Blue Raiders drop midweek bout to Bisons

Tuesday, February 27

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

3:00 p.m. CT

Middle Tennessee

3-5, 0

Lipscomb

3-5, 0

Lipscomb

Middle Tennessee

2/27/2024 6:50:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Longball comes back to bite MTSU in in-state clash.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee baseball dueled on the mound early, but couldn't come up with enough hits of their own on Tuesday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field, falling to visiting Lipscomb 7-3.

The Blue Raiders (3-5) struck first in the bottom of the first inning, when Luke Vinson scored on a skipped throw from third to first that allowed Briggs Rutter to reach safely. That one-run lead held for four frames, as James Sells threw four scoreless, no-hit innings to start the game.

The Bisons (3-5) would find their offense in the top of the fifth however, with Sells giving up a solo-home run to the first batter in the frame and later a sacrifice fly to allow Lipscomb to take the lead at the halfway point. Lipscomb added three more runs on a home run in the top of the sixth to stretch their lead to 5-1.

It took until the seventh inning stretch for MTSU to get back into the game, plating two runs on an RBI-double from Jared Vetetoe. The three hits MTSU smacked in the seventh inning were the first hits the Blue Raiders had since Luke Vinson singled to left field in the first inning. The Bisons, however, added runs in the top of the eighth and ninth innings to pull away.

Seven Blue Raiders hit safely on Tuesday, though no Blue Raider earned more than one hit in contest. Sells struck out four in 4.2 innings of work as the starter, while Chandler Alderman continued his strong start to the season on the mounds, striking out two Bisons for both of his outs when he came in out of the bullpen in the ninth inning.

By the Numbers
3: Home runs hit by the Bisons, the fourth game this season the MTSU staff has given up multiple home runs.

2: Doubles hit by MTSU on Tuesday, one from Jared Vetetoe and one from Jackson Halloway. It's the fourth game this season MTSU has hit multiple doubles.

1: Error for MTSU on Tuesday. The Blue Raiders have not yet played a game in 2024 without committing at least one error, thought Tuesday was the first game since the season opener in which MTSU did not allow any unearned runs.

Up Next
MTSU hits the road on the weekend for the first time this season, heading to UT Martin for a three-game series starting on Friday. First pitch at Skyhawk Baseball Field on Friday is set for 5 p.m., with audio coverage on GoBlueRaiders.com/watch and the Varsity Radio App.

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