Murray State
Samford
'Breds Sweep Twinbil At OVC Favorite Samford
3/24/2007 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds swept its Ohio Valley Conference double-header at pre-season favorite Samford on Saturday. using sharp pitching and key hitting to win the first game 6-5 and the second game 4-3.
The ?Breds (5-15, 2-0 OVC) began their "second season" as if they were the pre-season favorite, taking a lead in the first inning of both games and riding it all the way through to the end.
In the first game, senior second baseman Seth Hudson hit a one-out single down the left-field line, then senior first baseman James Akin singled him to second. Senior center fielder Tyler Pittman then doubled them in to give Murray State an early 2-0 lead.
Samford (11-13, 0-2 OVC) scored a run in the bottom of the first, but MSU struck again in the fourth inning. Pittman led off with a walk, then stole second base. Freshman left fielder Chad Allen doubled him in to push the ?Breds' lead to 3-1.
In the fifth inning, Murray State scored again when senior designated hitter Austin Swain led off with a walk, then went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Akin singled him in to widen the gap to 4-1.
The Bulldogs plated two runs in the sixth inning, but Murray State countered in the top of the seventh when Hudson hit a one-out infield single, then went to second when Akin hit a single up the middle. He moved to third on a passed ball, then scored when senior catcher Jason Payton hit a single, moving Akin to third. A single by Allen scored Akin to push the MSU lead to 6-3.
Samford scored two runs in the seventh, and threatened to tie the game in the ninth inning, but left the potential tying run on third base.
Allen went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in, while Akin went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Hudson went 2-for-4 with two runs, while Payton went 2-for-5. Pittman had a doubles, and two RBIs for MSU.
Defensively, Akin had eight putouts, while sophomore shortstop Justin Yount had a game-high five assists.
For Samford, Bear Burnett, Louis Rojas and John Morgan each had two hits. Burnett, Rojas and Parker Gargis each had doubles for the Bulldogs. Defensively, first baseman Garrett Rice had a game-high nine putouts, while shortstop Michael Marseco and catcher Luke Peavy each had two assists.
On the mound, Lucas Allen (1-2, 1-0 OVC) got the win, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out one and walking none in six innings. Brad Rowlett got his first save of the season, allowing no runs on two hits, striking out one and walking one in 2-1/3 innings. Matt McGaha came on in the seventh, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits, walking two in two-thirds of an inning.
For Samford, Trent Hill (2-4, 0-1 OVC) took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on 11 hits, striking out two and walking two in 6-2/3 innings. Doug Denson closed out the game, allowing no runs on one hit in 2-1/3 innings.
Murray State got on the scoreboard early in the second game, as Chad Allen led off with a single down the left-field line. He went to second on a sacrifice bunt, went to third on a groundout, then scored on a wild pitch to give MSU a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the sixth inning, when Murray State decided the pitcher's duel with three runs. With two outs, Payton was hit by a pitch, and Pittman singled him to second base. Sophomore third baseman Tyler Owen stepped up and hit a 1-0 pitch over the left-center-field wall to expand the Murray State lead to 4-0.
Samford rebounded in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs on two home runs to tighten the score to 4-3. Again, the Bulldogs had the potential tying run on third base and could not push him across.
Owen had a home run with three RBIs, while Payton had a double and a run. Chad Allen and Pittman each had singles and scored a run apiece. Defensively, Akin had seven putouts, while Hudson had three assists,
For Samford, seven players each had one hit. Peavy had a home run and two RBIs, while Gargis had a home run. Defensively, Rice had 13 putouts, while Marseco had four assists.
On the mound, Mike Perconte (2-3, 1-0 OVC) got the win, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking one in six innings. Rowland got his second save of the day, facing four batters and not allowing a hit.
For the Bulldogs, Josh Ehmke (4-2, 0-1 OVC) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits, striking out four and walking four in 6-1/3 innings. Kyle Nichols closed out the game, striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.
"I was really pleased with the way our guys played and competed today," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "We had good defense and really good pitching. Samford is a solid ball club, and our guys came out and gave a really good effort."
Murray State will seek to sweep the series with a Sunday 1 p.m. game. Freshman left-hander Jake Donze (1-3, 0-0 OVC) will take on senior righty Chandler Tidwell (2-1, 0-0 OVC). That game can be heard locally on WOFC (1130 AM, Murray) or worldwide through the audio link at GoRacers.com.
