Simon Elfrink
Sports Editor
After an opening double header against Lipscomb University, Murray State baseball bounced back to take on Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
While the Lipscomb series featured two games of patchy scoring, the Racers turned a new leaf against Middle Tennessee and wasted no time getting on the board, scoring two runs in the first inning.
The Racers loaded the bases in the first after back-to-back hits from senior infielder Bryson Bloomer and senior outfielder Ryan Perkins. Perkins retreated to the dugout after he was called out on a fielder’s choice off the bat of senior second baseman Jordan Cozart and a walk drawn by senior outfielder Brock Anderson. Junior outfielder Brennan McCullough brought home Bloomer and Cozart with a single into left field to give the Racers an early 2-0 lead.
Middle Tennessee answered in kind, getting a man on for junior designated hitter DJ Wright to hit a two-run homer to tie the game in dramatic fashion.
The Racers kept things going in the second, as senior catcher Alex Crump singled to start the inning. Redshirt senior outfielder Jake Slunder came up with one out and followed Crump with a single of his own. Bloomer took the opportunity to drive in both runners with a double. Bloomer didn’t stay on the baseball long as Perkins drove him in with an RBI single.
The Blue Raiders found some life in the fourth inning when freshman third baseman Gabe Jennings hit a solo shot to left-center field.
The fifth inning was stale offensively for both teams, but seven runs were scored in the sixth: four for the Racers and three for the Blue Raiders. The Racers led off the inning with a single by shortstop Jordan Holly, followed by a double from Slunder in the left-center gap to put runners on second and third. Bloomer got the opportunity to shine once again and singled to center field, giving those two men a chance to cross home plate and giving the Racers an 8-3 lead.
The last two runs of the sixth came off Perkins’s bat, who hammered one into the breeze and over the fence for a two-run homer.
The Racers didn’t score again until the eighth inning, when Bloomer continued to pile onto what was already a career day with a double down the right field line. Perkins delivered with the man on, driving Bloomer in with a single to center.
Redshirt junior infielder Wes Schad gave the Racers a chance to score once more in the ninth when he led off with a double. Sophomore Jacob Pennington entered the game to pinch run for his teammate. Pennington got the opportunity to run one at-bat later when Crump doubled and scored him from second base.
While the Blue Raiders chalked up another run in the bottom of the ninth, there was nothing they could do against the firepower Murray State brought to the game, and the game ended favoring the Racers 12-7. Despite the overwhelming offense, two of the Racers’ most dominant hitters, Anderson and Cozart, had relatively poor showings at the plate. After a pair of good games against Lipscomb, in which Anderson had two home runs and Cozart went 4-8 with a double, Anderson and Cozart went 0-4 and 0-5, respectively.
Head Coach Dan Skirka said he was not worried about his two established hitters having a poor showing and he was more pleased with the way the rest of the lineup delivered when they needed to.
“It’s one of the things we always talk about, a good balance one through nine,” Skirka said. “Different guys will step up on different days. [I’m] not worried about [Anderson and Cozart]. We get all nine of them rolling and we’ll be in good shape.”
The Racers had four players with multiple hits on the day: Slunder and Crump each had two hits while Perkins and Bloomer went 4-5 and 4-6, respectively. Perkins and Bloomer also had four RBIs apiece, and Bloomer crossed the plate four times himself.
“It’s always good [to get that first win],” Skirka said. “Especially to have so many guys chip in tonight on all sides of the ball. Got a lot of good performances.”
The winning pitcher for the Racers was starter sophomore left-hander Jordyn Naranjo, despite only staying in the game for the first 3.2 innings. Naranjo allowed three runs on six hits in that time, but struck out five batters. Despite agreeing that the bullpen had a pivotal role in the win, Skirka said Naranjo’s short start did not indicate a poor performance.
“He got pulled because he was on pitch count,” Skirka said. “He did a good job. He was a little nervous, since it was his first start. [He] walked a guy and then made one bad pitch to their best hitter and he gave up a two-run homer.”
The Racers will play next in the home-opening series against Purdue University Fort Wayne on Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27, at Reagan Field.
