Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, April 1
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
12-13, 0
10
vs
2
Western Kentucky University
9-16, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Western Kentucky
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
7
2
Middle Tennessee
0
2
5
0
2
0
1
0
X
10
16
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Keenan, Zach (3-2)
L: Jake Kates (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Andrew Delaney 1
RBI: Andrew Delaney 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Tristin Garcia 1 ; Jackson Gray 1
HBP: Aidan Gilroy 1
Batting:
2B: Negishi, Tatsunori 1 ; McLeod, Mason 1
HR: Galloway, Jackson 1 ; Thomas, Brycen 1 ; Sanders, Nathan 1
RBI: Galloway, Jackson 2 ; Thomas, Brycen 2 ; Sanders, Nathan 5
Base Running:
RUNS: Speirs, Mason 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 1 ; Negishi, Tatsunori 3 ; Thomas, Brycen 2 ; McLeod, Mason 1 ; Sanders, Nathan 2
SB: Lopez, Fausto 1
HBP: Snider, Eston 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP/INF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications
Blue Raiders blow out Hilltoppers in dominant series opener
4/1/2022 10:12:00 PM | Baseball
Nathan Sanders drove in a career high five runs on Friday.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When Zach Keenan toed the rubber at 5:59 on Friday afternoon, the game was already over. But only the Blue Raiders knew that.
With dominance from their senior starter and at least one hit in every spot in their lineup, Middle Tennessee rolled over Western Kentucky 10-2 in the C-USA series opener, leading by as much as 10-0 in the seventh inning before slamming the door shut down the stretch.
"That was fun. Beating our rival like that, that was probably our most complete game of the year," head coach Jim Toman said. "If you look at the box score, it's easy. Keenan threw seven shutout innings, (we hit) three home runs and fifteen hits, (we had) 10 runs and we had no errors. We told the guys that we can't let up, we've got to come back with the same energy tomorrow."
The 6-7-8 spots in the MT lineup of Tatsunori Negishi, Brycen Thomas and Nathan Sanders were the heart of the Middle Tennessee (12-13, 4-3 C-USA) offense on Friday, with the trio combining to go 7-for-10 at the dish while scoring seven of MT's 10 runs and driving in seven runs between the trio.
Sanders led the way with the offense, driving in five runs for a career-high in RBIs, led by his three-run homer in the bottom of the third. He also got a chance to flash the leather in the top of the fourth, flipping his glove above the center field wall to rob WKU (9-15, 1-6 C-USA) of a two-run homer.
"Honestly, at first, I did not know I had it, because I hit the wall so hard, it kind of threw me off," Sanders said. "It was way up there, kind of lost it in the darkness. But I got back there, jumped up and looked in my glove and it was in there."
Keenan was sterling on the mound for the second weekend in a row, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing on five hits and striking out five Hilltoppers. Coming off seven innings of shutout ball at UAB, the senior righty wanted to avenge his poor home start against Old Dominion two weeks prior.
"ODU wasn't the best start here, and that was my first start at home, so that was kind of a chip on my shoulder I had coming into here," Keenan said. "I don't care who I'm facing, I was like 'I'm not pitching bad at home two times in a row.'"
After two perfect frames from Keenan to start the game, Middle Tennessee got on the board in the bottom of the second on a two-run shot from Brycen Thomas. The senior, batting as the designated hitter on Friday, blasted an 0-1 pitch well over the wall in center field, driving in Negishi after his leadoff walk to give MT a 2-0 lead.
Jackson Galloway kept the party going in the bottom of the third, putting a jolt into a 1-2 pitch to send it into Floyd Stadium's concourse over two walls in left field. Mason Spiers, who extended his on-base streak to 12-games earlier on Friday with a first-inning single, scored on the homer to give MT a 4-0 lead.
After back-to-back singles from Negishi and Thomas, Sanders got in on the home run action, pulling a ball over the right field fence and onto the football practice field, putting the Blue Raiders up 7-0 after the end of three innings.
WKU then threatened with a runner on and two out in the top of the fourth, when Brain McAuliffe smacked a fly to deep center field. But Sanders' Spider-Man act at the wall saved Keenan two runs and kept the Hilltoppers off the board.
"I told Nate earlier, 'Dude, every time I go deep into a game I swear you have at least one web gem for me,'" Keenan said. "He's saved me so many times."
Middle Tennessee added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, with a double from Negishi and single from Thomas setting the table for Negishi to score on a fielder's choice and Nathan Sanders to score on a Hilltopper error, stretching the Blue Raiders' lead to 9-0 after five complete.
