Lawrence Leads Breds to Series-Opening Victory

Friday, March 14

Martin, Tenn.

6 p.m.

Murray State

8-7, 3-1

UT Martin

1-14, 0-4

Murray State

UT Martin

Tyler Lawrence drove in a career-best five runs in the victory.

Photo by: Samantha Mohr

3/14/2014 8:55:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

| BOX SCORE (.pdf) | PHOTO GALLERY

Tyler Lawrence drove in a career best five runs as Murray State defeated UT Martin, 9-2, Friday evening in the first game of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Skyhawk Field.

Lawrence finished the day going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two sacrifice flies. The five RBIs breaks his old record of four set in the series finale against Bowling Green.

The Breds (8-7, 3-1 OVC) got off to a quick start in the first inning as Ty Stetson was hit by a pitch to lead off the game. A one out single by Anthony Bayus put runners on the corners for a Lawrence sacrifice fly to right field. Bayus then stole second and scored on a throwing error by the pitcher off the bat of Luke Daugherty.

MSU got the bats going again in the second inning as they pushed across four more runs, all with two outs. Clay Kelly singled with one out and went to third on a Taylor Mathews double into the right-field corner. Matt McGowan drove in both runners with a single to left field. Bayus followed with a single and both runners scored on a Lawrence double to right center.

The Skyhawks (1-14, 0-4 OVC) got on the board in the third inning on a solo home run off the bat of Jake Deason.

The Breds got the run right back in the fourth as McGowan doubled to right center to start the inning and scored on Daugherty's single to center field.

Daugherty drove in his second run of the day with a an RBI single to center field scoring McGowan. McGowan started the inning with a double to right center.

Lawrence added to the Breds lead with RBIs in the sixth and eighth innings. Lawrence doubled to right field to score Stetson in the sixth, and followed it up with his second sacrifice fly in the eighth, also scoring Stetson.

Right hander Cameron Finch (2-1) did his part in the victory as he held the Skyhawks to two runs on six hits and eight strikeouts over seven innings. The eight strikeouts ties his career best set against Alabama A&M last season.

Dalton Potts (0-3) took the loss after giving up seven runs, six earned, on eight hits over 3.2 innings.

The top three hitters in the order went a combined 4-for-10 with two RBIs and seven runs scored. Stetson did not collect a hit, but walked twice and was hit by a pitch. He also scored three runs. McGowan went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored, and Bayus went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Clay Kelly added two hits.

The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.