Murray State
Austin Peay
'Breds come back twice at Austin Peay, but Governors win race to finish line 7-6
5/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds took and retook the lead at Austin Peay this afternoon, but the homestanding Governors wrested the win in the bottom of the ninth inning 7-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
The 'Breds (14-30, 8-13 OVC) jumped on the scoreboard first when third baseman Clint Griggs led off the game with a double and center fielder Tyler Pittman walked. Griggs got caught in a rundown trying to steal third, but Pittman made it safely to second base. Shortstop Alex Stewart singled in Pittman, and Murray State took an early 1-0 lead.
Top-ranked Austin Peay (32-15, 17-4 OVC) tied the game in the bottom of the first when Ron Bethke hit a one-out solo home run.
MSU took the lead again in the fourth inning when catcher Bo Baxter hit a one-out single, then took second on an attempted stolen base when the throw from home plate was dropped. Griggs singled in Baxter, then Pittman sent a two-out home run to put the 'Breds ahead 4-1.
APSU scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to narrow the gap to 4-2, then struck again in the bottom of the eighth, when Jared Walker hit a three-run shot to put the Govs up 5-4.
In the top of the ninth, right fielder Scotty Scott led off with a walk, and APSU went to the bullpen to bring in its top reliever, Adam Muston.
Muston was able to strike out first baseman Josh Foreman, but left fielder Austin Swain slapped a single to left and designated hitter James Akin walked to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Jamie Leidolf then walked in Scott to tie the game at 5-5, and second baseman Derrick Newton hit into a fielder's choice to score Swain and put the 'Breds ahead 6-5.
In the bottom half of the inning, APSU's Chris Poynter led off with a double, then Rafael Hill came on to pinch-run. Jake Peterson got a bunt single to move Hill to third, but MSU relief pitcher Jon Ross Shelton was able to coax a pop-up from Brett Luther. Marcus Pearson walked to load the bases, but on Ball 4, the pitch went over catcher Chad Fogle's head, allowing Hill to score and tie the game at 6-6. Shelton struck out Tommy Smith, but Matt Ledbetter slapped a single to left that scored Peterson for the game-winner.
"Our team has really shown -- especially for the record that they have -- a great resiliency with the fight that they have," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "It looked like we had it won, then lost, then won again. I told them, 'Nothing I can say can make you feel better.' It was a tough loss. Sometimes you win them, but today was one of those days when we didn't get it.
"For us to have played the top team in the OVC this close says a lot about our team, though. We lost two of these three games by one run. No question, our backs are against the wall now (to qualify for the OVC Championship Tournament). We have to play our best baseball right now. We are playing good ball: were not making errors in the field, and we're turning the double plays. We had a lot of hits, but weren't able to string them together to produce runs."
Stranded runners came back to haunt the 'Breds, as Murray State left 13 runners on base.
Murray State was led by Griggs, who went 3-for-6 with two doubles. Stewart had two hits with a double, while Scott and Baxter also had two hits. Pittman had a home run, two runs scored and two runs batted in for the 'Breds.
For Austin Peay, Poynter went 4-for-4 with a double. Walker went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs and three RBIs, while Ledbetter had two hits. Bethke also homered for APSU.
On the mound, Shelton (4-4) took the loss in relief, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out one and walking one in two-third of an inning. Starter Bart Peach pitched well, allowing five runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking two in a career-high-tying eight innings.
For APSU, Muston (2-0) got the win, allowing one run on one hit, striking out one and walking two in one inning. Shawn Kelley started for the Govs, allowing four runs (one earned) on 10 hits, striking out four and walking three in 4-1/3 innings. Brad Daniel came on in the fifth, allowing one run on two hits, striking out three and walking two in 3-2/3 innings.
Murray State steps outside the conference schedule this week when the 'Breds visit Illinois State. The teams will play a game on Tuesday at 6 p.m., then will have a Wednesday 4 p.m. game. MSU returns to OVC action on Saturday when the 'Breds visit Jacksonville State.
BERTH DAZE: For Murray State to gain a berth in the six-team OVC Championship Tournament, the 'Breds will have to have three more OVC wins than Samford and Tennessee Tech over the next two weekends.
Samford swept its series at Tennessee Tech this weekend to move into sole possession of sixth place with its 10th straight OVC win. Murray State is two games behind Samford 910-11 OVC) and one game behind Tech (9-12 OVC).
