Story by Gage Johnson, Staff writer
Following a walk-off win at home, Murray State lost 6-5 to the No. 8 University of Mississippi on a walk-off wild pitch.
Murray State sophomore pitcher Luke Brown received his second start of the season. In his first start, he took the loss against Kansas University, giving up three earned runs on three hits in his only inning on the mound. Sophomore pitcher Houston Roth took the mound for his second for the Rebels. Roth has appeared in a total of three games and is 1-0 with an ERA of 4.50 over 12 innings pitched.
The Racers were not going to win this game easily, as the Rebels came into the game with an undefeated record so far at 7-0. Late-game heroics by freshman Grant Wood helped Murray State win in the latter innings on Tuesday. However, on Wednesday they looked to get ahead early to put the pressure on the 9th ranked team in the nation.
Murray State did just that in the first inning of play. A leadoff walk and a single by sophomore outfielder Ryan Perkins got the rally started. Sophomore infielder Davis Sims followed that to hit his first home run of the season, and the three-run blast gave the Racers an early 3-0 lead.
The offensive attack didn’t stop there. Graduate first baseman Ramsey Scott followed up the home run with a double. After a walk to junior catcher Mike Farnell, graduate student Gavin Wehby drove in the fourth run of the game for Murray State with a double down the right field line to give the Racers a 4-0 lead. Ole Miss managed to stop the bleeding by getting the next two outs.
With rain pouring down, the two teams offenses stood at a standstill for multiple innings. The Rebels were the first to strike again, putting together a short two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. A single from sophomore infielder Cole Zabowski singled up the middle, trimming the deficit to three with a score of 4-1.
After a one-two-three top of the fifth, Ole Miss went on another run. A single and a double to leadoff the inning led to a pitching change for the Racers. Junior pitcher Chance Carner was not given a warm welcome. He loaded the bases, walking the first batter he faced, and sophomore outfielder Thomas Dillard cleared them with a three-run double. He then stole third, and gave the Rebels the 5-4 lead when he scored on an RBI single from junior infielder Chase Cockrell.
Two scoreless innings later, Murray State bounced back in the top of the seventh. Wehby caused havoc on the base paths in the inning. He reached base on a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then reached third following a fielder’s choice. After an error, an infield single from junior outfielder Tyler Duke drove in Wehby and tied the game at 5.
It seemed to be just the beginning of a big inning for the Racers. However, a questionable out call on Duke’s steal attempt and a groundout to the second baseman stopped them from gaining any more run support going into the final innings.
The lead changed again in the top of the eighth under interesting circumstances. With two outs in the inning, Wehby struck out but managed to reach first on a dropped-third strike. While Wehby reached, freshman outfielder Jake Slunder, who entered as a pinch-runner in the inning, crossed the plate to give Murray State a late 6-5 lead before freshman infielder Grant Wood was thrown out to end the inning.
The momentum shifted sides once again in the bottom of the eighth. An RBI single from junior infielder Ryan Olenek evened the game at six heading into the final inning of play.
After a leadoff single and the bases loaded following a walk, Murray State’s senior pitcher Tyler Anderson came in to try and escape the jam. Following a first pitch strike, the rain seemed to come in to play as the ball veered off to right when Anderson released it, and Dillard came into score. After a short review, umpires ruled Dillard safe on a close play at the plate, helping the Rebels win 6-5 on a walk-off wild pitch.
Sitting at 4-4, Murray State will head back home for a four-game stretch. The first of four against Fort Wayne University will be played at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 2, at Reagan Field.
