Marshall University Athletics
Baseball Clinches Series With 7-3 Win Over Jacksonville State
2/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Clinches Series With 7-3 Win Over Jacksonville State
2/26/2005
- Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Adam Ptacek (Assaria, KS) and Roddy Stieger (Westchester, OH) had three RBI's each to lead the Marshall baseball team to a 7-3 win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Jacksonville State.
The win clinched the series for Marshall (2-7) and knocked Jacksonville State's record to 2-4.
After two scoreless innings, the Herd got on the board first. Roddy Stieger led the inning off with a single to right field and later moved to second on a passed ball. Two batters later, junior Adam Ptacek singled to left field to score the run.
Jacksonville State wasted no time, and returned the favor in the bottom of the inning. MU starter Chris Cummings (Huntington, WV) got two quick outs and appeared on his way to getting out of the inning, but what looked like a strike out to end the inning was called back, and that turned out to be the turning point, as the next four JSU batters would reach base. After a walk and a single put two runners on, Jake Ball singled to right to tie the game, 1-1.
Stieger gave the lead back to Marshall in the top of the fourth. Rich Russell (Toronto, Ont.) led the inning off with a walk and with one out, Bubba Pfaff (Florence, CO) reached on an error that put Pfaff on second and Russell on third. Two batters later, Stieger continued his solid game, hitting a single to center to score two runs and put MU on top, 3-1.
The Gamecocks threatened to score in the fourth and fifth. They loaded up the bases with two outs in the fourth, but Chris Cummings got a pop up to end the inning. In the fifth, Brian Knippelmeyer (Lincoln, NE) came out of the pen to relieve Cummings. After giving up a single to start the inning, Knippelmeyer struck the next two batters out, and got out of the inning, thanks to a spectacular catch in right field by Joe Glevenyak (West Palm Beach, FL).
In the top of the sixth, Marshall broke the game open, scoring four times in the inning, all with two outs. With Bubba Pfaff on second, Roddy Stieger singled to right center to knock in his third run of the day. After Brent Mason (Sherwood, AR) and Adam Frederick (Franklin, PA) walked to load the bases, Adam Ptacek singled to left to knock in his second and third runs of the day. After Aaron Jamieson (Lindsay, Ont.) walked to load the bases again, Rich Russell became the fifth MU batter to walk in the inning, walking in the Herd's fourth run of the inning to give it a 7-1 lead.
JSU added two more runs in the ninth, but came up short in their comeback attempt.
Chris Cummings had a solid outing, going four innings, allowing one run on five hits to take the win, improving to 1-1 on the season.
Baseball will travel to West Virginia State on Tuesday for a game at 1 p.m. and to VMI on Wednesday for a 2 p.m. game before returning to Huntington for the home opening doubleheader against Canisius on Saturday.
