Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, May 18
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6 PM
Middle Tennessee
23-30, 9-19
6
vs
3
(RV) LA Tech
35-17, 16-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Louisiana Tech
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
9
0
Middle Tennessee
1
3
0
2
0
0
0
0
X
6
10
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lester, Carson (1-4)
L: Griffen, Kyle (5-2)
Batting:
2B: Raphael Gladu 1 ; Sean Ullrich 2
HR: Jordan Washam 1
RBI: Jordan Washam 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Raphael Gladu 1 ; Jordan Washam 1 ; Chase Lunceford 1
CS: Brent Diaz 1
HBP: Raphael Gladu 1
PO: Marshall Boggs 1
Batting:
2B: Aucker, Aaron 1
HR: Benefield, Blake 1
RBI: Kemp, Ryan 2 ; Aucker, Aaron 2 ; Benefield, Blake 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Delgado, Riley 3 ; Lopez, Manuel 1 ; Benefield, Blake 1 ; Vesser, Chaz 1
SB: King, Kaleb 1
HBP: Delgado, Riley 1 ; Lopez, Manuel 1 ; Vesser, Chaz 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
OF/IF
/ Baseball
P/OF
/ BaseballSS
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
Lester Shines in 6-3 Win Over (RV) LA Tech
5/18/2017 9:04:00 PM | Baseball
The sophomore pitcher had a career day
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The final home stand of the season for Middle Tennessee started off strong for the Blue Raiders, as they took down LA Tech 6-3 Thursday at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
It was the first win for MT (23-30, 9-19) over the Bulldogs (35-17, 16-12) since April 12, 2015.
"As we finished last weekend and knew that put us out of the tournament, we just wanted to play hard and try to battle the rest of the way," Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "I thought they played hard from the beginning … it was good to get a win and good to get a win at home."
Things didn't start well for Blue Raider starting pitcher Carson Lester. The sophomore hit the first batter he saw, then the next batter up for the Bulldogs crushed a 2-0 pitch over the centerfield fence to open the scoring 2-0.
Middle Tennessee's bats came to the rescue, though.
The Blue Raiders got one run back in their half of the first inning when junior Ryan Kemp hit into a fielder's choice to score senior Riley Delgado for his first of two RBI, and they weren't done.
In the bottom of the second after Lester got through the top of the inning scoreless, sophomore Blake Benefield got into the first pitch he saw and blasted it over the fence in right for his third long bomb of the season. Redshirt freshman Manuel Lopez also scored on the homer to give MT a 3-2 lead.
"That was huge," Lester said. "Our hitters have been great all season, and it felt really nice to get a three-spot right after that home run. It let me settle in and take a deep breath, for sure."
The Blue Raiders added another run in the bottom of the second and two more on an Aaron Aucker double in the fourth to open a 6-2 advantage. The run support appeared to be just what Lester needed.
The right-hander settled down after the first-inning home run, allowing just four more hits over the next six innings. He exited after the seventh in the longest outing of his career, giving up two runs on six hits, walking none and striking out seven to set a career high.
"After that home run I just had to take a deep breath and focus on throwing strikes," Lester said. "The beginning of the season was a little rough … it was good to get a few good outings before we go into the offseason."
Redshirt freshman Devin Conn came in to relieve Lester and got the job done, allowing three hits and a run while striking out three.
Delgado led the way at the plate for Middle Tennessee. The shortstop went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and he was also hit by a pitch.
Every Blue Raider who came to the plate reached base, while Lopez, Benefield and catcher Chaz Vesser scored a run apiece.
The second game of the series is Friday at 6 p.m. at Reese Smith Jr. Field. Saturday's finale at 1 p.m. will be the final game of the season for the Blue Raiders and Senior Day.
"It would be huge for us to get a series win here at the end at home against a team that I think still has a shot to get into a regional," McGuire said. "If we could sneak one out here at the end and get one more win it would give us some momentum going into the offseason."
It was the first win for MT (23-30, 9-19) over the Bulldogs (35-17, 16-12) since April 12, 2015.
"As we finished last weekend and knew that put us out of the tournament, we just wanted to play hard and try to battle the rest of the way," Head Coach Jim McGuire said. "I thought they played hard from the beginning … it was good to get a win and good to get a win at home."
Things didn't start well for Blue Raider starting pitcher Carson Lester. The sophomore hit the first batter he saw, then the next batter up for the Bulldogs crushed a 2-0 pitch over the centerfield fence to open the scoring 2-0.
Middle Tennessee's bats came to the rescue, though.
The Blue Raiders got one run back in their half of the first inning when junior Ryan Kemp hit into a fielder's choice to score senior Riley Delgado for his first of two RBI, and they weren't done.
In the bottom of the second after Lester got through the top of the inning scoreless, sophomore Blake Benefield got into the first pitch he saw and blasted it over the fence in right for his third long bomb of the season. Redshirt freshman Manuel Lopez also scored on the homer to give MT a 3-2 lead.
"That was huge," Lester said. "Our hitters have been great all season, and it felt really nice to get a three-spot right after that home run. It let me settle in and take a deep breath, for sure."
The Blue Raiders added another run in the bottom of the second and two more on an Aaron Aucker double in the fourth to open a 6-2 advantage. The run support appeared to be just what Lester needed.
The right-hander settled down after the first-inning home run, allowing just four more hits over the next six innings. He exited after the seventh in the longest outing of his career, giving up two runs on six hits, walking none and striking out seven to set a career high.
"After that home run I just had to take a deep breath and focus on throwing strikes," Lester said. "The beginning of the season was a little rough … it was good to get a few good outings before we go into the offseason."
Redshirt freshman Devin Conn came in to relieve Lester and got the job done, allowing three hits and a run while striking out three.
Delgado led the way at the plate for Middle Tennessee. The shortstop went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and he was also hit by a pitch.
Every Blue Raider who came to the plate reached base, while Lopez, Benefield and catcher Chaz Vesser scored a run apiece.
The second game of the series is Friday at 6 p.m. at Reese Smith Jr. Field. Saturday's finale at 1 p.m. will be the final game of the season for the Blue Raiders and Senior Day.
"It would be huge for us to get a series win here at the end at home against a team that I think still has a shot to get into a regional," McGuire said. "If we could sneak one out here at the end and get one more win it would give us some momentum going into the offseason."
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MTSU Baseball 2025 52nd Annual Groundhog Day Luncheon
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