Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, April 6
Murfreesboro, TN.
4:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
13
vs
10
WKU
Players Mentioned
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/ Baseball
OF
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OF
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RHP
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LHP
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Blue Raiders down Western 13-10 behind 13 hits
4/6/2019 7:49:00 PM | Baseball
Murfreesboro, Tenn.—Middle Tennessee didn't waste any time going to work at the dish Saturday afternoon. Darien Prewett, Drew Huff and Aaron Antonini all reached to load the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first. It was the perfect situation for the Blue Raiders hottest hitter of late: Myles Christian. Christian gripped his bat, took a deep breath and stepped into the box. After taking the first pitch for a strike, Christian roped a double down the right field line to score Prewett and Huff. It was the beginning of what turned into a four-run first inning for the Blue Raiders, proving to be just the start they needed to dispatch rival Western Kentucky 13-10.
"We scored a lot of runs and swung it pretty good (tonight)," said Head Coach Jim Toman. "It was a slugfest and we were very fortunate to end on the winning side. When you have 13 hits and 13 runs, you'll always take that."
After Western Kentucky tied the game at four in the top of the fifth, it didn't take long for the Blue Raiders to respond again. MTSU batted around in the bottom of the inning to accumulate seven runs.
With one out and Aaron Antonini standing on second, Blake Benefield crushed a two-strike fastball over the Lee Victory Wall of Champions for his 25th-career home run, putting MTSU back on top 6-4.
"I didn't even know that (home run) was my 25th," Benefield said. "That's pretty cool and I'm glad we got the w, that's the important thing. When we're swinging it well it boosts everyone's confidence and morale in the dugout."
MTSU starting pitcher Peyton Wigginton high-fived Benefield as he headed to the plate for his third at-bat of the afternoon. He looked up toward the mound at his counterpart in Western Kentucky starter Troy Newell. Newell challenged Wigginton with a first-pitch fastball. Newell's fastball to Wigginton wound up being his final pitch of the afternoon.
The two-way hero from earlier this week drove his second home run of the season over the fence in right field to go back-to-back with Benefield, increasing the Blue Raider lead to 8-4.
Drew Huff and Aaron Antonini each got in on the party with RBI singles in their second times through the lineup, giving MTSU its 10th and 11th runs of the game heading into the sixth inning.
Scheldon Paulk came out of the bullpen to preserve the series win with an 11-out save.
"It's always good to win a series when you're at home," Coach Toman said. "We have another opportunity tomorrow. If we play hard and show up to play the game the right way, we'll have a shot."
What's Next?
Middle Tennessee will go for the series sweep tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
Anthony Fiorella is a student writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @a_fiorella74 and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
"We scored a lot of runs and swung it pretty good (tonight)," said Head Coach Jim Toman. "It was a slugfest and we were very fortunate to end on the winning side. When you have 13 hits and 13 runs, you'll always take that."
After Western Kentucky tied the game at four in the top of the fifth, it didn't take long for the Blue Raiders to respond again. MTSU batted around in the bottom of the inning to accumulate seven runs.
With one out and Aaron Antonini standing on second, Blake Benefield crushed a two-strike fastball over the Lee Victory Wall of Champions for his 25th-career home run, putting MTSU back on top 6-4.
"I didn't even know that (home run) was my 25th," Benefield said. "That's pretty cool and I'm glad we got the w, that's the important thing. When we're swinging it well it boosts everyone's confidence and morale in the dugout."
MTSU starting pitcher Peyton Wigginton high-fived Benefield as he headed to the plate for his third at-bat of the afternoon. He looked up toward the mound at his counterpart in Western Kentucky starter Troy Newell. Newell challenged Wigginton with a first-pitch fastball. Newell's fastball to Wigginton wound up being his final pitch of the afternoon.
The two-way hero from earlier this week drove his second home run of the season over the fence in right field to go back-to-back with Benefield, increasing the Blue Raider lead to 8-4.
Drew Huff and Aaron Antonini each got in on the party with RBI singles in their second times through the lineup, giving MTSU its 10th and 11th runs of the game heading into the sixth inning.
Scheldon Paulk came out of the bullpen to preserve the series win with an 11-out save.
"It's always good to win a series when you're at home," Coach Toman said. "We have another opportunity tomorrow. If we play hard and show up to play the game the right way, we'll have a shot."
What's Next?
Middle Tennessee will go for the series sweep tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
Anthony Fiorella is a student writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @a_fiorella74 and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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