Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
8-8
West Virginia
7-6
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Strowd, Kade (2-1)
L: Wigginton, Peyton (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Inman, Marques 2 ; Gray, Kyle 1 ; Galusky, Jimmy 1 ; Hamilton, Connor 1 ; White, Brandon 1
3B: Gray, Kyle 1
HR: Hill, Darius 1
RBI: Hill, Darius 1 ; Zitel, Andrew 1 ; Gray, Kyle 2 ; Galusky, Jimmy 2 ; Hamilton, Connor 3
SH: Gray, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zarbnisky, Braden 1 ; Hill, Darius 2 ; Zitel, Andrew 1 ; Inman, Marques 2 ; Brophy, Kevin 1 ; Gray, Kyle 2 ; Galusky, Jimmy 1
SB: Zarbnisky, Braden 1 ; Zitel, Andrew 1 ; Galusky, Jimmy 2 ; Lake, TJ 1
CS: Galusky, Jimmy 1
HBP: Gray, Kyle 1
PO: Lake, TJ 1
Batting:
RBI: Woodard, LA 1 ; Dennis, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Woodard, LA 1 ; Antonini, Aaron 1 ; Christian, Myles 1 ; Stratinsky, Brett 1
HBP: Dennis, Austin 1 ; Christian, Myles 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Blue Raiders drop series to West Virginia
3/11/2018 2:40:00 PM | Baseball
It was the second straight loss for the Blue Raiders (8-8) after they beat the Mountaineers (7-6) to begin the series on Friday. WVU's visit was the first time in MT program history a Big 12 Conference team traveled to Murfreesboro for a weekend series.
"We were inconsistent, I guess that was the thing that bothered me the most," said head coach Jim McGuire. "Their pitchers and coaches adjusted to us and figured us out and we didn't counter-adjust back."
The Raiders didn't seem fazed by the game's first pitch being moved from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m., as they jumped to an early 4-1 lead after two innings.
The blue and white used four runs in the bottom of the second to grab the lead, benefitting from a wild pitch that scored sophomore catcher Aaron Antonini to get things started.
Two batters later, junior LA Woodard smacked a single to the shortstop that scored junior Brett Stratinsky and freshman Myles Christian, adding two more runs.
"Our approach was good early, I thought," McGuire added. "But their starting pitcher mixed his pitches well; they're obviously a good team."
An Austin Dennis single in the next at-bat scored Woodard to cap the big inning.
The 4-1 lead wouldn't last. Freshman starting pitcher Peyton Wigginton looked strong through three innings, but in the fourth he ran into trouble.
A West Virginia single started off the inning, and after three doubles the away team put four runs on the board, taking a 5-4 lead.
Wigginton was supplanted by junior Drew Huff after 4 1/3 innings pitched, finishing with a strikeout, two walks and six earned runs given up.
The Mountaineers would add single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and two more in the eighth.
Middle Tennessee will try to right the ship on Tuesday at Austin Peay before traveling to rival WKU for its first Conference USA series of the season on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"I think we just need to get back to what we do," McGuire said. "I think when we can create that and get that going it will lead in to the weekend for us."
Tuesday's game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch, while Friday's series opener will begin at 5 p.m.
