Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, April 21
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
19-18, 9-7
6
vs
0
Rice
16-22, 6-10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Rice
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
1
Middle Tennessee
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
3
X
6
6
1
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Johnson, Patrick (3-2)
L: Tyler Hamilton (1-1)
S: Akens, Ollie (1)
Batting:
2B: Pierce Gallo 1
Batting:
2B: Snider, Eston 1
HR: Galloway, Jackson 1
RBI: Snider, Eston 2 ; Coker, Brett 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Snider, Eston 1 ; Coker, Brett 1 ; Rutter, Briggs 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 1 ; Vinson, Luke 2
SB: Vinson, Luke 3
HBP: Rutter, Briggs 1 ; Vinson, Luke 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
1
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballSS
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballOF/INF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications
Blue Raiders split Saturday Doubleheader to set up Sunday rubber match against Rice.
4/22/2023 8:25:00 PM | Baseball
Box Score 1Box Score 2Game 1 Box Score (PDF)Game 2 Box Score (PDF)Season StatsSeason C-USA StatsPhoto Gallery
MTSU finished off the rain stopped Game 1 before falling in Game 2
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee baseball split games on Saturday at Reese Smith Jr. Field, earning the win against Rice after completing the rain suspended game from Friday night, 6-0, before falling 9-2 in the second half of the Doubleheader.
The Blue Raiders (19-19, 9-8 C-USA) were able to hold the Owls (17-22, 7-10 C-USA) to just four hits across two days in the opening game, but allowed 15 hits across the second game, while managing just five of their own. The split decision sets up a rubber match for the series on Sunday afternoon.
Game 1
MTSU started the resumption of Game 1 leading 3-0 after Friday night's action. Check out Anthony Fiorella's recap here for how the Blue Raiders took the lead before rain pushed the conclusion of the game back to Saturday.
Luke Vinson extended the lead in the bottom of the eighth, drawing a walk then stealing both second and third, later scoring on an RBI-double down the third base line off the bat JT Mabry. A fielder's choice for Brett Coker, followed by a hit batsman and a walk, set up an RBI-walk from Jackson Galloway with two outs. An Owl wild pitch to DJ Wright scored Briggs Rutter, stretching the lead to 6-0.
Ollie Akens took over for Patrick Johnson on the mound, earning the three-plus-inning save with three strikeouts and allowing just three hits to finish the combined shutout. Johnson earned his third win of the 2023 campaign after tossing 5.1 innings and allowing just one hit on Friday night.
Eston Snider finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs, one run scored and a double at the top of the lineup. Vinson scored two runs while stealing three bags, going 1-for-1 during the game with a walk and HBP, scoring two runs.
Game 2
MTSU started the scoring in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of two hit batters to start the game with a Jeremiah Boyd RBI single up the middle, scoring Eston Snider from second.
Rice tied the game in the top of the second and took the lead in the top of the sixth, but Boyd would once again come up clutch for the Blue Raiders, blasting a home run just after the seventh inning stretch off the top of the Lee Victory Wall of Champions to tie the game 2-2.
Eriq Swan was solid in relief of starter Jaden Hamm, but Rice scored six runs in the ninth inning, allowing the Owls to pull away 9-2 with seven runs in the final two frames.
Boyd was the only Blue Raider with a multi-hit game, driving in both of MTSU's runs in Game 2 while going 2-for-4 at the plate.
By the Numbers
4 & 15: Hits for the Owls in Game 1 vs. Game 2 on Saturday. The Blue Raiders excelled in keeping Rice off the basepaths in Game 1, but gave up five hits in the top of the ninth in Game 2, which were too many in one inning to scatter as they had done in the eight prior frames.
3: Strikeouts for Eriq Swan out of the bullpen on Saturday, his first appearance out of the pen in the 2023 season. The Murfreesboro native stuck out the side in the top of the seventh, giving Jeremiah Boyd a chance to tie Game 2 in the bottom half.
12: Multi-hit games for Jeremiah Boyd this season. The Presbyterian College transfer had a two-hit game in Game 2 on Saturday.
Skipper's Corner with Head Coach Jerry Meyers
"After we tied it up (in Game 2), we felt pretty good. We brought our guy in that has done the best job at the back end of the game for us and it just didn't work out. You try to stick with a guy that's been solid for you, especially in the last three to four weeks out of the bullpen. I feel like our guys played hard, we were competitive on the mound, we (just) had one bad inning there."
