Power Provides Spark in Postseason Opener

Wednesday, May 24

Oxford, Ala.

3 p.m.

Murray State

28-28

Belmont

30-25

Murray State

Belmont

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

5/24/2017 8:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 2017 OVC Baseball Championship Bracket Photo Gallery

For the first time in seven years, the Murray State baseball team picked up a victory in the OVC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon as the Racers defeated Belmont, 9-3 in opening round action down in Oxford, Ala., at Choccolocco Park.

MSU (28-28) used the long ball in its victory as it hit four home runs on the day, three of which were solo shots. Six homers in all were hit between the two teams in the contest.

The Bruins (28-28) jumped out to an early lead with a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning and kept the Racers off the board throughout the first three innings of action before the MSU bats came alive. Tyler Lawrence's eighth blast of the season tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth and in the very next at-bat, OVC Rookie of the Year Davis Sims gave MSU a 2-1 lead, a lead in which it would not relinquish the rest of the game.

In the fifth, MSU got two more homers to push the lead to 5-1. The first came off the bat of Adam Bauer and was a solo home run that hit off the scoreboard in right center field. Two batters later, Jack Hranec hit his 12^th long ball of the season, a two-run shot that also scored Brandon Gutzler.

After Belmont would get another solo homer in the bottom half of the fifth to make it 5-2 Racers, Ryan Perkins got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh and brought home Gutzler again, making the score 6-2. The Bruins would get the run back in the bottom half of the frame to make it 6-3.

The Racers were able to get some much needed breathing room in the ninth with a three-run inning. Jaron Robinson, who led MSU at the plate with three hits on the day, provided the big blow. His two-run single put the Racers up 8-3 and two batters later, a sacrifice fly from Bauer rounded out the scoring in the game.

In addition to Robinson's three hits, Lawrence and Sims both went 2-for-4 in the win while Bauer was 2-of-5 at the plate. MSU out-hit the Bruins 12-8 in the contest and could have done more damage as it left 11 runners stranded on the base paths.

Ryan Dills picked up his fifth victory of the season, as he was solid in the outing. Dills scattered six hits across seven innings and allowed three runs while striking out eight and walking none. Chance Carner, Justin Perkins and Alec Whaley combined to pitch a scoreless eighth and ninth in the win.

MSU advances to the winner's bracket and will now face either Morehead State or Austin Peay at 4 p.m., Thursday.

Following a Tyler Lawrence HR, OVC Freshman of the Year Davis Sims (@dmsims) hit this blast to put @RacersBaseball on top 2-1 #OVCBase pic.twitter.com/Fnl9yaaWxi
— OhioValleyConference (@OVCSports) May 24, 2017