Blue Raiders fall on Sunday to lose series to Hilltoppers

Sunday, April 28

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

1:00 p.m. CT

Middle Tennessee

14-29, 0

WKU

31-14, 0

WKU

Middle Tennessee

MTSU catcher Briggs Rutter frames a pitch to help strikeout a Hilltopper on Sunday's game against WKU

Photo by: Michael Giglio/MT Athletic Communications

4/28/2024 4:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Four home runs not enough for MTSU against their long-time rival

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee baseball fell to Western Kentucky in the rubber match 7-4 on Sunday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

The Blue Raiders (14-29, 5-13 C-USA) were the aggressors early, thanks to Briggs Rutter's first solo shot of the afternoon, pushing MTSU to an early 1-0 lead after one complete inning. But the Hilltoppers (31-14, 13-5 C-USA) answered back in the top of the second on a two-run home run to right field. MTSU tied the game in the bottom of the third after Rutter hit his second solo-shot of the day, but WKU quickly retook the lead with three runs in the top of the fourth.

MTSU stayed resilient, getting solo-homers from Eston Snider in the fifth and Trace Phillips in the sixth to pull within one run, 5-4, after six complete. But WKU scratched across runs in the seventh and eighth inning to give themselves insurance late, ultimately closing the door in the ninth with a game-ending double play.

Eston Snider, Briggs Ruttter, Trace Phillips and Luke Vinson all had multi-hit days at the plate. Snider went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, Rutter 2-for-4 with a pair of solo blasts, Phillips 2-for-4 with a one-run homer and Vinson 2-for-4 out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup. Ollie Akens stranded the bases loaded in the top of the ninth with the help of a pair of strikeouts.

By the Numbers

9: Number of home runs hit by the Blue Raiders against the Hilltoppers this weekend, the most in a single series this season.

12: Home runs this season for Rutter and Phillips, who are tied for the lead in the category for the Blue Raiders.

4: Solo home runs by the Blue Raiders on Sunday afternoon .

The Skipper Speaks

"It has been back to back where we lost a (close) game. We can't fault our effort or intensity, it has just been a couple of tough games that could have gone either way. They are one of the top teams in the conference, and didn't make many mistakes for us to capitalize on."

Up Next

The Blue Raiders will host North Alabama at the Reese on Tuesday, April 30th at 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.

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