Player's Perspective – Ollie Akens
"The changeup was really working for me. The fastball had a lot of run on it today, more than normal. Just mixing well, mixing all three pitches for strikes. It honestly felt like a start, a normal start. I just got my mind right before the game and treated it like a normal start."
Player's Perspective – Eston Snider
"We can't let that top of the ninth inning get us down. Our pitching staff threw well today, we hit the ball, made some plays. I think we just have to go in (Sunday) with energy and not let that last inning define what that game was, because it was a lot different before that."
Up Next
The Conference USA series against the Owls will conclude on Sunday at Reese Smith Jr. Field. First pitch is scheduled for Noon at ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
The Blue Raiders (19-19, 9-8 C-USA) were able to hold the Owls (17-22, 7-10 C-USA) to just four hits across two days in the opening game, but allowed 15 hits across the second game, while managing just five of their own. The split decision sets up a rubber match for the series on Sunday afternoon.
Game 1
MTSU started the resumption of Game 1 leading 3-0 after Friday night's action. Check out Anthony Fiorella's recap here for how the Blue Raiders took the lead before rain pushed the conclusion of the game back to Saturday.
Luke Vinson extended the lead in the bottom of the eighth, drawing a walk then stealing both second and third, later scoring on an RBI-double down the third base line off the bat JT Mabry. A fielder's choice for Brett Coker, followed by a hit batsman and a walk, set up an RBI-walk from Jackson Galloway with two outs. An Owl wild pitch to DJ Wright scored Briggs Rutter, stretching the lead to 6-0.
Ollie Akens took over for Patrick Johnson on the mound, earning the three-plus-inning save with three strikeouts and allowing just three hits to finish the combined shutout. Johnson earned his third win of the 2023 campaign after tossing 5.1 innings and allowing just one hit on Friday night.
Eston Snider finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs, one run scored and a double at the top of the lineup. Vinson scored two runs while stealing three bags, going 1-for-1 during the game with a walk and HBP, scoring two runs.
Game 2
MTSU started the scoring in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of two hit batters to start the game with a Jeremiah Boyd RBI single up the middle, scoring Eston Snider from second.
Rice tied the game in the top of the second and took the lead in the top of the sixth, but Boyd would once again come up clutch for the Blue Raiders, blasting a home run just after the seventh inning stretch off the top of the Lee Victory Wall of Champions to tie the game 2-2.
Eriq Swan was solid in relief of starter Jaden Hamm, but Rice scored six runs in the ninth inning, allowing the Owls to pull away 9-2 with seven runs in the final two frames.
Boyd was the only Blue Raider with a multi-hit game, driving in both of MTSU's runs in Game 2 while going 2-for-4 at the plate.
By the Numbers
4 & 15: Hits for the Owls in Game 1 vs. Game 2 on Saturday. The Blue Raiders excelled in keeping Rice off the basepaths in Game 1, but gave up five hits in the top of the ninth in Game 2, which were too many in one inning to scatter as they had done in the eight prior frames.
3: Strikeouts for Eriq Swan out of the bullpen on Saturday, his first appearance out of the pen in the 2023 season. The Murfreesboro native stuck out the side in the top of the seventh, giving Jeremiah Boyd a chance to tie Game 2 in the bottom half.
12: Multi-hit games for Jeremiah Boyd this season. The Presbyterian College transfer had a two-hit game in Game 2 on Saturday.
Skipper's Corner with Head Coach Jerry Meyers
"After we tied it up (in Game 2), we felt pretty good. We brought our guy in that has done the best job at the back end of the game for us and it just didn't work out. You try to stick with a guy that's been solid for you, especially in the last three to four weeks out of the bullpen. I feel like our guys played hard, we were competitive on the mound, we (just) had one bad inning there."
Player's Perspective – Ollie Akens
"The changeup was really working for me. The fastball had a lot of run on it today, more than normal. Just mixing well, mixing all three pitches for strikes. It honestly felt like a start, a normal start. I just got my mind right before the game and treated it like a normal start."
Player's Perspective – Eston Snider
"We can't let that top of the ninth inning get us down. Our pitching staff threw well today, we hit the ball, made some plays. I think we just have to go in (Sunday) with energy and not let that last inning define what that game was, because it was a lot different before that."
Up Next
The Conference USA series against the Owls will conclude on Sunday at Reese Smith Jr. Field. First pitch is scheduled for Noon at ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
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