Middle Tennessee beats Memphis 10-9 in final mid-week tilt of the year

Tuesday, May 12

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

25-27

Memphis

21-30

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Memphis	2	3	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	9	13	1
Middle Tenn.	2	0	1	3	0	0	4	0	X	10	15	1

5/12/2026 10:16:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Willie Phaler, MTSU Athletic Communications

Murfreesboro, Tenn.—Middle Tennessee (25-27, 11-16 CUSA) faced a pair of three-run deficits in it's final midweek game of the season against in-state foe, Memphis (21-30, 12-12 AAC). The second-such stretch had an unlikely hero in pinch-hitter, Matt Wolfe. With two outs in the inning, Wolfe came in cold to face a left-hander that just came out of the bullpen and singled through the left side of the infield to tie it at nine, just prior to Tyler Minnick getting hit by a pitch to bring in the eventual winning run in a 10-9 game.

Both teams scored a pair of runs in the first inning. Middle Tennessee second baseman Cooper Clapp tied the game with one swing, hitting a two-run shot just to the right corner of the scoreboard in right-center for his ninth home run of the season. It's the third game in a row that Clapp has gone yard.

Memphis tagged the Blue Raiders for three runs in the second inning. Middle Tennessee got one back in the third on a Nathan Brewer RBI, his 44th of the year, to make it 5-3. The Blue Raiders took their first lead of the game in the fourth inning. Brett Rogers, Dean O'Neill and Brett Vondohlen all singled to start the inning, with Vondohlen's plating Rogers to make it 5-4. Clay Badylak reached on an error that loaded the bases and Owen Nowak and Tyler Minnick both picked up RBIs to score O'Neill and Vondohlen before the end of the frame.

In the top of the seventh, Memphis pushed three runs across prior to the Blue Raiders four run rally, all with two outs. The rally started when Layne Akers drew a walk and Brett Rogers laced a double to left field, followed by a Dean O'Neill RBI single that brought up Wolfe for his clutch RBI.

Minnick and Clapp both finished with two RBIs and joined Akers, Rogers and O'Neill with two hits. Rogers, O'Neill and Vondohlen scored a pair of runs. Abel Albarran allowed just one earned run and struck out two in 4.0 innings out of the bullpen and Mason Dobbs came on for a four-out save, his second of the season.

By the Numbers

42: Tyler Minnick's on-base streak is now sitting at 42 games.

3: Game's in a row that Cooper Clapp has hit a home run, the first such streak since Eston Snider did it last year against Farleigh Dickinson.

8: Middle Tennessee finishes the year 8-5 in midweek games.

The Skipper Speaks (Jerry Meyers)

"(Matt Wolfe's at-bat) was super important for the team and him," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jerry Meyers. "He's had some other opportunities where we did things like that, but when we saw the left-on-left matchup, we didn't want that matchup, especially with how (Memphis reliever Isaac Lucas) spins his breaking ball. Matt hit a ball hard the other way this past Sunday and they made a good play on it. He's a guy that's not afraid that's going to give you a mature at-bat and is going to battle."

Player Perspective (R. Jr. INF Matt Wolfe)

"When they took the mound visit and I saw the lefty come out, I started getting ready figuring I might be coming in," Wolfe said. "When coached called my number, I just went up there and competed. Hitting is hard, pinch-hitting is harder. You have to go in with as much confidence as you can and try to put a bat on the ball and hit it hard. You keep moving forward, and I got one to go through today."

(Jr. RHP Abel Albarran)

"My last few outings have been a bit rocky, so having this outing today really boosted my confidence," Albarran said. "In the beginning of the year, I didn't have as complete of an arsenal as I've had now. I developed that a lot with the coaches and had a big confidence boost with everything I can throw. I really wanted to get my guys rallied up to come back today (prior to his final strikeout). Just giving that extra boost of confidence was big."

Up next

The Blue Raiders wrap up the regular season with a three-game set from Reese Smith Field against the Liberty Flames. First pitch for Thursday's game is set for 6:00 p.m. CDT. The game can be watched on ESPN+ and heard on the Blue Raider Network.