Blue Raiders ride Alderman's outing, Nowak's 3 hits to clinch series over Delaware

Saturday, April 18

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

12 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

20-19, 7-10

Delaware

11-28, 1-16

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Delaware	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	3	9	1
Middle Tenn.	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	X	4	10	1

4/18/2026 3:29:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Willie Phaler, MTSU Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- Middle Tennessee baseball (20-19, 7-10 CUSA) clinched a Conference USA series win over Delaware (11-28, 1-16 CUSA) with a 4-3 victory on Saturday.

Backed by 5.0 innings of one-earned run ball from Chandler Alderman (W, 2-2), the Blue Raider offense put up a three-spot in the bottom of the first to jump out early.

Tyler Minnick continued his 29-game on-base streak with an RBI single in the first, while Dean O'Neill picked up two RBI with a double down the left field line.

After the Fightin' Blue Hens picked up a run in the second and an unearned run in the fifth, Brett Rogers brought an insurance run around to score on an RBI single in the sixth.

Owen Nowak had a strong outing at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. This marked Nowak's 12th multi-hit outing on the season.

Following up Alderman out of the bullpen, right-handers Bryant Beranek and Gavin King (S, 4) combined for 4.0 innings of one-run ball.

Beranek held the Hens to just three hits, while King shut things down for the third consecutive game and his second save in as many days.

By the Numbers:

3: Today's outing from Gavin King marked his third straight appearance for the Blue Raiders. In that span, King is 1-0 with two saves while striking out 10.

9: Chandler Alderman picked up his ninth career win for the Blue Raiders, while surpassing 180 career innings pitched in his start today.

29: Tyler Minnick's on-base streak has now reached 29 games after a 1-for-4 day from the Blue Raider catcher.

The Skipper Speaks (Jerry Meyers)

"I wouldn't call it a bounceback [for Nowak at the plate]," Meyers said. "... He's been solid, his at-bats have been the same. He's just barely missing a few balls… he was on fire so he's bouncing back from being on fire. I really like what he's doing."

Player Perspective (Owen Nowak)

"I was just capitalizing on mistakes today," Nowak said. "My mindset going up to the plate was, 'If they're going to throw me early strikes,' which is what these teams have been doing to me recently then I'm just capitalizing on mistakes. I'm just ready to hit."

Up Next

The Blue Raiders and Blue Hens will matchup for the final game of the series at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Reese Smith Jr. Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with a radio broadcast and audio stream available on the Blue Raider Network.