Murray State University Athletics
'Breds Falls To ASU In Late Innings
2/28/2007 6:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds hit the ball well against visiting Arkansas State in MSU's home-opener, going 11-for-35 (.314) as a team, and taking a 5-3 lead after seven innings, but the Indians used a grand slam in the eighth inning to push past the 'Breds 12-7 at Reagan Field on Wednesday.
Murray State opened the scoring in the first inning, when senior designated hitter Austin Swain led off with a walk, then moved to second on a groundout. He went to third on a flyout, then scored on a single by senior first baseman James Akin to give the 'Breds an early 1-0 lead.
Arkansas State tied it up with a run in the second, but MSU plated a run in the bottom half of the inning. Senior right fielder Jamie Leidolf led off with a double. then sophomore third baseman Tyler Owen singled him home to put the 'Breds ahead 2-1.
ASU scored twice in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead, but Murray State tied in the bottom of the fifth. Senior center fielder Tyler Pittman led off with a walk, then stole second. Pittman then stole third and scored on a groundout, tying the game at 3-3.
MSU retook the lead in the sixth inning when Leidolf led off with a single, then Owen greeted new ASU pitcher Nick Lambert with a two-run home run to left field, giving the 'Breds a 5-3 lead.
The Indians rebounded in the eighth inning, scoring six runs on five hits, including a grand slam, to take a 9-5 lead. Murray State answered in the bottom of the eighth, as Owen popped a one-out single, then freshman Kyle Tiernan walked. Swain singled to load the bases, then senior second baseman Seth Hudson singled in Owen and Tiernan to cut the ASU lead to 9-7. Arkansas State scored three more runs in the ninth inning for the final 12-7 score.
"Any loss is tough," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "The good thing about baseball is you don't have to wait too long to play again. We have 56 games scheduled, and hopefully, we'll get things to bounce our way.
"I thought we played well. It came down to not being able to close it out on the mound late in the game. It almost came down to just one pitch. We're going to be fine. It's not uncommon for good clubs to lose some games early. We knew -- with our schedule -- that we had a tough early part of the season. We're working on getting things done and trying to prepare for our conference. As long as our guys believe in playing hard and preparing every day in practice, I'm confident that things will turn around and start bouncing our way."
Murray State was led by Owen, who went 4-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and four runs batted in. Hudson had two hits with a double and two RBIs, while Leidolf had two hits with a double and two runs. Freshman left fielder Chad Allen hit a double for the 'Breds.
Defensively, Akin had seven putouts at first base for MSU, while Hudson, Owen and sophomore shortstop Justin Yount each had two assists.
For Arkansas State, Guy Brown went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, while Ryan Hudgins went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs. Brandon Eller hit the grand slam in the eighth inning, picking up four RBIs.
Defensively, first baseman Eller had 11 putouts, while second baseman Brown had five assists.
On the mound, freshman Matt McGaha took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out one and walking one in 3-1/3 innings. Sophomore Marc Harmon started for the 'Breds, allowing three runs on six hits, striking out one in four innings. Freshman Brad Rowland came on in the eighth, allowing two runs on one hit, striking out one and walking one in two-thirds of an inning, while junior Lucas Allen closed out the game, allowing three runs (one earned) on one hit, striking out one and walking one in one inning.
For the Indians, Lambert got the win, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out two and walking one in 2-2/3 innings. Pete Pasternak started for ASU, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out one and walking five in three innings. Jett Jones entered in the fourth inning, allowing two runs on one hit, striking out two and walking one in two innings, and Tim Egart got his first save of the season, allowing one hit and striking out one in 1-1/3 innings.
Murray State travels to Gardner-Webb this weekend for a two-day, three game series. The teams will play a double-header on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. CT, then will play the final game on Sunday at noon CT.
