Simon Elfrink
Sports Editor
Murray State baseball took two of three games in a series against University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, March 26, and Sunday, March 28.
Head Coach Dan Skirka credited his pitching staff, saying he saw some of the most consistent pitching of the season in the series against the Tigers.
“The big takeaway was that was probably our best pitched weekend as a whole this year,” Skirka said. “We’ve had some good games, we’ve had some good performances, but that was the best we’ve pitched as a group.”
Game One
The Racers wasted no time getting on the board for the first day of play on Friday, March 26. Senior outfielder Jake Slunder led off with a single, and senior outfielder Ryan Perkins drove him in with a home run to right field for his second home run of the season.
The Racers’ starter, sophomore left-hander Shane Burns , used his offense’s momentum and kept the Tigers scoreless until the third inning, when sophomore utility player Hunter Goodman hit a two-RBI single to left field to tie the ballgame.
Memphis stayed on a roll, scoring again in the bottom of the fourth on a leadoff solo home run from freshman utility player Taylor Howell. A sacrifice flyout later in the inning gave the Tigers a 4-2 lead.
Murray State’s offense had more to say and loaded the bases with two outs. After senior outfielder Brock Anderson walked to bring a run in, redshirt junior third baseman Bryson Bloomer got the go-ahead hit with a two-RBI single. Redshirt junior first baseman Trey Woosley pushed the Racers’ lead even further with a two-out double, driving in another pair of runs. By the time the Tigers stopped the Racers’ momentum with a strikeout, Murray State had compiled a 7-4 lead.
Howel continued to swing a hot bat on the day, making his name known with another solo home run in the bottom of the fifth. However, the rest of the Tigers never got on board, and the Racers continued to add to their lead until the final score reflected a 9-5 win for the Racers.
Burns started the first 3.1 innings of the nine-inning game, allowing five hits and four runs, walking out four runners and striking out a pair.
Redshirt freshman right-hander Jacob Pennington got the win for the Racers, going 4.1 innings on the mound and allowing only two hits and a single run, striking out two batters in the process. Redshirt junior lefty Alec Whaley closed out the last 1.1 innings for the Racers.
“This big thing this weekend [was that] we pitched at a really high level,” Skirka said. “Shane gave us a good start, and then Pennington and Whaley out of the bullpen in game one were awesome. Lights out, really put up some zeroes when we needed them. Stopped their momentum, let our offense get back to work.”
Game Two
The Tigers came out swinging in the first of a pair of seven-inning games on Sunday, March 28. The Racers scored their first and only run of the game in the top of the first inning on a solo home run from senior second baseman Jordan Cozart. The rest of the scorer’s sheet displayed zeroes in the Racers’ row while the Tigers slowly but surely tallied up six runs. Both teams had five hits and seven strikeouts, but the Racers left seven runners on base while the Tigers only stranded two.
“We had our chances,” Skirka said. “We had guys on base and you’re a hit or an error or something, a break here and there away from taking some momentum and putting up a crooked number.”
Freshman righty Jack Wenninger started on the hill for the Racers, going five innings and allowing three runs. Wenninger also struck out five batters and allowed three hits.
Game Three
With both teams taking one game apiece, the series win was decided in Sunday’s second game.
The Racers’ pitching staff outdid themselves with some of the team’s best pitching of the season. Redshirt junior right-hander Jake Jones owned the mound for the first four innings of the game, allowing only a single hit and two runs, neither of which were earned. Jones struck out five batters and walked none. Freshman righty Cade Vernon closed out the last three innings, giving up three hits and striking out one batter. Vernon didn’t allow a run to cross the plate in his time on the mound.
The Racers’ hitting complemented Murray State’s pitching as the Racers got on the board early, thanks to another first-inning solo home run from Cozart for his eighth of the season. With Cozart’s home run in the first inning, the Racers marked a first-inning home run in each game against Memphis.
“It’s always good to be able to put up a run with one swing of the bat,” Skirka said. “Those guys are studs and they’re doing what they do. It’s nice to have, no doubt.”
A sacrifice ground ball and a sacrifice flyout gave the Tigers their only two runs of the game in the bottom of the second inning, giving Memphis a 2-1 lead.
However, the Racers snuck ahead in the top of the fourth when a two-out error allowed two runs. Murray State tacked on another run in the inning when Cozart walked with the bases loaded to bring in another run, giving the Racers a 4-2 lead. The RBI was Cozart’s 26th of the season.
That’s where the score remained until the final out of the game, giving the Racers their third straight series win and improving their record to 12-11 overall.
“We still gotta get just a little more consistent across the board,” Skirka said. “But I think that’s it. Just stay the course, play hard, have fun and compete. That’s the big thing.”
The Racers will see more action against Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee on Thursday, April 1, and Friday, April 2, in a three-game series.
