Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Sunday, March 6
Mobile, AL
1:00 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
6-5
5
at
4
South Alabama
9-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
R
H
E
Middle Tennessee
0
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
5
9
1
South Alabama
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
4
7
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wyrick, Jake (1-1)
L: Dolloff (1-2)
S: Alton, Sam (1)
Batting:
2B: Benefield, Blake 3
RBI: Benefield, Blake 2 ; Dennis, Austin 3
SH: Delgado, Riley 1 ; Vesser, Chaz 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Sistrunk, Austin 1 ; Dupree, Kevin 1 ; Benefield, Blake 3
CS: Dennis, Austin 1
HBP: Benefield, Blake 1
Batting:
2B: LaBounty 1
RBI: Billingsley 2 ; LaBounty 1
SH: Cryar 1 ; Barnes 1 ; Donovan 1
SF: Billingsley 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Cryar 1 ; Swaggerty 2 ; Hardy 1
SB: Wolfe 1
CS: Cryar 1
HBP: Swaggerty 1
PO: Cryar 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballIF
/ BaseballIF
/ BaseballLHP/1B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
Freshmen deliver as Blue Raiders secure series win
3/6/2016 5:18:00 PM | Baseball
Benefield, Dennis combine for all 5 RBI
Box Score
MOBILE, Ala. – Two freshmen played more like veterans as they combined to lead Middle Tennessee to a 5-4 win against South Alabama in 12 innings here Sunday afternoon.
Rookies Blake Benefield and Austin Dennis combined to score all five runs, drove in three of them and collected five hits as the Blue Raiders (6-5) captured an impressive series win by taking the rubber game from South Alabama (9-3) in front of 1,418 at Stanky Field.
In fact, it was their clutch effort with two outs in the 12th that keyed victory. Benefield delivered a two-out double and scored on Dennis' clutch two-out single.
"That was an impressive performance by those two freshmen," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "Not only did they do some big things, but they also did them in the clutch. It was a very good weekend for our baseball team against a quality opponent at a tough venue. I'm really proud of our team because this is not an easy place to win."
Benefield, a Murfreesboro native, led the Blue Raiders' nine-hit attack with a 3-for-5 performance that included three doubles. He scored three runs, including the game winner, and drove in two more.
"It's just great to win the series," Benefield said. "I'm glad I was able to help contribute. We had a lot of players step up against a real quality team in South Alabama."
Dennis was equally impressive. The freshman outfielder was 2-for-3 with three RBI, including the game-winning RBI on a clutch two-out single in the top of the 12th. It marked the fourth multi-hit game of the season for Dennis, which is second on the squad.
Benefield and Dennis were the only Blue Raiders with multi-hit games, but Riley Delgado extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a 1-for-4 effort, and Kevin Dupree, Kaleb King and Kevin Sullivan also had base hits. Sullivan also coaxed three walks and was on base in four of his five at-bats.
Jake Wyrick (1-1) earned the win with one-third inning of relief, but it was a big out. Wyrick came on with the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the 11th but he was able to get the final out and extend the game into the 12th inning.
After Middle Tennessee took the lead against South Alabama in the top of the inning, senior relief pitcher Sam Alton came on to pitch the bottom of the frame and earn his first save.
The relief pitching performance of senior Garrett Ring was one of the real stories of the game. Ring was one strike away from a four-inning save and what would have been Reid Clements' first career win, but passed ball against catcher Chaz Vesser allowed the tying run to score in the bottom of the ninth. Vesser would come back with a big play in the bottom of the 12th when he threw out the potential tying run attempting to steal second.
Ring was outstanding. He provided five innings of two-hit baseball, allowing two runs, one earned, and striking out four. Clements also had a solid start, scattering three hits in his five-inning stint. Clements left the game with a 4-2 lead.
Middle Tennessee erased a 1-0 deficit with a single run in the top of the second. Benefield delivered a one-out double for the Blue Raiders' first hit of the game and scored on Dennis' single.
