Feb. 28, 2010
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-Middle Tennessee belted three home runs and scored 11 runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to complete a three-game sweep over visiting Ohio with a 14-6 win Sunday at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
The Blue Raiders improved to 4-1 overall, while Ohio dropped to 1-5.
MTSU right fielder Will Skinner knocked in three runs, while designated hitter Justin Guidry had three hits, three runs and a pair of RBIs. Third baseman Tyler Burnett (two RBIs), first baseman Blake McDade (two RBIs), second baseman Justin Miller and catcher Tyler Acker all had two hits apiece.
Ohio center fielder Gauntlett Eldemire, a preseason All-American, drove in three runs for the visitors, while third baseman Seth Streich had three hits and scored three runs. First baseman Jerod Yakubik and right fielder Robert Maddox III also contributed two hits.
Blue Raider starting pitcher Eric Gilley (1-0) got the win after going five innings and giving up one earned run on seven hits with four walks. Ohio starter Ryan Bores (0-2) couldn’t get out of the third inning and was tagged with his second loss. He allowed four earned runs on six hits in two and one-third innings with a pair of walks.
“We had some defensive breakdowns in communication in the third inning which led to some of their runs,†said Ohio head coach Joe Carbone. “Even though we hit into four double plays, we did hit the ball hard and I thought, overall, we swung the bat pretty well.â€
Yakubik put Ohio on the board first with an RBI single up the middle in the first inning, driving in second baseman Bryan Barnes, who led off the game with a double down the right field line.
After the Blue Raiders fired back with six runs in the bottom of the third, the Bobcats got their second run in their half of the fourth when Eldemire drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Streich, who doubled three batters earlier.
MTSU went up 11-2 with two more in the fourth and three in the fifth, but Streich scored on a double play ball in the Ohio sixth and Eldemire, Yakubik and Maddox drove in runs in the eighth to complete the Bobcats’ scoring. The Blue Raiders answered with three tallies in the bottom of the eighth for the final margin.
Ohio left 10 men on base, while Middle Tennessee stranded 10.
Ohio will travel to Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday for a game that is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
