The Murray State baseball team hosted the Lindenwood Lions this past weekend, and the Racers were able to extend their win streak to five games with a sweep.
Over the course of the three games, the Racers outscored Lindenwood 38-19, as the team’s offense was able to carry them to victory. The sweep of this three-game series makes the Racers 8-0 at Johnny Reagan and further cements the team’s home-field advantage.
Game 1
The first game of the three-game series was where the team’s offense really came to play, as they won 16-4.
The key to the game was the 13 unanswered runs the Racers scored from the second to fifth innings. The team was able to hit three home runs during the hitting frenzy, one of which was by the team’s best offensive player of the game, redshirt junior outfielder Jonathan Hogart, who led the team with four runs batted in.
As for the pitching, senior Cade Vernon got both the start and the win. While he allowed nine hits, he only allowed two runs on his way to tallying five strikeouts in his five innings pitched.
Game 2
The second game also went to the Racers, but this time with a much closer score of 8-7, as the team was playing from behind for a lot of the game.
Despite junior infielder Carson Garner hitting his ninth home run of the season in the first inning, the Racers found themselves down 7-3 through seven innings of play. But the team was able to come from behind and tie the game at seven apiece, and then redshirt junior outfielder Dan Tauken hit a double to give the Racers the lead. That ended up being the winning run.
Senior Bryce Valero got the start but allowed five runs and four walks in his 4.1 innings of play. Graduate student Jacob Pennington ended with the win, as he came in and pitched the rest of the game, tallying five strikeouts on his way to victory.
Game 3
The third and final game was not as much of a nail-biter as the second, because the Racers were able to take care of business and win the game 14-8.
The game was tied at three runs apiece through the first six innings, but the Lions went on a streak of five runs and took the lead 8-3 after their half of the seventh inning. Then, the Racers offense scored an impressive 11 unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to firmly take the lead and leave no doubt about who would win the game.
While graduate student Ryan Fender got the start and pitched the first 3.1 innings, it was senior Nathan Holler who got the win, which was his first of the season.
What’s Next
The Racers will be looking to extend their win streak in their next game on Tuesday, March 12, on the road. They will be up against the Kentucky Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. in Lexington.
