Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Tuesday, March 22
Murfreesboro, TN
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
12-9
7
vs
4
No. 5 Vanderbilt
17-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Vanderbilt
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
4
7
6
Middle Tennessee
0
0
0
1
4
1
1
0
X
7
9
3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Spencer, AJ (3-0)
L: Day (2-1)
S: Puckett, Cody (3)
Batting:
RBI: Toffey 1 ; Murfee 1 ; Campbell 2
SF: Murfee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kendall 1 ; Reynolds 1 ; Paul 1 ; Ellison 1
SB: Kendall 1
CS: Jones 1
HBP: Murfee 1
Batting:
2B: Benefield, Blake 1
3B: Aucker, Aaron 1
RBI: Dennis, Austin 1 ; Aucker, Aaron 2 ; Norrell, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Delgado, Riley 1 ; Dennis, Austin 1 ; Jarreau, Brad 1 ; Aucker, Aaron 2 ; Dupree, Kevin 1 ; Shapen, Vaughn 1
CS: Dennis, Austin 1
HBP: Aucker, Aaron 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
IF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballIF
/ BaseballIF
/ BaseballLHP/1B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF/C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
P/OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ BaseballRaiders rally to turn back No. 5 Vanderbilt, 7-4
3/22/2016 11:11:00 PM | Baseball
MT scores seven unanswered runs
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee spotted No. 5 Vanderbilt a four-run lead and then scored seven unanswered runs to claim a 7-4 win in front of 2,523 fans at Reese Smith Jr., Field Tuesday night.
It marked the Blue Raiders' second win over a Top 15 team in the last four games, after they defeated No. 15 Florida Atlantic last Friday. Middle Tennessee improved to 12-9 and secured a win against its highest-ranked foe since beating No. 2 Vanderbilt in 2013.
Freshman AJ Spencer (1-0) led a stellar bullpen performance with 3-1/3 innings of no-hit relief to earn his first career win, while relief ace Cody Puckett continued his outstanding season with his third save. Puckett provided one inning of one-hit, shutout relief to slam the door on the Dores (17-4). Reid Clements also had one shutout inning in relief of starter Sam Alton, who started slow but settled in to give his team a chance at victory.
Spencer has been solid out of the Blue Raider bullpen but his first career win will always be memorable in regard to the manner in which he earned it, as well as who he defeated. All told, Middle Tennessee's bullpen combined for 5-1/3 innings, two hits, no runs, seven strikeouts and three walks.
"Those guys were really good tonight and they had to be," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "We were already down 4-0 when we went to the bullpen and against a team such as Vanderbilt you can't get too far behind. (Clements, Spencer and Puckett) were good in relief and gave us a chance to come back and get the win."
The outstanding relief work was complimented by multi-hit performances by Riley Delgado, Austin Dennis and Aaron Aucker. Kevin Dupree, Blake Benefield and Kevin Sullivan also had key hits in the comeback.
Delgado registered his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with one run scored to extend his hit streak to five. Dennis was 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI, and Aucker was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Aucker's fifth-inning triple was huge in the comeback.
The Blue Raiders began their comeback with a single run in the bottom of the fourth. Aucker led off the inning with a single and, with one out, motored to third when Benefield crushed an offering off of the wall in right field. One batter later, Austin Norrell did a great job of hitting, taking a pitch the other way to score Aucker on the grounder to second to pull the Blue Raiders to within 4-1.
They were just getting started.
Middle Tennessee came off of the deck for four runs in the bottom of the fifth off of Vanderbilt relief pitcher Chandler Day, who suffered the loss. With one out, Delgado and Dennis supplied back-to-back singles, and Brad Jarreau reached on an error, allowing Delgado to score. Dennis scored on a wild pitch and then Aucker came through with a clutch triple to plate two runs. Aucker would later score on Kevin Dupree's fielder's choice.
By the time the dust had settled, Middle Tennessee had scored four in the frame to erase a 4-0 deficit and take a 5-4 advantage.
Middle Tennessee added huge insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to push the advantage to 7-4.
As clutch as the Blue Raider hitters were, the relief pitchers were just as timely with outstanding work. The trio of relief pitchers never gave in against the Commodore hitters and led the way down the stretch.
Middle Tennessee will return to action when it faces WKU in Bowling Green, Ky., for a three-game series beginning Thursday at 6 p.m.
It marked the Blue Raiders' second win over a Top 15 team in the last four games, after they defeated No. 15 Florida Atlantic last Friday. Middle Tennessee improved to 12-9 and secured a win against its highest-ranked foe since beating No. 2 Vanderbilt in 2013.
Freshman AJ Spencer (1-0) led a stellar bullpen performance with 3-1/3 innings of no-hit relief to earn his first career win, while relief ace Cody Puckett continued his outstanding season with his third save. Puckett provided one inning of one-hit, shutout relief to slam the door on the Dores (17-4). Reid Clements also had one shutout inning in relief of starter Sam Alton, who started slow but settled in to give his team a chance at victory.
Spencer has been solid out of the Blue Raider bullpen but his first career win will always be memorable in regard to the manner in which he earned it, as well as who he defeated. All told, Middle Tennessee's bullpen combined for 5-1/3 innings, two hits, no runs, seven strikeouts and three walks.
"Those guys were really good tonight and they had to be," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "We were already down 4-0 when we went to the bullpen and against a team such as Vanderbilt you can't get too far behind. (Clements, Spencer and Puckett) were good in relief and gave us a chance to come back and get the win."
The outstanding relief work was complimented by multi-hit performances by Riley Delgado, Austin Dennis and Aaron Aucker. Kevin Dupree, Blake Benefield and Kevin Sullivan also had key hits in the comeback.
Delgado registered his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with one run scored to extend his hit streak to five. Dennis was 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI, and Aucker was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Aucker's fifth-inning triple was huge in the comeback.
The Blue Raiders began their comeback with a single run in the bottom of the fourth. Aucker led off the inning with a single and, with one out, motored to third when Benefield crushed an offering off of the wall in right field. One batter later, Austin Norrell did a great job of hitting, taking a pitch the other way to score Aucker on the grounder to second to pull the Blue Raiders to within 4-1.
They were just getting started.
Middle Tennessee came off of the deck for four runs in the bottom of the fifth off of Vanderbilt relief pitcher Chandler Day, who suffered the loss. With one out, Delgado and Dennis supplied back-to-back singles, and Brad Jarreau reached on an error, allowing Delgado to score. Dennis scored on a wild pitch and then Aucker came through with a clutch triple to plate two runs. Aucker would later score on Kevin Dupree's fielder's choice.
By the time the dust had settled, Middle Tennessee had scored four in the frame to erase a 4-0 deficit and take a 5-4 advantage.
Middle Tennessee added huge insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to push the advantage to 7-4.
As clutch as the Blue Raider hitters were, the relief pitchers were just as timely with outstanding work. The trio of relief pitchers never gave in against the Commodore hitters and led the way down the stretch.
Middle Tennessee will return to action when it faces WKU in Bowling Green, Ky., for a three-game series beginning Thursday at 6 p.m.
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