The Blue Raiders had their biggest inning in the fourth when they scored three to take a 4-1 advantage. Austin Sistrunk drew a one-out walk and Dupree singled to put runners at first and second for Benefield. He delivered his second double in as many at-bats to plate both runners, and Benefield moved to third on the throw to home plate. That was big because it enabled him to score one batter later on Dennis' ground out.
South Alabama continued to chip away, eventually getting the game tied in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings and set the stage for Benefield and Dennis to provide their final heroics.
Middle Tennessee will return to action when it plays host to Memphis Tuesday. First pitch at Reese Smith Field is 6 p.m.
MOBILE, Ala. – Two freshmen played more like veterans as they combined to lead Middle Tennessee to a 5-4 win against South Alabama in 12 innings here Sunday afternoon.
Rookies Blake Benefield and Austin Dennis combined to score all five runs, drove in three of them and collected five hits as the Blue Raiders (6-5) captured an impressive series win by taking the rubber game from South Alabama (9-3) in front of 1,418 at Stanky Field.
In fact, it was their clutch effort with two outs in the 12th that keyed victory. Benefield delivered a two-out double and scored on Dennis' clutch two-out single.
"That was an impressive performance by those two freshmen," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "Not only did they do some big things, but they also did them in the clutch. It was a very good weekend for our baseball team against a quality opponent at a tough venue. I'm really proud of our team because this is not an easy place to win."
Benefield, a Murfreesboro native, led the Blue Raiders' nine-hit attack with a 3-for-5 performance that included three doubles. He scored three runs, including the game winner, and drove in two more.
"It's just great to win the series," Benefield said. "I'm glad I was able to help contribute. We had a lot of players step up against a real quality team in South Alabama."
Dennis was equally impressive. The freshman outfielder was 2-for-3 with three RBI, including the game-winning RBI on a clutch two-out single in the top of the 12th. It marked the fourth multi-hit game of the season for Dennis, which is second on the squad.
Benefield and Dennis were the only Blue Raiders with multi-hit games, but Riley Delgado extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a 1-for-4 effort, and Kevin Dupree, Kaleb King and Kevin Sullivan also had base hits. Sullivan also coaxed three walks and was on base in four of his five at-bats.
Jake Wyrick (1-1) earned the win with one-third inning of relief, but it was a big out. Wyrick came on with the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the 11th but he was able to get the final out and extend the game into the 12th inning.
After Middle Tennessee took the lead against South Alabama in the top of the inning, senior relief pitcher Sam Alton came on to pitch the bottom of the frame and earn his first save.
The relief pitching performance of senior Garrett Ring was one of the real stories of the game. Ring was one strike away from a four-inning save and what would have been Reid Clements' first career win, but passed ball against catcher Chaz Vesser allowed the tying run to score in the bottom of the ninth. Vesser would come back with a big play in the bottom of the 12th when he threw out the potential tying run attempting to steal second.
Ring was outstanding. He provided five innings of two-hit baseball, allowing two runs, one earned, and striking out four. Clements also had a solid start, scattering three hits in his five-inning stint. Clements left the game with a 4-2 lead.
Middle Tennessee erased a 1-0 deficit with a single run in the top of the second. Benefield delivered a one-out double for the Blue Raiders' first hit of the game and scored on Dennis' single.
The Blue Raiders had their biggest inning in the fourth when they scored three to take a 4-1 advantage. Austin Sistrunk drew a one-out walk and Dupree singled to put runners at first and second for Benefield. He delivered his second double in as many at-bats to plate both runners, and Benefield moved to third on the throw to home plate. That was big because it enabled him to score one batter later on Dennis' ground out.
South Alabama continued to chip away, eventually getting the game tied in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings and set the stage for Benefield and Dennis to provide their final heroics.
Middle Tennessee will return to action when it plays host to Memphis Tuesday. First pitch at Reese Smith Field is 6 p.m.
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