Murray State
Southern Illinois
'Breds pound out 12 hits at SIU, but errors confound MSU in 11-5 loss
4/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds showed fine offense this afternoon at Southern Illinois, pounding out 12 hits and executing heads-up base-running, but the defense wasn't as good, as three MSU errors led to five unearned runs in Murray State's 11-5 loss.
The 'Breds (8-23) got on the scoreboard first, as third baseman Clint Griggs led off the game with a double down the right-field line. Center fielder Tyler Pittman singled up the middle to score Griggs, and Murray State took an early 1-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, SIU's Kevin Koski led off with an infield hit. P.J. Finigan then tripled to right-center field, but Koski was thrown out at the plate. Nathan Emrick reached on a fielder's error, but Finigan was unable to score. After Emrick stole second, Nathan Boldt slapped a single to score Finigan and Emrick to give Southern Illinois (10-19-1) a 2-1 lead.
MSU tied the game in the second inning when first baseman Josh Foreman led off with a single and catcher Bo Baxter was hit by a pitch. Left fielder Austin Swain reached on a fielder's choice, moving Foreman to third, and Foreman scored on another double by Griggs to knot the game at 2-2.
The Salukis scored three runs in the bottom of the second on three hits to give SIU a 5-2 lead. SIU outscored Murray State 6-0 over the next six innings to take an 11-0 lead into the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth, left fielder J.D. Merritt led off with a single, then went to second on a wild pitch. Griggs drew a walk, then both runners advanced on a groundout. Right fielder Scotty Scott singled up the middle, scoring Merritt and moving Griggs to third. Designated hitter Jamie Leidolf laced a single to left field, but the fielder bobbled the ball, allowing Griggs and Scott to score, closing the scoring at 11-5.
"We didn't help ourselves defensively," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "I thought that (starting pitcher) Bart Peach had good command of the ball today. SIU is a good hitting team, and they hit the ball in the gaps. We had some opportunities to make some plays, and didn't, and put Peach in a tough spot.
"We are getting more hits. We need to start bunching our hits together to score more runs. We had some heads-up plays on the bases. We encourage our kids to be aggressive. We want them to understand the situations that merit gambling on the bases, and we did that well today."
Murray State was led by Griggs, who went 2-for-4 with doubles in his first two at-bats, two runs scored and one run batted in. Scott went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI, while Swain went 2-for-3 and Leidolf went 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Southern Illinois was paced by Finigan, who went 3-for-5 with a triple, three runs and an RBI. Greg Andrews went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run and three RBIs, while Boldt went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBIs.
On the mound, Peach (0-3) allowed nine runs (four earned) on 12 hits, striking out three and walking one in six innings. Jesse Rhoades came on in the seventh, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out one and walking one in two innings.
For SIU, Ryan Welch (2-1) got the win, allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking none in six innings. Jerel Deitering pitched the seventh inning, allowing one hit and walking one, while Steve Quigley pitched the eighth inning, allowing one hit. Finigan closed out the game, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits, striking out one and walking one in one inning.
Murray State returns home to resume Ohio Valley Conference play, as the 'Breds host Morehead State in a three-game series this weekend. The series opens with a double-header on Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games can be heard locally on WRKY (1130 AM, Murray).
