Murray State
Freed-Hardeman
'Breds Slay Lions 14-4
4/18/2007 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds scored the first five runs of the game and slapped 19 hits in their 14-4 win over visiting Freed-Hardeman on Wednesday.
Senior catcher Jason Payton belted two solo home runs in the game along with a double, going 4-for-5 from the plate with three runs scored and three runs batted in.
Murray State (12-22) opened the game with the long ball, as senior left fielder Austin Swain led off with his first home run of the season -- his first since the 2004 season -- to give MSU a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
In the second inning, the 'Breds' bats came out, as sophomore third baseman Tyler Owen led off with a single, then junior designated hitter Andrew Cella reached on a fielder's choice that erased Owen. Senior right fielder Jamie Leidolf walked, and sophomore shortstop Justin Yount singled up the middle to load the bases. A wild pitch advanced all of the runners, scoring Cella, then another wild pitch plated Leidolf, moving Yount to third. Swain drew a walk, then senior second baseman Seth Hudson laced a double down the right-field line, scoring Yount and moving Swain to third. Senior first baseman James Akin singled in Swain and moved Hudson to third to give MSU a 5-0 lead.
Freed-Hardeman (27-19) scored a run in the third inning, but Murray State got that back and then some, as Hudson led off the fourth with a single, then Akin reached on a fielder's error. Payton doubled down the right-field line, scoring Hudson and moving Akin to third, and Owen hit a sacrifice fly to score Akin and move Payton to third. Cella singled in Payton to give MSU an 8-1 lead.
The Lions scored two runs in the fifth inning, but Murray State came back for more in the sixth. Payton hit a one-out solo home run to right field to give the 'Breds a 9-3 lead.
FHU scored a run in the top of the seventh inning, but MSU countered in the bottom half of the inning when Swain hit a two-out bunt single, then Hudson tripled him in, then scored on a balk to push the Murray State lead to 11-4.
The 'Breds added some icing in the eighth inning when Payton led off the inning with another solo shot, his second of the day. Junior center fielder Matt Scheer doubled down the left-field line, then moved to third on a groundout. Cella singled him in, then went to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Leidolf singled him in to close the scoring at 14-4.
"I think our guys did a good job of competing at the plate," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "We had some really good at-bats, and some balls fell in for us. Things just went our way.
"Our pitching was good as well. Freed-Hardeman swings the bat well (hitting .309 coming into the game), and our pitching did a nice job on them, plus we made some good plays in the field."
Hudson also went 4-for-5 for the 'Breds with a double, a triple, two runs and two RBIs. Swain went 2-for-4 with a home run, three runs and an RBI, while Cella went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Leidolf went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Yount went 2-for-5 with a run. Defensively, Akin had a game-high 11 putouts at first base, while Hudson and Yount each had a game-high six assists.
For Freed-Hardeman, Robert Matlock went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBIs. Justin Forrest went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Raynel Robles went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Greg Allen tripled for the Lions and scored three of their four runs. Defensively, first baseman Brian Bullard had nine putouts, while shortstop Allen and second baseman Daniel Peck each had three assists.
On the mound, freshman left-hander Bryan Baldini (1-0) picked up his first career win, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits, striking out five and walking three in five innings. Anthony Stacy came on in the sixth inning, allowing one run on three hits, striking out two in three innings, and Jake Donze pitched the ninth inning, striking out two and walking one.
For the Lions, Chris Denny (0-5) started and took the loss, allowing eight runs (five earned) on 12 hits, striking out one and walking two in four innings. Jorge Medina came on in the fifth, allowing one run on one hit, striking out four and walking none in two innings, while Andy Brock closed out the game, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits in two innings.
Murray State (6-4 OVC) returns to Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend at Morehead State with a three-game series. The teams will play a double-header on Saturday beginning at noon CT, then will play a game on Sunday at noon CT. All of the action can be heard locally through WOFC (1130 AM, Murray) or worldwide through the audio link at www.GoRacers.com.
