Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Sunday, March 26
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
1 PM
Middle Tennessee
9-14, 1-5
2
vs
4
WKU
9-16, 3-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Western Kentucky
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
4
7
3
Middle Tennessee
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
8
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Evan Acosta (1-2)
L: Puckett, Cody (1-1)
S: Kevin Elder (2)
Batting:
2B: Thomas Peter 1 ; Colie Currie 1
RBI: Thomas Peter 2 ; Steven Kraft 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kaleb Duckworth 1 ; Tyler Robertson 1 ; Thomas Peter 1 ; Colie Currie 1
PO: Colie Currie 1
Batting:
2B: Delgado, Riley 1
RBI: Dennis, Austin 1
SH: Jarreau, Brad 1 ; Kemp, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Delgado, Riley 1 ; Huff, Drew 1
SB: Dennis, Austin 1
HBP: Huff, Drew 1 ; Benefield, Blake 1
PO: Conn, Devin 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
OF/IF
/ Baseball
P/OF
/ BaseballSS
/ BaseballOF/IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF/1B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballMT drops series finale to WKU
3/26/2017 4:24:00 PM | Baseball
Cody Puckett finished with a career-high 10 K's in the loss
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee's inability to execute in the late innings aided in a 4-2 setback against WKU and cost it a chance to win the weekend series at Reese Smith Jr. Field Sunday.
The Blue Raiders (9-14, 1-5) carried a 2-1 lead into the top of the seventh, but they surrendered three unearned runs with two outs as WKU came back to take the lead, the game and the series. Making matters worse, Middle Tennessee got the tying runs on base with no outs in the bottom of the inning, but a failed bunt attempt, followed by an inning-ending double play thwarted the rally.
Riley Delgado (2-for-4, run) Brad Jarreau (2-for-3) and Kaleb King (2-for-4) all had multi-hit games for the Blue Raiders.
"When you have opportunities to make plays, you have to," Blue Raider Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "We played well today and made the plays for the most part. There were a couple things we did not do well in the seventh inning and it came back to hurt us. That is usually the case in close games."
The loss overshadowed an outstanding effort from senior lefty Cody Puckett, who was making his first career start. Puckett struck out a career-high 10 batters and scattered four hits in seven innings of work, but he suffered the hard-luck loss when he exited with a 4-2 deficit.
Puckett motored through the first six innings, gaining steam as he went. The southpaw struck out three straight, and five out of seven WKU batters, during one stretch. Puckett (1-1) seemed to be in complete control until the seventh when a leadoff walk and two-out walk set the stage for disaster. Puckett appeared to be out of the inning when he fielded a ball back to the mound with two outs, but his throw to first pulled King off the mound to keep the inning alive. The next batter came through with a two-out single, and a throwing error by Aaron Antonini, enabled WKU to take a 4-2 lead.
"It is unfortunate because Cody Puckett gave us a great start today; one of our best starts of the season," McGuire said. "He was in control. He was dominant, and he just got stronger as he went. Unfortunately, we made a couple fielding mistakes there in the seventh and it hurt."
Puckett finished with a solid line of seven innings, four hits, four runs, one earned, 10 strikeouts and he walked four.
Middle Tennessee came back in the bottom of the inning. Devin Conn and Blake Benefield reached to put the tying run on base with no one out, but Antonini popped up a potential sacrifice and Delgado hit into an inning-ending double play.
For the third straight game in the series, WKU took the early lead with one run in the top of the first. Middle Tennessee got it back in the bottom half when Delgado continued his torrid pace. Delgado led off the inning with an opposite-field double into the gap in right center. He moved to third on Jarreau's sacrifice and scored when Austin Dennis crushed a ball into left field for a 1-1 score.
Middle Tennessee took its first lead in the fourth. Drew Huff was hit by a pitch to start the inning. He came around to score when Kaleb King's single to right field was misplayed to provide the Blue Raiders a 2-1 lead.
Middle Tennessee returns to action when it faces Belmont in Nashville Tuesday. First pitch is 4 p.m.
The Blue Raiders (9-14, 1-5) carried a 2-1 lead into the top of the seventh, but they surrendered three unearned runs with two outs as WKU came back to take the lead, the game and the series. Making matters worse, Middle Tennessee got the tying runs on base with no outs in the bottom of the inning, but a failed bunt attempt, followed by an inning-ending double play thwarted the rally.
Riley Delgado (2-for-4, run) Brad Jarreau (2-for-3) and Kaleb King (2-for-4) all had multi-hit games for the Blue Raiders.
"When you have opportunities to make plays, you have to," Blue Raider Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "We played well today and made the plays for the most part. There were a couple things we did not do well in the seventh inning and it came back to hurt us. That is usually the case in close games."
The loss overshadowed an outstanding effort from senior lefty Cody Puckett, who was making his first career start. Puckett struck out a career-high 10 batters and scattered four hits in seven innings of work, but he suffered the hard-luck loss when he exited with a 4-2 deficit.
Puckett motored through the first six innings, gaining steam as he went. The southpaw struck out three straight, and five out of seven WKU batters, during one stretch. Puckett (1-1) seemed to be in complete control until the seventh when a leadoff walk and two-out walk set the stage for disaster. Puckett appeared to be out of the inning when he fielded a ball back to the mound with two outs, but his throw to first pulled King off the mound to keep the inning alive. The next batter came through with a two-out single, and a throwing error by Aaron Antonini, enabled WKU to take a 4-2 lead.
"It is unfortunate because Cody Puckett gave us a great start today; one of our best starts of the season," McGuire said. "He was in control. He was dominant, and he just got stronger as he went. Unfortunately, we made a couple fielding mistakes there in the seventh and it hurt."
Puckett finished with a solid line of seven innings, four hits, four runs, one earned, 10 strikeouts and he walked four.
Middle Tennessee came back in the bottom of the inning. Devin Conn and Blake Benefield reached to put the tying run on base with no one out, but Antonini popped up a potential sacrifice and Delgado hit into an inning-ending double play.
For the third straight game in the series, WKU took the early lead with one run in the top of the first. Middle Tennessee got it back in the bottom half when Delgado continued his torrid pace. Delgado led off the inning with an opposite-field double into the gap in right center. He moved to third on Jarreau's sacrifice and scored when Austin Dennis crushed a ball into left field for a 1-1 score.
Middle Tennessee took its first lead in the fourth. Drew Huff was hit by a pitch to start the inning. He came around to score when Kaleb King's single to right field was misplayed to provide the Blue Raiders a 2-1 lead.
Middle Tennessee returns to action when it faces Belmont in Nashville Tuesday. First pitch is 4 p.m.
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