Murray State
Southeast Missouri State
'Breds offense explodes for 13 hits in 16-3 win over Southeast Missouri
3/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds scored 10 runs in the first three innings and pounded out 13 hits -- six of those for extra bases -- in MSU's 16-3 rout over host Southeast Missouri in Ohio Valley Conference action this afternoon.
Murray State (6-16, 1-2 OVC) took advantage of three errors by the Indians (10-12, 2-1 OVC) in the first two innings to score six unearned runs, then scored four more runs in the third inning, three in the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the ninth.
The 'Breds scored first in all three games of their series at SEMO. In today's game, third baseman Clint Griggs led of the game with a single to right, then moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt. First baseman Geoff Kirksey's sacrifice fly scored Griggs, and MSU led 1-0.
In the second inning, shortstop Derrick Newton reached on a fielder's error. Second baseman Seth Hudson was hit by a pitch, then Griggs drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Newton scored on a wild pitch, moving the other runners up a base, then left fielder J.D. Merritt got to second on a fielder's error, scoring Hudson and Griggs. Kirksey singled Merritt to third, and right fielder Scotty Scott doubled in Merritt and Kirksey to give Murray State a 6-0 lead after two innings.
In the third inning, designated hitter Ike Bridwell led off with a single, then went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout. Hudson lifted a two-out single down the left-field line to score Bridwell, then Griggs popped a double, moving Hudson to third. Merritt singled in Bridwell and Griggs, then went to second on a fielding error. Kirksey doubled Merritt in to give the 'Breds a 10-0 lead after three.
Southeast Missouri scored in the fifth inning when Ernie Bracamonte singled and Freddy Lopez hit a two-run home run to cut the MSU lead to 10-2.
In the top of the sixth, Murray State responded when Kirksey led off with a double, then Scott tripled to score Kirksey. Center fielder Tyler Pittman walked, then Bridwell hit a sacrifice fly to score Scott. Pittman went to second on a groundout, then scored on a single by catcher Dustin Hennigar to give the 'Breds a 13-2 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, SEMO plated a run Eric Hoffman led off with a walk, Gary Gilbert singled, Bo Jenkins singled and Brady Noll hit a sacrifice fly to cut the MSU lead to 13-3.
In the seventh inning, Kirksey drew a one-out walk before Pittman popped a two-run home run, his second of the season, to increase the MSU advantage to 15-3.
Murray State scored a final run in the ninth inning when Griggs led off with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. First baseman Josh Foreman walked, then Scott reached on a fielding error to load the bases. Pittman lifted a sacrifice fly to score Griggs for the final tally, 16-3.
"I'm really proud of our guys," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "We had a tough day yesterday, but we really came out strong today and took it to SEMO. We played with confidence. We hit well, and we pitched really well.
"Today was a good day for us offensively. The wind was blowing out, and their field is hard and fast, and we took advantage of that. I like the way our guys bounced back and came out ready to play today and ready to prove something."
Kirksey -- who went 5-for-9 (.556) for the series -- went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs scored and two runs batted in, while Griggs -- who went 7-for-11 (.636) for the series -- went 3-for-4 with a double and four runs scored. Scott went 2-for-6 with a triple, a run and three RBIs. Pittman hit a home run for MSU, while Merritt had two runs and two RBIs, Pittman had two runs and thre RBIs and Hudson scored twice.
SEMO was paced by Lopez, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, a run scored and two RBIs. Ernie Bracamonte and Bo Jenkins each went 2-for-4. Wade Hansford had a double for the Indians.
On the mound, Jon Ross Shelton (3-2) had a great day, allowing three runs while scattering 10 hits, striking out five and walking one in seven innings. West Harris came on in the eighth and also had a great outing, allowing no runs on one hit, striking out four over two innings.
For SEMO, Derek Herbig (1-2) took the loss, allowing four unearned runs on one hit, striking out two and walking two in 1-2/3 innings. Ryan Forsyth came on in the second, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits, striking out three in 2-1/3 innings. Matt Carter entered in the fourth, allowing three runs on four hits, striking out four and walking two in two innings, while Gary Gilbert came on in the sixth, allowing two runs on one hit, striking out two and walking one in two innings. Mark Wittenborn started the ninth inning, allowing one unearned run on no hits, striking out one and walking two in one-third of an inning. Stan Skakalski finished the game, allowing no hits and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.
Murray State steps outside its conference schedule on Wednesday with a 6 p.m. game at Evansville. The 'Breds return to OVC play by returning to Reagan Field this weekend with a three-game series against Eastern Illinois. The Saturday double-header begins at noon, with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.
