Murray State
Belmont
Big Inning Erases Strong Pitching As 'Breds Fall 10-8
3/27/2007 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
A nine-run inning by visiting Belmont took away from strong mound performances by freshman starter Matt McGaha and senior closer Jon Newton of Murray State. The Thoroughbreds hung tough, however, going from a 10-2 deficit in the sixth inning to having the winning run at the plate in the ninth inning, but that's where the comeback ended, as MSU fell 10-8. The game marked the first meeting between the teams since May 2, 2001.
McGaha was given the starting nod this afternoon and did not disappoint, going five innings and allowing one unearned run on five hits, striking out two and walking one, throwing 61 pitches, averaging slightly more than 12 pitches per inning. He had thrown only 15 pitches in the first two innings.
Murray State (5-17) was battling Belmont starter Dalton Bell, and finally came through in the third inning. Senior second baseman Seth Hudson led off with a triple, his second of the season, and scored on a wild pitch to give the 'Breds a 1-0 lead.
Belmont (15-9) tied it in the fourth inning with an unearned run, and MSU took the lead in the fifth inning when sophomore shortstop Justin Yount led off with a single, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Yount scored on a double by Hudson to give Murray State a 2-1 lead.
The Bruins' bats then came alive in the sixth inning against freshman reliever Brad Rowland, who had picked up two saves at Samford on Saturday. Rowland faced 11 batters in one-third of an inning, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on five hits with three walks, and Belmont took a 10-2 lead.
The 'Breds battled back in the bottom half of the inning, as freshman left fielder Chad Allen hit his first career home run, taking a one-out, 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall. Senior right fielder Jamie Leidolf then doubled down the left-field line, and Yount hit a two-out single to score Leidolf. Senior designated hitter Austin Swain then singled in Yount to cut the Belmont lead to 10-5.
In the seventh inning, senior catcher Jason Payton was hit by a pitch, as was senior center fielder Tyler Pittman. Allen singled in Payton and moved Pittman to second, then Leidolf advanced the runners with a groundout. Pittman scored on another groundout to further cut the deficit to 10-7.
In the ninth inning, Leidolf led off with a single, then junior Andrew Cella hit a pinch-hit single, moving Leidolf to second. Yount reached on a fielder's choice, moving Leidolf to third, and Swain singled in Leidolf, moving Yount to second, with Swain representing the tying run with just one out. Hudson came up and flied out to center, then senior first baseman James Akin struck out to end the game.
Senior lefty Jon Newton entered in the sixth inning for MSU and put out the fire and then some, allowing only one hit over 3-2/3 innings, holding the Bruins at bay to allow the 'Breds to battle back and put themselves in a position to win the game.
"I thought our hitters did a poor job early on," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "They were competing with a lot of off-speed stuff, but they seemed to get better as the game went on. Our batters have got to do a better job early in the game. We just didn't play well, and I'm really disappointed in that."
Allen went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run to go with a run scored and two runs batted in. Hudson went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple, tying the team season-high with seven total bases, while Leidolf also went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs. Swain went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, while Yount went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Defensively, Akin had a game-high 11 putouts, while Hudson had a game-high five assists.
For Belmont, Derek Wiley went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Ben Petsch had a home run for the Bruins to go with two runs and two RBIs, while Matt Parks had a double. Wilson Tucker and Packy Elkins each had two RBIs for Belmont.
Defensively, catcher Parks had six putouts, while shortstop Elkins had three assists.
On the mound, Rowland (1-3) took the loss for the 'Breds, while Ryan Ashner (1-1) took the win and Chris Manning earned his fifth save of the season.
Murray State continues this five-game homestand on Wednesday, as the 'Breds entertain Louisville at 2 p.m. at Reagan Field. Live Stats will be available through the official Web site of MSU athletics, www.GoRacers.com.
