Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, March 14
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
11-6
9
vs
7
UAB
13-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UAB
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
9
1
Middle Tennessee
0
1
0
2
4
0
0
2
X
9
11
1
Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications
Blue Raiders erase seven-run deficit to steal game one 9-7 against UAB
3/14/2025 9:55:00 PM | Baseball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. —If you're a fan of comebacks and home runs, Reese Smith Jr. Field was the place to be Friday night as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (11-6) and the UAB Blazers (13-5) combined to hit five home runs in a 9-7 comeback win by Middle Tennessee to open the three-game set.
After trailing 7-0, Middle Tennessee came all the way back to take the lead for good in the eighth inning on a Brett Rogers RBI triple that plated Keaton Ray on a hit-and-run in a full count to make it 8-7. Nine-hole hitter Clay Badylak successfully dropped a bunt on a suicide squeeze to bring Rogers in to score the ninth and final run of the game.
UAB exploded for seven runs in the second inning. Designated hitter Jaden Anderson and catcher Nick Hollifield both hit two-out, three-run home runs in the inning. Brett Vondholen scored in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch.
Following an one-out single by Nathan Brewer, Hayden Miller jumped on a first-pitch fastball four his fourth home run of the year to make it a 7-3 ballgame in the fourth inning.
Middle Tennessee had a big fifth inning to break the once seven-run deficit by putting together a two-out rally of its' own. Veteran backstop Tyler Minnick smoked a double to left field that scored Eston Snider all the way from first to make it 7-4. The next at-bat, Brett Vondohlen hammered his ninth home run of the year into section 2HH in Floyd Stadium to make it 7-6 before outfielder Nathan Brewer hit a rising, line drive of a solo shot over the trees in right field to tie it up.
Minnick threw out two would-be base stealers at second in the top of the sixth to help reliever Ollie Akens throw his fourth shutout inning out of the bullpen. The right-hander has proven to be perhaps the Blue Raiders most reliable arm out of the bullpen so far this season, serving as a stop-gap on multiple occasions to let Middle Tennessee catch back up in ballgames in the middle innings.
Akens gave way to Will Jenkins with one out in the seventh inning to close his book at 4.1 innings, allowing four hits with two strikeouts. Jenkins stranded the go-ahead run on second base by getting a strikeout and a ground ball to third to end the inning.
The senior right-hander, who also is no stranger to high-leverage situations, got the hardest three outs of the night to earn the win and his second save in as many games.
Brewer finished the night 3-for-4 and scored a pair of runs and made a good catch on the run fading back toward the warning track for the final out of the night. His counterpart in right field, Eston Snider, reached base four times with three walks and a hit in his final at-bat and stole his team high ninth and 10th bases of the year. Vondohlen reached the 20-RBI plateau with his fifth inning home run and Keaton Ray reached base twice after pinch-hitting for Hayden Miller in the fifth inning.
By the Numbers
5: Combined home runs for both teams tonight.
3: Walks induced by MTSU leadoff man Eston Snider. Snider stole two base and scored a run in the ballgame, as well.
6: RBI's out of the middle of the Blue Raider order. Two apiece from Miller and Vondohlen, one from Minnick and one from Brewer.
7: Consecutive shutout innings from the Middle Tennessee bullpen.
The Skipper Speaks (Jerry Meyers)
"Hopefully you build character throughout the year for situations like we were in tonight," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jerry Meyers. "We know that if you can separate a game when you have a bad inning and on a night like tonight where it's windy, not panicking and not doing too much. We did a nice job of getting (UAB starter Cole Cheatham's) pitch count up where he couldn't finish it and we could get to their bullpen. Just outstanding grit to see guys respond like that when adversity hits. It proves we can do that against a good club if it happens to us again."
Player Perspective (Nathan Brewer)
"It's funny because before the at-bat (where the home run was hit) our third base coach (Kevin) Nichols gave me the fastball only approach and the first pitch was a slider that I accidentally hit out," Brewer chuckled. "It was pretty awesome. When a good team gets up 7-0 on you, you get down a little bit, but we were just trying to chip away slowly and we got it back in the fifth. Ollie (Akens) did an incredible job coming in and shutting them down after the seven-run inning. Jenkins came in and did the same, they were outstanding."
Up Next
Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Blue Raider 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).
After trailing 7-0, Middle Tennessee came all the way back to take the lead for good in the eighth inning on a Brett Rogers RBI triple that plated Keaton Ray on a hit-and-run in a full count to make it 8-7. Nine-hole hitter Clay Badylak successfully dropped a bunt on a suicide squeeze to bring Rogers in to score the ninth and final run of the game.
