Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, April 6
Bowling Green, KY
6:00 PM CT
Middle Tennessee
15-13, 6-4
6
at
3
Western Kentucky
16-15, 2-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Middle Tennessee
1
2
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
6
5
1
WKU
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
5
1
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Johnson, Patrick (2-1)
L: DIUGUID, Lane (0-2)
S: Sells, James (4)
Batting:
HR: Coker, Brett 1 ; Boyd, Jeremiah 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 1
RBI: Coker, Brett 1 ; Boyd, Jeremiah 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 2 ; Snider, Eston 1 ; Vinson, Luke 1
SH: Snider, Eston 1 ; Vinson, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Coker, Brett 1 ; Boyd, Jeremiah 1 ; Rutter, Briggs 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 2 ; Jennings, Gabe 1
SB: Galloway, Jackson 1 ; Jennings, Gabe 1 ; Snider, Eston 1
PO: Snider, Eston 1
Batting:
HR: GILROY, Aidan 1
RBI: GARCIA, Tristin 1 ; GILROY, Aidan 2
SH: LEONETT, Ricardo 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LIEBERT, Kirk 1 ; FARRIS, Lukas 1 ; GILROY, Aidan 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballSS
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF/INF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: Matt Posey/MT Athletic Communications
Patrick Johnson’s Gem Propels Blue Raiders to Win Over WKU
4/6/2023 9:18:00 PM | Baseball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Freshman RHP Patrick Johnson had a career night in Bowling Green. Getting the start and going a career-high 7.2 innings, the Chattanooga, Tenn. native brought the heat to a chilly Thursday night at Nick Denes Field, as Middle Tennessee Baseball defeated the WKU Hilltoppers 6-3.
Johnson stuck out and walked a pair of batters, and allowed four hits in the win. He surrendered three runs, with only one earned, and brings his ERA down to a team-best 1.71.
The Blue Raiders struck first in the initial frame, on a two-out, solo home run from Jeremiah Boyd.
MTSU made it 3-0 in second after a pair of RBI bunts, first on a squeeze play off the bat of Eston Snider and next on a Luke Vinson sacrifice.
After the Hilltoppers cut the early lead to one off a second inning two-run home run, the Raiders answered with another homer off the bat of Brett Coker to make it 4-2.
Jackson Galloway would follow in the sixth for a two-run home run, the first of the season for the junior from Kansas City.
WKU would add a run in the bottom of the eighth, but RHP James Sells stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout to get out of the jam. The sophomore righty from Winchester, Tenn. had a four-out save Thursday.
The Skipper Speaks
"Johnson was outstanding tonight on the mound. He was effective in all eight innings he was in there and that was huge. He didn't get into a whole lot of trouble, and when he did, he was able to get back in the zone. The defense made plays behind him. It seemed like Gabe Jennings had 26 ground balls to him today and made all of the plays. We did a great job making the plays we needed to make. Johnson was able to get us a long outing, which was much needed, and we didn't have to use much bullpen tonight," said head coach Jerry Meyers.
Player Perspective – RHP Patrick Johnson
"I just approached it the same as the other games. I threw strikes and let my defense work. They were getting behind me all night. It was good to set the tone early in the first," said Johnson.
"It was also nice to have a cushion. I went out there and threw strikes, and just let everything else fall into place."
By the Numbers
.156: The Blue Raiders held WKU to .156 overall hitting Thursday night.
2-3: Galloway went 2-3 with a walk and two runs on the evening, and had his first homer in 2023.
4: Sells' four saves lead the team this year.
Blue Raider Notes
With the win, the Raiders' clinch at least a share of the six-game season series against their rivals from the Bluegrass State, having previously won two of three games on March 17-19.
MTSU moves to 14-3 when scoring six or more runs and 7-3 when the starting pitcher goes 5.0 innings or longer.
Galloway has hit safely in eight consecutive games, while Coker extends his on-base streak to 23 games.
Next Up
The teams are back for Game 2 of the series Friday night at 6:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee will be seeking to clinch both a series and season-series win. The game will be streamed on Facebook Live. WGNS 101.9 FM / 1450 AM (Murfreesboro), WGNS 100.5 FM (Smyrna), GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App will have the radio broadcast.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Baseball), Facebook (Blue Raider Baseball) and Instagram (@MT_Baseball).
Johnson stuck out and walked a pair of batters, and allowed four hits in the win. He surrendered three runs, with only one earned, and brings his ERA down to a team-best 1.71.
The Blue Raiders struck first in the initial frame, on a two-out, solo home run from Jeremiah Boyd.
MTSU made it 3-0 in second after a pair of RBI bunts, first on a squeeze play off the bat of Eston Snider and next on a Luke Vinson sacrifice.
After the Hilltoppers cut the early lead to one off a second inning two-run home run, the Raiders answered with another homer off the bat of Brett Coker to make it 4-2.
Jackson Galloway would follow in the sixth for a two-run home run, the first of the season for the junior from Kansas City.
WKU would add a run in the bottom of the eighth, but RHP James Sells stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout to get out of the jam. The sophomore righty from Winchester, Tenn. had a four-out save Thursday.
The Skipper Speaks
"Johnson was outstanding tonight on the mound. He was effective in all eight innings he was in there and that was huge. He didn't get into a whole lot of trouble, and when he did, he was able to get back in the zone. The defense made plays behind him. It seemed like Gabe Jennings had 26 ground balls to him today and made all of the plays. We did a great job making the plays we needed to make. Johnson was able to get us a long outing, which was much needed, and we didn't have to use much bullpen tonight," said head coach Jerry Meyers.
Player Perspective – RHP Patrick Johnson
"I just approached it the same as the other games. I threw strikes and let my defense work. They were getting behind me all night. It was good to set the tone early in the first," said Johnson.
"It was also nice to have a cushion. I went out there and threw strikes, and just let everything else fall into place."
By the Numbers
.156: The Blue Raiders held WKU to .156 overall hitting Thursday night.
2-3: Galloway went 2-3 with a walk and two runs on the evening, and had his first homer in 2023.
4: Sells' four saves lead the team this year.
Blue Raider Notes
With the win, the Raiders' clinch at least a share of the six-game season series against their rivals from the Bluegrass State, having previously won two of three games on March 17-19.
MTSU moves to 14-3 when scoring six or more runs and 7-3 when the starting pitcher goes 5.0 innings or longer.
Galloway has hit safely in eight consecutive games, while Coker extends his on-base streak to 23 games.
Next Up
The teams are back for Game 2 of the series Friday night at 6:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee will be seeking to clinch both a series and season-series win. The game will be streamed on Facebook Live. WGNS 101.9 FM / 1450 AM (Murfreesboro), WGNS 100.5 FM (Smyrna), GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App will have the radio broadcast.
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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