Simon Elfrink
Staff Writer
Murray State pitching gave the Southern Mississippi University Golden Eagles a run for their money in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, last weekend as the Racers fell short in every outing of the three-game series.
Game one
The Racers started the series with a pitcher’s duel between junior righty Trevor McMurray and Golden Eagles sophomore Gabe Shepard. McMurray threw five scoreless innings for the Racers, allowing only three hits and striking out four batters.
The two-way shutout ended in the seventh inning when the Golden Eagles put up five runs against redshirt junior Braden Cook. Junior Connor Holden came in to relieve the last out of the seventh, allowing an additional run.
The Racers were unable to overcome the Golden Eagles’ pitching, and the game ended in a 6-0 shutout.
Junior shortstop David Hudleson had the only hit for the Racers. Junior outfielder Brock Anderson muscled his way on base twice on a hit-by-pitch and a walk.
Head Coach Dan Skirka was impressed with McMurray’s fourth-straight season opener.
“Trevor McMurray was phenomenal tonight,” Skirka said. “Exactly what we expect from our senior captain. Their guy was good as well. They made some plays defensively and only walked two. We need to find a way to scratch some runs across, but it felt good to get outside and kick the season off. I fully expect us to get better every time out.”
Game two
The second game yielded a closer bout, ending with a 3-2 win for the Golden Eagles. A long line of zeroes stretched across the scoreboard for the Racers until the ninth inning when junior outfielder Ryan Perkins hit a two-run home run, providing the only two runs for the Racers.
Perkins and senior infielder Jordan Cozart both had two hits. Redshirt junior outfielder Jake Slunder, junior first baseman Trey Woosley, junior designated hitter Skylar McPhee and redshirt junior second baseman Jordan Holly all had a hit apiece.
“Overall, we are playing well and competing hard,” Skirka said. “We’ve got to find a way to create more scoring opportunities and then get that big hit once guys are on base.”
Sophomore pitcher Shane Burns threw five innings for the Racers, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out five batters.
“On the mound, we have made some great pitches and pitched out of a couple jams,” Skirka said. “We have got in trouble when we have hit or walked the leadoff hitter of the inning and given them a couple rallies. When you do that to a really good club like them, it’s going to be tough.”
Game three
There was no shortage of offense in the 8-7 win for the Golden Eagles to wrap up the series.
The Racers started off strong, putting up two runs in the first inning via RBIs from McPhee and Perkins before adding another in the third from Perkins once again.
The Racers tacked on three more runs in the sixth after a wild pitch, a single from Holly and a sac fly off Slunder’s bat. The last run came from a home run by Anderson in the top of the ninth inning.
“I’m not big on moral victories, but there are a lot of positives to take away from the three games,” Skirka said. “This time of year, it is important to get guys in and see who performs when their name is called and a lot of guys performed well. Now we need to get back to work this week and fix some mistakes and keep getting better every time out.”
The Racers will head to Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, to play Western Kentucky University at 3 p.m.
