MT Drops a Pair to Valparaiso

Saturday, March 13

Murfreesboro, TN

1:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

8-4

Valparaiso

2-6

Valpo

Middle Tennessee

3/13/2021 6:57:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A couple of good starts on the mound weren't enough to get a win for the Middle Tennessee baseball team in a Saturday doubleheader.

The Blue Raiders (8-5, C-USA 0-0) and Valparaiso (3-6, Missouri Valley 0-0) played a pair of planned 7-inning games, the middle two of a four-game weekend series. The Crusaders took the first 5-0 then closed out the night with a 3-2 victory in eight innings.

Middle Tennessee will try to secure the series split Sunday. First pitch at Reese Smith Jr. Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.

"When you play a doubleheader and only get three total hits, you aren't going to win," Raiders head coach Jim Toman said. "We played good defense … it just comes down to manufacturing some runs."

Southpaw Trent Seibert did a good job of keeping MT close. In his second start of the season, the redshirt junior lasted 5.2 innings and only gave up a single run, a solo home run in the second inning. He struck out eight with five hits and a walk and left the game with the lead.

The blue and white gave him a 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the fifth when redshirt junior Hunter Sullivan drove in redshirt sophomore Jake Hagenow with a single to center and junior Brycen Thomas followed with a sac fly.

Valparaiso tied the score at 2 with a run in the sixth, and neither team could push across a run in the seventh, sending the game to extra innings.

The Crusaders got the winning score in the top of the eighth on a two-out single.

Game 1: Valparaiso 5, MT 0

Middle Tennessee's bats struggled to get going in the first game of the doubleheader.

The Blue Raiders reached base four times, all walks, and didn't register a hit against the Crusader starter.

Their own starting pitcher, junior southpaw Peyton Wigginton, was equally as impressive through the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth.

He gave up three earned runs on four hits, ending his day after 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts, one walk and six hits surrendered. It was his first loss of the season.

"Our pitchers were pretty good all day," Toman said. "It was just a pretty disappointing day offensively."