Simon Elfrink
Sports Editor
Murray State baseball traveled to Charleston, Illinois, on Friday, March 12, and Saturday, March 13, to open conference play against Eastern Illinois University.
The Panthers came into the series firing on all cylinders, boasting an 8-4 overall record and winning at least two games in each three-game series they appeared in so far. The Racers, on the other hand, had been on the losing end of some of the best baseball in the country, losing three games against the University of Arkansas and one against the University of Louisville.
However, it was the Racers who began the conference play on a high note, taking two of the three games against EIU. While the Racers’ pitching staff displayed some of their best innings, it was the Racers’ bats that stole the stage as Murray State averaged just over 11 runs over the three-game series.
“That’s how you win a championship,” said Head Coach Dan Skirka. “You win series on the road.”
Game One
Racer bats showed up in the first game of the series on Friday, March 12, when senior outfielder Brock Anderson hit a home run. Senior second baseman Jordan Cozart had hit a sacrifice fly the at-bat before, so by the time the Panthers got their third out of the game, the Racers already led 2-0.
The Racers’ starter, sophomore left-hander Shane Burns, allowed a home run to redshirt senior Keith Kerrigan in the bottom of the second inning, making the score 2-1. The score remained as such until the fifth inning when senior outfielder Jake Slunder hit an RBI double. The fifth inning continued for the Racers after loading the bases and getting the Panthers to walk in a run. The Racers snuck another run across after a fielder’s choice, and the Racers led 5-1.
Cozart busted the scoring back open in the sixth inning with a two-RBI double. The Racers poured on again in the seventh with a pair of solo homers, one from redshirt junior infielder Bryson Bloomer and another from redshirt junior catcher Tanner Booth. EIU managed to cough up another run, but there was nothing the Panthers could do to compete with the Racers’ firepower in the first game. The Racers walked away with a 9-2 victory.
Burns earned the win on the mound, allowing both runs on four hits but striking out five batters.
“That’s the Shane Burns we know,” Skirka said. “That’s why he’s starting on Friday for us, is to go out there and hold the team in check and give us a team to win and he definitely did that so [I’m] proud of him.”
Game Two
The Racers came out of the gate as hot as in game one on Saturday, March 13, for the first game of a double header to close out the series. Slunder led off with a double to right-center field, and Cozart kicked off his day with a two-run shot. The Racers got another run across on a ground ball to shortstop, making the score 3-0 Racers. A bases-loaded walk in the top of the second gave the Racers another run.
EIU’s redshirt junior infielder Dalton Doyle hit a solo homer to get the Panthers on the board. EIU would continue to answer the Racers’ tenacious offense with a five-run third inning, while the Racers scraped together a pair of runs, tying things at six runs apiece. However, the Panthers never stopped scoring, giving the Racers’ pitching staff fits with another eight runs throughout the rest of the game.
“We struggled on the mound [in the second game],” Skirka said. “They were in hitters’ counts and walked too many guys. Lot of fastballs out over the plate that [the Panthers] did what they’re supposed to do with them.”
The Racers also continued to mash the ball. Booth hit another home run in the seventh, this time a two-run shot. Cozart hit a two-run home run of his own in the eighth, but that was the extent of the Racers’ scoring, which despite being immense was still not enough to catch up to the Panthers. EIU walked away with a 14-10 victory in Game Two.
Game Three
With the series tied at 1-1, both teams looked to tip the scale in the OVC opener with a big victory in the third game.
The Racers maintained their big swings from the first two games, and while they were down 2-0 going into the second inning, they wouldn’t remain there long. Bloomer hit yet another huge home run to lead off, and redshirt junior catcher Alex Crump added another run for the Racers after a sacrifice fly to left field, tying the game at 2-2. EIU added two runs in the bottom of the second inning on a walk, a single, another walk, an error and a sacrifice fly.
Skirka had good things to say about his starting pitcher for the last game of the season, giving credit to freshman right-hander Jack Wenninger for maintaining his composure while pitching to a blistering hot offense. After Wenninger went four innings on the mound, he gave the ball up to redshirt junior right-hander Alec Whaley.
“[The Panthers] were hot after the first game,” Skirka said. “That’s tough to go into, knowing that they’re seeing the ball well and they were all feeling confident and then we didn’t play great defense behind Jack. For him to battle through and put up zeroes in the third and the fourth, that was big to get the ball to Whaley.”
The scoring stagnated until the top of the fifth, when senior outfielder Ryan Perkins reached on a double, followed by a walk by Cozart. Anderson then hit a three-run blast, giving the Racers a 5-4 lead. Bloomer followed his teammate’s home run with one of his own. The Racers kept bringing the pain and loaded the bases for Slunder, who tore things open with a grand slam to make the score 10-4.
From there on it was all Racers, barring a last-ditch effort in the bottom of the ninth inning when the Panthers brought home a final run. By the last out of the game, the scoreboard showed a 15-5 win for Murray State. Skirka said he likes the trend he’s been seeing with his hitters being more consistent through the lineup.
“That’s what we’ve been talking about all year, is our depth,” Skirka said. “We’ve had three or four guys carry us in games so if we get more than that going that’s when we’re going to be able to put up some really good numbers and make it really tough on the other team’s staff. We talked about getting into [their] bullpen, and we were able to do that this weekend.”
The Racers will look to ride the momentum on Tuesday, March 14, against the University of Kentucky.
