Racers Open Series With 4-3 Win Over Austin Peay

Friday, March 20

Reagan Field

3 p.m.

Murray State

7-15, 3-4

Austin Peay

10-8, 4-3

Austin Peay

Murray State

Photo by: Ryan Richardson-Murray Ledger & Times

3/20/2015 6:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Brock Downey pitched 8.2 innings and Cody Maerz came on in the top of the ninth inning for the save as the Murray State baseball team won its 2015 home opener 4-3 over Austin Peay Friday at Johnny Reagan Field. Nick Moore's sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Derek Yoder proved to be the game-winning RBI for the Racers (7-15, 3-4 OVC).

For the 12^th time this season, MSU got on the board first as the Racers got three runs across in the bottom of the second inning. A Taylor Mathews RBI single up the middle brought home Anthony Bayus to get things started in the inning, while a throwing error on the Governors (10-8, 4-3 OVC) with two outs in the inning allowed Mathews and Yoder to score to make it 3-0 in favor of the Racers.

APSU was able to get one back in the third on a Dre Gleason solo home run to right field in the third and then in the fourth, another solo shot, this time from Logan Gray made it 3-2. Gleason tied the game with his second RBI of the day later in the fourth to tie the game.

The Racers didn't trail for long however as in the bottom half of the fourth they were able to manufacture the game-winning run. Yoder led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, followed by a Kipp Moore single to right on a hit-and-run allowing Yoder to move to third. Moore's sac fly was during the next at-bat.

MSU was out-hit in the win 12-5, but the Racers left five runners on base while the Governors stranded nine in the contest. Bayus collected a pair of hits in the win while Yoder went 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Friday's win marks the third time this season that the Racers have won game one of a three-game series.

Downey evens his record to 3-3 on the season with the victory. Downey allowed three runs on 11 hits while walking two and striking-out three batters. Maerz picks up his second save of the season in his appearance.

Game two's first pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Reagan Field Saturday. Brad Boegel is expected to start for the Racers while Jared Carkuff will get the ball for Austin Peay.