Survive & Advance - Racers Win in 11 Innings - Murray State University Athletics

Wednesday, May 21

Normal, Ill.

4 p.m.

Murray State

36-13

Belmont

25-33

Belmont

Murray State

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

Survive & Advance - Racers Win in 11 Innings

5/21/2025 8:10:00 PM | Baseball

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The Racers’ next game in the MVC Tournament is Thursday at 7 p.m. against Southern Illinois

The Murray State Racers scored an amazing 15-14 victory in 11 innings over the Belmont Bruins in their opening game at the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Illinois.

The marathon thriller ended at four hours and 36 minutes when Jonathan Hogart drove home pinch runner Gunnar Bingham with a sacrifice fly ball to send the Racers into delirium, after pinch hitter Charlie Jury doubled to get the winning run into position to win the game and was expertly bunted to third base on a sacrifice by Connor Cunningham.

The often-used phrase of "survive and advance" was certainly used appropriately on this night as the Racers scored nine runs in their first two times at bat, only to see the Bruins put up nine runs in the fourth inning for a 13-9 lead.

The Racers got back into the game with five runs in the sixth and seventh innings a double by Will Vierling and Garner's 3-run blast.

As the No. 1 seed in the MVC Tournament for the first time, the Racers play Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Southern Illinois Salukis.

The Racers are now 36-13 and 3-4 all-time in the MVC Tournament.

Game Notes

Today's game marked the seventh extra inning affair for the Racers in 2025 and they are now 4-2 in these games.
Jonathan Hogart's home run in the second put him into the team lead with 15 and it was his 29th of his MSU career.
Carson Garner tied for the team lead with his 15^th homer in the seventh and his blast had some amazing analytics to it: Launch Angle of 43%, 104MPH off the bat and it just got over the 375-foot left centerfield wall at 377 feet.
Garner walked four times in the game and now has 54 as the MVC leader.
The all-time single season walk record is held by Jack Perconte of 58 in 1974
Dom Decker pushed his streak of reaching base to 31 games.
Decker leads the MVC in on base percentage at .510, 23^rd in NCAA D-I.
Graham Kelham got the win and was outstanding in the late innings with a pitching line of: 3.2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 6K.
Kelham also set down nine-straight Bruins at one point.
Added to their 16 runs against Missouri State last week, the Racers have scored 31 runs in their last two games.
The Racers have 36 wins which is tied for the second-most total in program history with the teams from 1974 and 1976 and they still have a chance to perhaps make a run at the 40 wins that the team from 1975.

MVC Tournament Notes

Garner's home run was his second in the MVC Tournament after he hit his first in MSU's first game in the event in 2023 against Valparaiso.
Hogart's homer was his second in the MVC Tournament as he also hit one a year ago against Indiana State.
Hogart and Garner homering together marks the Racers' first game of more than one home run.
The Racers are now 3-4 in the MVC Tournament and snapped a four-game losing skid with the win.
This was MSU's first extra inning game in the MVC Tournament
The Racers and Bruins game continued a theme of big time runs on the scoreboard in the final two games of the day as they combined for 29 runs in the Murray State win of 15-14.
Southern Illinois and UIC combined for 36 runs earlier in the day as the Flames beat the Salukis 19-17.
Between the two games, there were 65 combined runs and 65 hits.
The Racers were the No. 2 seed in 2024 and the No. 6 seed in their first season in the MVC in 2023.
Murray State is seeking its first conference tournament title since Mike Thieke's 2003 team won the OVC Tournament title in Paducah, Ky.
In 2003, MSU played in the Hattiesburg Regional and lost to Baylor and Southern Miss.

Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow MSU Baseball on Twitter (@MSUBaseball) and on Instagram.

2025 MVC Baseball Championship (All Times Central)
Schedule for Tuesday (May 20)
Game 1: No. 5 Illinois State def. No. 8 Indiana State 14-4 (8 inn.)

Schedule for Wednesday (May 21)
Game 2: No. 6 Belmont def. No. 7 Bradley 11-7
Game 3: No. 4 UIC def. No. 3 Southern Illinois 19-17
Game 4: No. 1 Murray State def. No. 6 Belmont 15-14 (11 inn.)

Schedule for Thursday (May 22)
Game 5: No. 2 Missouri State vs. No. 5 Illinois State – 11 a.m.
Game 6: No. 6 Belmont vs. Loser Game 5 – 3 p.m.
Game 7: No. 1 Murray State vs. No. 3 Southern Illinois - 7 p.m.

Schedule for Friday (May 23)
Game 8: No. 4 UIC vs. Winner Game 5 – 7 p.m.
Game 9: TBD – 11 a.m.
Game 10: TBD – 3 p.m.

Schedule for Saturday (May 24)
Game 11: TBD – 11 a.m.
Game 12: TBD – 3 p.m.
Game 13: TBD - If necessary game – 7 p.m.

T2 I Murray State 4 Belmont 0

🔗 Live Scoring: https://t.co/Ebtcoll1aE #GoRacers 🏇 pic.twitter.com/Pb5nAzVSbC
— Murray State Baseball (@RacersBaseball) May 21, 2025