Raiders Can't Outlast Alabama

Wednesday, February 26

Tuscaloosa, AL

3 PM

Middle Tennessee

3-5

Alabama

9-0

Middle Tennessee

Alabama

2/26/2020 7:39:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Brady McBride

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The Middle Tennessee baseball team fell to Alabama 12-6 on a dreary Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. The Blue Raiders (3-5, C-USA 0-0) held a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning before allowing five runs and a three-run home run that turned the tide of the game.

The Raiders were rolling in the early innings and combined for four hits and five walks through the first three innings.

Shortstop Fausto Lopez started off the game with a double that burned the Alabama left fielder. Lopez finished the game 2-for-4 with a stolen base and recorded his third multi-hit game of the season.

"Fausto is a good little ball player," said Head Coach Jim Toman, "we just need to get some guys to put together some hits behind him in the lineup."

MT used two walks and two hits, including a two-RBI triple from Greg Bennett, to jump out to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning.

Blue Raider starter Zach Keenan held the Tide to two runs through the first four innings, but relented to the Alabama offense in the bottom of the fifth. Keenan finished with 4.1 innings pitched, three strikeouts, and allowed four runs.

"I thought Keenan pitched well," said Toman, "he didn't walk anybody and until the fifth inning we were playing really well."

After Keenan, the Raiders cycled through six different pitchers before Drew Vaden closed out the game in the top of the eighth.

The Raiders added a pair of runs late on a two-RBI double from Mason Speirs, but it wasn't enough as MT would drop the mid-week game to the Crimson Tide.

MT looks to bounce back on Friday at 6:30 PM CST against Tulane in New Orleans. The Blue Raiders will play a three game series against the Green Wave before returning home against Lipscomb on March 3 at 3:00 PM CST.