopped the wall in left center. The two-out base knock tilted the score in advantage of the Skyhawks at 4-3.
The Crimson Tide got a pair of big two-out hits to tie the score in the bottom half of the seventh but the UT Martin bats were just heating up. Following a leadoff walk by Wright, Whitley jumped on a 2-0 offering and deposited the ball beyond the wall in left field to make the score 6-4. LaFollette then crushed the next pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark, giving the Skyhawks back-to-back round-trippers and a 7-4 lead.
UT Martin tacked on two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Will Smith led off with a ground-rule double and came into score after a Harford triple down the right field line. Harford would eventually come in to score on an Alabama error to pad the Skyhawk advantage out to 9-4.
That was more than enough support for Insco, who shut down any chance of a potential Crimson Tide rally. The 6-0 right-hander out of Kirkwood, Mo. made short work of Alabama in the eighth and continued to keep the Crimson Tide off balance in the ninth, inducing three fly balls to left field in the final inning.