Blue Raiders fall in middle game to Liberty

Friday, May 15

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

3 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

26-28, 12-17

Liberty

37-18, 20-9

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

5/15/2026 6:48:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Willie Phaler, MTSU Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- Middle Tennessee baseball (26-28, 12-17 CUSA) dropped game two of a three-game set to Liberty (37-18, 20-9 CUSA) 10-2 on Friday afternoon.

Chandler Alderman (L, 2-4) made the start for the Blue Raiders, and flashed strong off-speed stuff. The junior left-hander tied his season-high in strikeouts with six, but fell victim to the longball off the bats of the Flames.

Liberty's offense rode four home runs to a 10-0 lead in the top of the fifth. Three were tagged off Alderman, while the fourth was a grand slam off Landen Burch in a seven-run fifth inning.

Second baseman Cooper Clapp was a bright spot on offense, becoming the first Blue Raider since 2008 to hit a home run in five consecutive games. This was Clapp's 11th long ball of the season, tying Dean O'Neill for the team lead.

Owen Nowak contributed the other Middle Tennessee run, driving in Brett Vondohlen on a single through the right side in the fifth inning.

By the Numbers:

43: Tyler Minnick's on-base streak came to a halt at a program-record 43 straight games after failing to reach today.

5: Cooper Clapp has now homered in five consecutive games, which ties Rowley Bishop's mark set in 2008.

3.0: Colin Kerrigan and Cole Cates combined for 3.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Blue Raiders.

The Skipper Speaks (Jerry Meyers)

"We got a chance to win a series tomorrow," Meyers said. "Going into today, you'd like to try to do it in game two. [We] got behind, they had some separation and it wasn't like our at-bats were off or anything like that. I felt like we hit some balls hard, but nothing to show for it."

Up Next

The Blue Raiders will suit up for the team's final home game of the season, with Senior Day on the docket for tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m., with a ceremony honoring ten members of the program slated for 12:30 p.m.