Cozart Walks It Off for the Racers in Extras over Southern Illinois 5-4

Tuesday, May 11

Murray, Ky.

5 p.m.

Murray State

27-20

Southern Illinois

33-15

SIU

Murray State

Cozart Walks It Off for the Racers in Extras over Southern Illinois 5-4

5/11/2021 11:18:00 PM | Baseball

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The Racers won 5-4 in 11 innings over Southern Illinois to split the series with Salukis

The Murray State Racers (27-20, 15-9 OVC) won in extra innings, 5-4, for the third time this season on Tuesday in Murray, Kentucky in the midweek game with the Southern Illinois Salukis (33-15, 10-10 MVC).

With the win, the Racers split the season series with the Salukis.

Jordan Cozart was on fire at the plate tonight, sparking the Racers offense the entire night. He went 4-for-6 with three RBIs including the walk-off winner in the eleventh.

Bryson Bloomer provided the other two runs for Murray State as Bloomer had two hits, two RBIs and one run scored in the game.

The Racers pitching came up big when it needed to be, working out of four bases loaded jams and stranded 17 Salukis base runners.

Murray State and Southern Illinois are two of the biggest home run hitting teams, with a combined 132 homers, but with the wind blowing in, neither team hit the long ball.

The Salukis cracked the scoreboard first, scoring two runs in the second inning.

The Racers had two good threats in the third and fourth putting runners in scoring position but were unable to push any across until the fifth.

With one out in the fifth, five consecutive Racers reached safely. Bloomer evened the game at two with a two-RBI double to the left field corner and Cozart followed with a two-RBI single to right center.

Southern Illinois put up single tallies in the sixth and seventh to tie the game at four.

The game remained deadlocked until the eleventh. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with nobody out for Jordan Cozart who continued to be dangerous at the plate and grounded past the diving third basemen to win it for the Racers in extras.

The Racers used seven pitchers in the game. Cade Vernon started his fourth game of the season going two innings, giving up two runs.

Jake Jones, Alec Whaley, Jacob Pennington and Quinton Kujawa all pitched scoreless outings for the Racers.

Pennington struck out a team-high four and Kujawa threw the final two innings to pick up his second win of the season.

The Racers travel to SIU-Edwardsville on Friday and Saturday (May 14 and 15) for their final road conference series of the season. The two teams will play a three-game series starting on Friday at 6:00 p.m.

Worth the wait. @Jordan_Cozart wins it for the Racers in extras!#ShoesUp | #WeAreRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/pZVghtnINs
— Murray State Baseball (@RacersBaseball) May 12, 2021