Murray State
UT Martin
'Breds Fall At Tennessee-Martin 8-5
5/6/2007 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
Freshman designated hitter Chad Allen hit his second home run in as many games, but host Tennessee-Martin plated six runs over the middle three innings and held off a late Thoroughbreds rally to win the rubber game of the series 8-5 on Sunday.
Senior center fielder Tyler Pittman passed Garner Byars (2000-03) to take over the Murray State career at-bats record and is one hit behind Craig Delk (1995-98) on the MSU career hits list. Pittman now has 741 career at-bats, besting Byars' 738. He also has 217 career hits, just one short of Delk's 218. Senior second baseman Seth Hudson is right on Pittman's heels, collecting his 214th career hit Sunday afternoon.
Pittman is still tied for Murray State's career doubles record at 54, now sharing that record with Brett McCutchan (2000-03), and Hudson is just one triple short of the school career record of 12, held by MSU Hall of Famer Jack Perconte (1973-76).
In today's game, Tennessee-Martin (18-30, 6-14 OVC) jumped on the scoreboard first, plating two runs in the first inning and another in the fourth before Murray State got off the deck.
In the fifth inning, the 'Breds (16-29, 10-9 OVC) scored a run when Allen was hit by a pitch, then senior right fielder Jamie Leidolf hit a one-out single, moving Allen to second. Sophomore shortstop Justin Yount then got an infield single to load the bases, and senior left fielder Austin Swain drove in Allen with a groundout to put MSU on the board, trailing 3-1.
The Skyhawks scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Murray State responded in the top of the sixth when senior catcher Jason Payton drew a one-out walk, then Pittman singled him to second. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Payton scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore third baseman Tyler Owen to cut the UTM lead to 5-2.
Tennessee-Martin scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take an 8-2 lead, and both teams went scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings.
In the ninth inning, Allen led off with his third home run of the season, a shot to left field to cut the deficit to 8-3. Leidolf then drew a walk, and freshman pinch-hitter Kyle Tiernan stepped in to face new pitcher Travis Webb. Tiernan sent a 2-1 pitch deep to right field for a double, then took third on an errant throw, allowing Leidolf to score. Tiernan scored on a groundout, but that was the extent of MSU's comeback, as the 'Breds fell 8-5.
Murray State was led by Pittman, who went 2-for-4, and Leidolf, who went 2-for-3 with a run. Allen had a home run and scored twice for the 'Breds, while Tiernan notched a double and Swain had two runs batted in. Defensively, senior first baseman James Akin had a game-high 10 putouts, while Yount had a co-game-high four assists.
For Tennessee-Martin, Blake Turner went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and three runs batted in. Chad Green went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs, while Jason Hockaday went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Shayne Martin scored twice for the Skyhawks. Defensively, first baseman Scott McLean had eight putouts, while second baseman Green had four assists.
On the mound, Jake Donze (3-6, 1-1 OVC) took the loss, allowing eight runs on eight hits, striking out one and walking three in 5-1/3 innings. Bryan Baldini came on in the sixth, allowing no runs on four hits in 1-2/3 innings, while Anthony Stacy closed out the game for MSU, facing the minimum three batters in the eighth inning.
For UTM, Walker (3-6, 2-2 OVC) got the win, allowing four runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking two in eight-plus innings. Webb finished the game, allowing one unearned run on one hit in one inning of work.
Murray State will take the next week off to concentrate on final exams, then will resume its schedule against Ohio Valley Conference rival Austin Peay at MSU's Reagan Field. The teams will play a double-header on Saturday at 1 p.m., then will complete the series with a Sunday 1 p.m. game. All three games can be heard locally on WOFC (1130 AM, Murray) and worldwide through the live audio link at www.GoRacers.com. Live Stats will also be available through that Web site.
'BREDS HOLD PLACE: Murray State maintained its hold on fourth place after Sunday's loss at Tennessee-Martin. Austin Peay (15-6 OVC) held first place with another win over seventh-place Eastern Illinois (8-12), and second-place Jacksonville State (14-7) held place after winning at sixth-place Tennessee Tech (10-11). Third-place Southeast Missouri (13-7) split a double-header at fifth-place Eastern Kentucky (9-9), and Morehead State (8-13) won its series against Samford (8-13), tying those teams for eighth place.
THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL: Jamie Leidolf led the 'Breds' bats this week, hitting. 400 (4-for-10) over the four games, including a .500 (4-for-8) pace against Tennessee-Martin. Leidolf also scored four runs in the three-game series with the Skyhawks, popped a double and drove in a run.
Seth Hudson and James Akin both hit .353 (6-for-17) this week and each scored three runs. Akin had a double, two home runs and eight runs batted in, including seven against UTM, while Hudson had a triple and two RBIs this week.
Tyler Pittman hit .417 (5-for-12) against Tennessee-Martin with two runs and an RBI. Chad Allen had two hits this week, both home runs, and he scored four runs and drove in four while slugging 1.600 this week.
On the mound, Mike Perconte got MSU's sole win of the week, going 1-0 with a 4.50 earned-run average, allowing three earned runs on seven hits in six innings of work on Saturday.