UAB exploded for seven runs in the second inning. Designated hitter Jaden Anderson and catcher Nick Hollifield both hit two-out, three-run home runs in the inning. Brett Vondholen scored in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch.
Following an one-out single by Nathan Brewer, Hayden Miller jumped on a first-pitch fastball four his fourth home run of the year to make it a 7-3 ballgame in the fourth inning.
Middle Tennessee had a big fifth inning to break the once seven-run deficit by putting together a two-out rally of its' own. Veteran backstop Tyler Minnick smoked a double to left field that scored Eston Snider all the way from first to make it 7-4. The next at-bat, Brett Vondohlen hammered his ninth home run of the year into section 2HH in Floyd Stadium to make it 7-6 before outfielder Nathan Brewer hit a rising, line drive of a solo shot over the trees in right field to tie it up.
Minnick threw out two would-be base stealers at second in the top of the sixth to help reliever Ollie Akens throw his fourth shutout inning out of the bullpen. The right-hander has proven to be perhaps the Blue Raiders most reliable arm out of the bullpen so far this season, serving as a stop-gap on multiple occasions to let Middle Tennessee catch back up in ballgames in the middle innings.
Akens gave way to Will Jenkins with one out in the seventh inning to close his book at 4.1 innings, allowing four hits with two strikeouts. Jenkins stranded the go-ahead run on second base by getting a strikeout and a ground ball to third to end the inning.
The senior right-hander, who also is no stranger to high-leverage situations, got the hardest three outs of the night to earn the win and his second save in as many games.
Brewer finished the night 3-for-4 and scored a pair of runs and made a good catch on the run fading back toward the warning track for the final out of the night. His counterpart in right field, Eston Snider, reached base four times with three walks and a hit in his final at-bat and stole his team high ninth and 10th bases of the year. Vondohlen reached the 20-RBI plateau with his fifth inning home run and Keaton Ray reached base twice after pinch-hitting for Hayden Miller in the fifth inning.
By the Numbers
5: Combined home runs for both teams tonight.
3: Walks induced by MTSU leadoff man Eston Snider. Snider stole two base and scored a run in the ballgame, as well.
6: RBI's out of the middle of the Blue Raider order. Two apiece from Miller and Vondohlen, one from Minnick and one from Brewer.
7: Consecutive shutout innings from the Middle Tennessee bullpen.
The Skipper Speaks (Jerry Meyers)
"Hopefully you build character throughout the year for situations like we were in tonight," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jerry Meyers. "We know that if you can separate a game when you have a bad inning and on a night like tonight where it's windy, not panicking and not doing too much. We did a nice job of getting (UAB starter Cole Cheatham's) pitch count up where he couldn't finish it and we could get to their bullpen. Just outstanding grit to see guys respond like that when adversity hits. It proves we can do that against a good club if it happens to us again."
Player Perspective (Nathan Brewer)
"It's funny because before the at-bat (where the home run was hit) our third base coach (Kevin) Nichols gave me the fastball only approach and the first pitch was a slider that I accidentally hit out," Brewer chuckled. "It was pretty awesome. When a good team gets up 7-0 on you, you get down a little bit, but we were just trying to chip away slowly and we got it back in the fifth. Ollie (Akens) did an incredible job coming in and shutting them down after the seven-run inning. Jenkins came in and did the same, they were outstanding."
Up Next
Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Blue Raider 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).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jenkins, Will (1-1)
L: Brendan Conner (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Nick Hollifield 1
HR: Nick Hollifield 1 ; Jaden Anderson 1
RBI: Logan Braunschweig 1 ; Nick Hollifield 3 ; Jaden Anderson 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Gavin Lewis Jr 1 ; Logan Braunschweig 1 ; Nick Hollifield 1 ; Tyler Harrington 1 ; Tyler Waugh 1 ; Jaden Anderson 1 ; Alex Cheeseman 1
SB: Logan Braunschweig 1
CS: Gavin Lewis Jr 1 ; Alex Cheeseman 1
HBP: Gavin Lewis Jr 1
Batting:
2B: Minnick, Tyler 1
3B: Rogers, Brett 1
HR: Vondohlen, Brett 1 ; Brewer, Nathan 1 ; Miller, Hayden 1
RBI: Minnick, Tyler 1 ; Vondohlen, Brett 2 ; Brewer, Nathan 1 ; Miller, Hayden 2 ; Rogers, Brett 1 ; Badylak, Clay 1
SH: Badylak, Clay 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Snider, Eston 1 ; Minnick, Tyler 1 ; Vondohlen, Brett 2 ; Brewer, Nathan 2 ; Miller, Hayden 1 ; Ray, Keaton 1 ; Rogers, Brett 1
SB: Snider, Eston 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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INF/RHP
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