Mistakes Cost Racers in OVC Opener

Friday, March 11

Martin, Tenn.

Noon

Murray State

6-9, 0-1

UT Martin

5-9, 1-0

Murray State

UT Martin

3/11/2016 1:35:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

The Murray State baseball team lost its OVC opener Friday afternoon in Martin, Tenn., as the Racers fell to UT Martin, 6-5 to open the two's three-game series. MSU went just 4-of-22 with runners on base in the loss and was 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Racers also left 11 stranded in the contest.

MSU (6-9, 0-1 OVC) committed two errors in the contest, which led to three Skyhawks runs. The Racers also had a couple of base-running blunders as well in the first and third innings. The Racers did out-hit UTM 12-10 in the loss.

UT Martin (5-9, 1-0 OVC) got the scoring started with a run in the bottom of the first inning. After scoreless second and third innings, Ramsey Scott gave the Racers' their only lead of the game with a two-run blast to right field, his fourth home run of the year made it 2-1. The Skyhawks, however, would respond with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead, three of those runs were unearned in the inning.

The Racers would rally though, first with a Reed Thompson RBI double in the eighth inning scored Kipp Moore from first to make it 5-3. Then, in the ninth with two outs, Caleb Hicks delivered a two-RBI double down the left field line to tie the game at 5-5.

UTM would score the game-winning run in the bottom half of the ninth on a single through the left side of the infield by Tanner Wessling who came in as a defensive replacement earlier in the game. Cody Gilbert and Hicks each led the MSU bats with three hits in the loss while Tyler Lawrence added two base knocks of his own.

Cody Maerz took the loss, dropping him to 1-2 on the season. Jack Hranec got the start on the hill for the Racers and had a no decision. Hranec pitched 4.2 innings and allowed five runs, two of them earned, on six hits while walking two and striking out five. Tyler Anderson had a great 3.1 innings of relief out of the MSU bullpen. Anderson allowed just one hit and struck-out three over his career-long outing.

The Racers and Skyhawks continue their OVC-opening series Saturday beginning at 3 p.m., weather permitting.