Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
20-34, 0
Dallas Baptist
40-13, 0
Blue Raiders down Patriots 8-5 on Senior Day
5/18/2024 4:35:00 PM | Baseball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee defeated 25th-ranked Dallas Baptist 8-5 on Senior Day Saturday at The Reese.
The Blue Raiders (20-34, 8-16 C-USA) jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead through the first four innings of work. Gabe Jennings led things off hitting a two-run homer in the first inning. MTSU went with the small ball approach in the second, with a pair of RBI squeeze bunts by Cale Vinson and Eston Snider.
Middle Tennessee added a run in both the third and fourth inning, thanks to a pair of RBI singles by Brett Vondohlen and Luke Vinson.
The Patriots (40-13,17-7 C-USA) made some noise in the fifth, sixth, and seventh inning, however, the Blue Raiders limited the damage to four runs while also plating two more off of a Brady Holloway double and Eston Snider single to take an 8-4 lead into the ninth.
DBU was able to scratch a run across in the final frame, but MTSU would go on to take the series finale 8-5 – the Blue Raiders' first-ranked win of the season.
On the mound, freshman Chandler Alderman went 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and just two earned runs while striking out eight batters. Will Jenkins, Colin Kerrigan, and Ollie Akens each came in relief for an inning to shut down the high-powered Dallas Baptist offense.
By the Numbers
10: The Blue Raiders' pitching staff recorded 10 strikeouts on the afternoon.
9: All nine Blue Raiders in the lineup today reached base and Eston Snider extended his streak of reaching base to 25 games.
6: Six Blue Raiders were honored pregame during Senior Day festivities: Jackson Galloway, Justin Goldstein, Gabe Jennings, Briggs Rutter, Kota Sato and Luke Vinson.
The Skipper Speaks
"We feel like we are playing better baseball over the last four to six weeks… We have played better as a team. We have figured some situations out. Some freshmen have grown up and come up big for us, both on the mound and at the plate (Brett Vondohlen and Trace Phillips) getting us some really good at-bats."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will travel to Ruston, Louisiana to compete in the Conference USA Tournament on May 22-26.
Follow the Blue Raiders
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Alderman, Chandler (3-5)
L: ELLWANGER, James (1-1)
S: Akens, Ollie (3)
Batting:
2B: HEEFNER, Luke 1
HR: JAY, Grant 1
RBI: KRAUSS, Chayton 1 ; MANN, Ethan 1 ; JAY, Grant 1
SF: MANN, Ethan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: KRAUSS, Chayton 1 ; JAY, Grant 1 ; PENDERGAST, Alex 1 ; HEEFNER, Luke 2
CS: POOLE, Tom 1
HBP: HEEFNER, Luke 1
Batting:
2B: Holloway, Brady 1 ; Vetetoe, Jared 1
HR: Jennings, Gabe 1
RBI: Snider, Eston 2 ; Vinson, Luke 1 ; Jennings, Gabe 2 ; Holloway, Brady 1 ; Vondohlen, Brett 1 ; Vinson, Cale 1
SH: Snider, Eston 2 ; Vinson, Cale 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Snider, Eston 1 ; Jennings, Gabe 1 ; Rutter, Briggs 1 ; Galloway, Jackson 1 ; Vondohlen, Brett 1 ; Snider, Grant 1 ; Vetetoe, Jared 1 ; Vinson, Cale 1
SB: Snider, Eston 2 ; Vinson, Cale 1
CS: Vinson, Luke 1
HBP: Vondohlen, Brett 1
