Blue Raiders Top the Toppers in First of Four

Friday, April 16

Bowling Green, KY

5:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

17-14-1, 6-6-1

WKU

16-17, 6-7

Middle Tennessee

WKU

4/16/2021 8:46:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: @MTAthletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Middle Tennessee baseball team defeated WKU, 7-5, in the opening game of the rivalry series in Bowling Green. The Blue Raiders (17-14-1, C-USA 6-6-1) were powered offensively by six extra base hits including back-to-back home runs in the top of the third inning off the bats of JT Mabry and Jacob Williams.

I'm proud of the guys hitting a really good pitcher," said Head Coach Jim Toman. [Jake Kates] is one of the better pitchers in the league and we had five runs before the third inning was over, so it's good to see the guys hitting."

Mabry and Williams' back-to-back solo shots was the first time Blue Raider teammates had hit consecutive home runs since Blake Benefield and Peyton Wigginton did it in the fifth inning on April 6th, 2019 against WKU in Murfreesboro.

Starting pitcher Aaron Brown stuck out 11 batters through six innings of work, marking the fourth time that he has fanned double digit batters. Brown allowed four runs, all earned, and walked none on the way to his fifth win of the season.

"[Aaron] Brown was his normal self," said Toman. "He gave up those two home runs, but he also had 11 strikeouts and no walks."

After Brown MT turned to Zach Keenan who entered the game in the seventh, pitched a pair of frames and fanned one.

The Blue Raider pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts and had no walks, marking the fourth time this season that the MT pitching staff combined for no walks in a game.

"We decided switch it up and bridge the gap to the bullpen and let [Zach] Keenan throw two innings and [David] Zoz one [inning]."

Leading 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth, MT turned to lefty David Zoz to shut the door on the Hilltoppers. Zoz came in and pitched a shutout frame and struck out one to earn his fifth save of the year.

"He's a strike thrower," says Toman, "David has been pretty darn good all year and we trust him late in the game… Wins on a Friday night are a hot commodity so we needed to throw our best pitchers available."

The Blue Raiders and Hilltoppers will be back at it again tomorrow in a doubleheader starting at noon.

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