Story by Gage Johnson, Staff writer

Murray State baseball lost to Alabama A&M on the road Tuesday 4-1.

Freshman pitcher Jake Jones took the mound for Murray State to begin the game, and freshman pitcher Clayton Warner got the start for Alabama A&M.

It was the Racers that put the first run across the board in the game. After junior shortstop Jaron Robinson reached because of an error on the Bulldogs third baseman, a single to right field from graduate student first baseman Ramsey Scott put them up 1-0 in the top of the first.

The game managed to stay at a standstill until the bottom half of the third inning. Alabama A&M got off to a hot start in the inning when senior outfielder Carlton Peppers singled to left field and advanced to third when freshman outfielder Brandon Moore got thrown trying to turn a single into a double. The next two batters were hit by the pitch to load the bases. A sacrifice fly ball from senior infielder Carson McGregory allowed the Bulldogs to even the score at 1-1.

However, a groundout to freshman second baseman Grant Wood left two runners on base for Alabama A&M and helped Murray State escape a jam.

Both teams traded blows for multiple innings but never managed to score any runs until the the Bulldogs rallied in the bottom of the fifth. Alabama A&M Junior infielder Jonathan Smith II was hit by the pitch to start the inning, and advanced to third on a single by senior infielder JT O’Reel. McGregory hit into a double play the next at-bat, but Smith II scored on the play, giving Alabama A&M a 2-1 lead.

The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning of play. Some small ball with a bunt from Smith II and an error from the Racers, Mcgregory doubled to center, bringing a run across on the play. Junior catcher Wilanier Betancourt drove in a run on a sacrifice-fly, giving Alabama A&M a 4-1 lead.

The Racers managed to only get one hit across the next two innings, and the Bulldogs walked away with the 4-1 victory.  This was the Racers’ fourth-straight game on the road, having gone 1-2 in a three game series with Kansas University. On the other hand, Tuesday’s meeting was the Bulldogs’ fourth-straight home game, having gone 2-1 against in a three game series with Fort Wayne University.

Murray State will now head back to the Bluegrass State to play their first home series of the season. They will play a three-game series against Western Illinois University. The first game will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 at Reagan Field.