Racers Comeback Falls Short Against Belmont

Friday, April 19

Nashville, Tenn.

11 a.m.

Murray State

16-20, 10-7

Belmont

18-20, 13-7

Murray St.

Belmont

Jake Slunder

4/19/2019 4:45:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

After coming back from one big deficit, the Murray State baseball team was unable to complete a second comeback as the Racers fell to Belmont, 13-11, Friday afternoon on a windy, rainy day in Nashville.

Brock Anderson went 4-5 with a home run and two RBI and Jordan Cozart extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double and three-run home run. Jake Slunder and Ryan Perkins each added three hits while Slunder scored three runs.

The Racers jumped out to another early lead, scoring a run in the first as Slunder singled before advancing to third on a single by Anderson and crossing the plate on a wild pitch.

Belmont tied the game in third with a run before putting up a three-spot in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.

MSU answered in the fifth with two runs as Jaron Robinson scored from first on an errant pickoff attempt by the Bruin pitcher. Slunder added another run later in the inning as he hit a sacrifice fly to score Jordan Holly.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Bruins seemed to break the game open with five runs, including a grand slam, but Murray State responded with three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game.

Wes Schad and Perkins started the rally in the sixth with a double and single, respectively, before Cozart hit a ball into the heavy wind in right that sailed over the fence to bring the Racers within three.

The duo of Blake Clynes and Connor Holden kept the Bruins off the board in the bottom of the sixth, allowing the Racers to score three runs in the seventh to tie the game.

Anderson cut the Murray State deficit to one as he lifted a high fly ball into the jet stream in right for a two-run home run, his team-leading ninth homer of the season. Schad walked and Perkins singled him over to third before coming into score the tying run on a groundout by Cozart.

In the bottom of the seventh, however, the Bruins scored four runs to retake a 13-9 lead.

After both teams were held scoreless in the eighth, the Racers tried to mount another comeback in the ninth. Slunder and Anderson both singled to leadoff the inning before Perkins and Cozart walked to make it a three-run game with just one out. A wild pitch tacked on another run and more importantly moved the tying run to second, but the Belmont closer buckled down in the driving rain to strike out Robinson and Holly to end the game.

With the loss today, the Racers dropped their first OVC series of the season and fall to 10-7 in conference play. They will look to avoid the sweep tomorrow in game three. First pitch at E.S. Rose Park is scheduled for 1 p.m.