The Blue Raiders added one more run in the bottom of the seventh. Mason McLeod hit a pinch-hit double to get things started, coming around to score on a Sanders single one batter later to stretch MT's lead to 10-0.
WKU would get their first two runs of the game in the top of the eighth, but would score no more as Trent Seibert slammed the door in the ninth with a pair of Ks to clinch the MT victory.
Middle Tennessee will look to clinch their second C-USA series of the season tomorrow at Reese Smith Jr. Field on Salute Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
With dominance from their senior starter and at least one hit in every spot in their lineup, Middle Tennessee rolled over Western Kentucky 10-2 in the C-USA series opener, leading by as much as 10-0 in the seventh inning before slamming the door shut down the stretch.
"That was fun. Beating our rival like that, that was probably our most complete game of the year," head coach Jim Toman said. "If you look at the box score, it's easy. Keenan threw seven shutout innings, (we hit) three home runs and fifteen hits, (we had) 10 runs and we had no errors. We told the guys that we can't let up, we've got to come back with the same energy tomorrow."
The 6-7-8 spots in the MT lineup of Tatsunori Negishi, Brycen Thomas and Nathan Sanders were the heart of the Middle Tennessee (12-13, 4-3 C-USA) offense on Friday, with the trio combining to go 7-for-10 at the dish while scoring seven of MT's 10 runs and driving in seven runs between the trio.
Sanders led the way with the offense, driving in five runs for a career-high in RBIs, led by his three-run homer in the bottom of the third. He also got a chance to flash the leather in the top of the fourth, flipping his glove above the center field wall to rob WKU (9-15, 1-6 C-USA) of a two-run homer.
"Honestly, at first, I did not know I had it, because I hit the wall so hard, it kind of threw me off," Sanders said. "It was way up there, kind of lost it in the darkness. But I got back there, jumped up and looked in my glove and it was in there."
911, we'd like to report a robbery. 🚨
— MT Baseball (@MT_Baseball) April 2, 2022
Nate Sanders with one of the best catches of the year! pic.twitter.com/neXSSYI7hD
Keenan was sterling on the mound for the second weekend in a row, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing on five hits and striking out five Hilltoppers. Coming off seven innings of shutout ball at UAB, the senior righty wanted to avenge his poor home start against Old Dominion two weeks prior.
"ODU wasn't the best start here, and that was my first start at home, so that was kind of a chip on my shoulder I had coming into here," Keenan said. "I don't care who I'm facing, I was like 'I'm not pitching bad at home two times in a row.'"
After two perfect frames from Keenan to start the game, Middle Tennessee got on the board in the bottom of the second on a two-run shot from Brycen Thomas. The senior, batting as the designated hitter on Friday, blasted an 0-1 pitch well over the wall in center field, driving in Negishi after his leadoff walk to give MT a 2-0 lead.
Jackson Galloway kept the party going in the bottom of the third, putting a jolt into a 1-2 pitch to send it into Floyd Stadium's concourse over two walls in left field. Mason Spiers, who extended his on-base streak to 12-games earlier on Friday with a first-inning single, scored on the homer to give MT a 4-0 lead.
.@Gway_15 🎇 pic.twitter.com/Zuefu2LVWK
— MT Baseball (@MT_Baseball) April 2, 2022
After back-to-back singles from Negishi and Thomas, Sanders got in on the home run action, pulling a ball over the right field fence and onto the football practice field, putting the Blue Raiders up 7-0 after the end of three innings.
WKU then threatened with a runner on and two out in the top of the fourth, when Brain McAuliffe smacked a fly to deep center field. But Sanders' Spider-Man act at the wall saved Keenan two runs and kept the Hilltoppers off the board.
"I told Nate earlier, 'Dude, every time I go deep into a game I swear you have at least one web gem for me,'" Keenan said. "He's saved me so many times."
Middle Tennessee added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, with a double from Negishi and single from Thomas setting the table for Negishi to score on a fielder's choice and Nathan Sanders to score on a Hilltopper error, stretching the Blue Raiders' lead to 9-0 after five complete.
The Blue Raiders added one more run in the bottom of the seventh. Mason McLeod hit a pinch-hit double to get things started, coming around to score on a Sanders single one batter later to stretch MT's lead to 10-0.
WKU would get their first two runs of the game in the top of the eighth, but would score no more as Trent Seibert slammed the door in the ninth with a pair of Ks to clinch the MT victory.
Middle Tennessee will look to clinch their second C-USA series of the season tomorrow at Reese Smith Jr. Field on Salute Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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