Murray State
Tennessee Tech
Unearned runs stifle 'Breds as Tech wins Sunday game 12-9
4/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
A first-inning grand slam by Tyler Pittman got the Murray State Thoroughbreds of to an optimistic start, but visiting Tennessee Tech scored six unearned runs in the fifth inning en route to the 12-9 win today in Ohio Valley Conference action.
The loss put Murray State (21-20, 9-6 OVC) into a third-place tie with Jacksonville State, as Austin Peay (10-5 OVC) moved into sole possession of second place with a three-game sweep at Tennessee-Martin this weekend. League-leading Morehead State (11-3 OVC) maintained its hold on the top spot in the conference despite losing two of its three games at Jacksonville State.
The top two teams in the conference standings earn byes in the first round of the O'Reilly's OVC Championship Tournament, to be played May 25-28 in Paducah, Ky.
In today's game, Tennessee Tech (10-29, 5-9 OVC) plated three runs in the top of the first inning with the help of a two-run double by Nathan Marty.
In the bottom of the first, Chaz Ebert led off with a double, then Seth Hudson walked. Clint Griggs reached on a fielding error to load the bases when Pittman stepped up and popped his team-leading fifth home run of the season to put the 'Breds ahead 4-3.
MSU scored again in the second inning when Phil Lopez led off with a single, then went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Ebert hit an infield single, and Hudson walked to load the bases. Griggs hit a sacrifice fly to score Lopez and give Murray State a 5-3 lead.
A 'Breds error in the fifth inning opened the gates for the Golden Eagles, as they scored six unearned runs in that inning to take a 9-5 lead.
Murray State responded in the bottom half of the inning when Hudson hit a one-out single and Griggs hit an infield single. A poor throw allowed both runners to advance two more bases, scoring Hudson and putting Griggs on third. Pittman hit a single to score Griggs and cut the TTU lead to 9-7.
MSU pulled even closer in the seventh inning when Griggs led off the inning with a home run, pulling the 'Breds to within 9-8.
The Golden Eagles scored two more runs in the eighth inning and one more in the ninth to pull ahead 12-8.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jason Payton reached base on a fielder's choice. Lincoln Kent hit a two-out double, moving Payton to third, and Lopez hit a chop single to the pitcher's mound, scoring Payton and closing the scoring at 12-9.
"They outplayed us in every way," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald of Tennessee Tech. "We just can't give them extra outs like we did. We made some errors -- we made some good plays, too.
"There's still a lot of baseball left. We've won some games this year doing a lot of things right and battling and getting good pitching and hitting. We aren't the kind of team that can just walk on the field and win, but we will compete and work to improve."
Pittman went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, a run and five runs batted in, while Ebert went 3-for-5 with a double and a run. Griggs went 2-for-4 with a home run, three runs and two RBIs, while Lopez went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Kent and Jamie Leidolf also doubled for MSU.
On defense, Griggs had 11 putouts at first base, while Stewart had six assists at third base.
On the mound, Harris (4-3, 3-1 OVC) was given the loss, allowing nine runs (two earned) on eight hits, striking out two and walking one in 4-2/3 innings. Jon Ross Shelton came on in the fifth, allowing no runs on two hits, striking out one and walking one in 2-1/3 innings. Matt Scalfani closed out the game, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits, striking out two and walking two in two innings.
For Tennessee Tech, five batters had two hits. Corey Kemp had two doubles for the Golden Eagles, while Marty, Clint Alexander, Hunter Mize and Scott Dunham each had a double. Kenny Stiles scored three runs for Tech, while four batters had two RBIs apiece.
On defense, Britt Clubb had 11 putouts at catcher, while Kemp had three assists at third base.
On the mound, Colt Ashman (2-4) got the win, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits, striking out five and walking two in six-plus innings. Adam Cloar came on in the seventh, allowing one run on two hits, striking out three in two innings. Shaun Sheehan closed out the game, allowing no runs on two hits, striking out two in one inning.
Murray State visits Louisville on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. CT game. The 'Breds then return to conference play when they visit Tennessee-Martin this weekend.
