Blue Raiders fall 4-3 to UNO

Friday, March 6

New Orleans, La.

6:30 PM

Middle Tennessee

New Orleans

3/6/2009 10:06:00 PM | Baseball

By: MT Athletic Communications

NEW ORLEANS - Middle Tennessee fell to New Orleans Friday night 4-3 in its first Sun Belt Conference game of the season. The Blue Raiders (7-2, 0-1) entered the bottom of the ninth with a 3-1 lead. With the bases loaded and one out, UNO's Kyle Maldonado hit a single to left field scoring two runs to tie the game at 3. Then a sacrifice fly by Jay Morris scored a runner from third to give UNO (5-5, 1-0) the win. Middle Tennessee had six hits on the night including a homerun by senior Rawley Bishop and sophomore Hunter Dawson. Junior Drew Robertson also performed well as he went 2 for 4 scoring a run. Sophomore Bryce Brentz worked seven innings allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts left the game inline for the win. Sophomore Nick Montgomery worked two-thirds of an inning allowing just one hit. Junior Coty Woods came in to close the game for the Blue Raiders and ended up taking the loss as he allowed three runs on three hits in one inning of work. Bishop started the scoring early for the Blue Raiders with his solo shot to left field on an 0-2 count to leadoff the second inning. UNO responded in the bottom of the inning scoring a runner from third after a single to right field by Tyler Sanford to knot the score at 1. A single to right field by Guidry in the fourth broke the tie as Robertson scored from second. The Blue Raiders scored another run in the top of the fifth as Dawson hit his first career home run to left field extending the lead to two. Middle Tennessee will be back in action on Saturday, March 7 at 4 p.m. when it plays game two of its three-game series with New Orleans.