Gordon, Baxter Pitch Breds to 6-3 Victory

Wednesday, May 1

Pine Bluff, Ark.

1 p.m.

Murray State

18-27

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

18-27

Murray State

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

5/1/2013 4:39:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

The pitching duo of Alex Gordon and Sheldon Baxter limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff to just eight hits as Murray State defeated the Golden Lions 6-3 in the second game of a two-game series Wednesday afternoon at the Tori Hunter Baseball Complex.

Gordon (1-2) made his first start in nearly six weeks, and didn't disappoint. The senior allowed three runs on seven hits and six strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Freshman Sheldon Baxter closed out the victory to earn his first collegiate save. The lefty allowed just one hit over the final 3.2 innings.

The Golden Lions (18-27) got on the board in the first inning after stringing together three hits. Kirby Campbell drove in the run with a bases-loaded single through the right side.

The Breds (18-27) came back in the second inning and took advantage of a throwing error to gain the lead for good. Taylor Mathews started things by being hit by a pitch and going to second on a wild pitch. After Ty Stetson walked, Brandon Elliott's grounder to short was thrown away at second base, allowing both runners on base to score.

MSU increased the lead in the sixth as Brandon Eggenschwiler singled and Mike Kozlowski drew a walk. With runners on second and third and two outs, Dalton West delivered a two-run single up the middle. A throwing error moved West to second on the play, and later scored when a ground ball went through the legs of the shortstop.

UAPB was able to score two runs in the home-half of the inning as a wild pitch on a third strike was followed by a base hit. Patrick Phillips plated both runners with a double to left field.

The Breds pushed the lead back to three in the seventh without getting a hit. Stetson drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second on a sacrifice bunt from Elliott. A wild pitch moved the runner to third and Eggenschwiler drove him in with a hard groundout off the leg of the pitcher.

Didier Landry (0-3) took the loss for the Golden Lions after allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits and four strikeouts over five innings.

West led the offense by going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Eggenschwiler added two hits, and Stetson scored a pair of runs.

The Breds return to action Friday afternoon as they host Southeast Missouri in a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Reagan Field. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.