Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Memphis
Memphis Holds Off Baseball, 9-8
4/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 30, 2011
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Marshall University baseball team fell behind 9-0 after three innings of play and rallied to have the tying run just 90 feet away, however the Memphis Tigers were able to close out the series finale with a 9-8 win over the Thundering Herd on Saturday night at FedExPark.
Marshall dropped to 17-24 and 4-11 in Conference USA action.
Victor Gomez finished the nightcap of the doubleheader with a 3-for-5 day. Victor Ramos laced two hits and knocked in two, while Isaac Ballou (triple) and Eric Semeniuk each recorded two hits.
Through the first three innings of play Memphis (25-19, 8-7) decided to flex its offensive muscle to the tune of nine runs off 10 hits to chase starter Arik Sikula (2-5) from the game.
A seven-run third inning put the Herd in a serious hole, but another powerful punch was delivered by the entire lineup to score a touchdown worth of points, including the point after. In the top of the fourth, MU batted around scoring seven times off the courtesy of six hits, all of which were singles. Ramos lined a two-run base hit, Kenny Socorro, Steven Ross and Gray Stafford each roped run scoring knocks, while Gomez and Rhett Stafford added one RBI each in the outburst as MU still trailed 9-7.
In the fifth, the scoring continued on for the Herd after reliever Josh King blanked the Tigers in the bottom half of the fourth. Thor Meeks clubbed his second bomb of the day , a towering solo shot to left-center, shrinking the once controlling Memphis lead to just one, at 9-8. Marshall had runners on first and third after a triple from Ballou and walk drawn by Socorro with two down, but reliever Ben Paullus (4-2) induced a pop up to end the threatening frame.
Arms out of the MU bullpen kept the visiting squad within a run as the Tigers were kept off the scoreboard from the fourth through seventh innings. King worked 3.2 innings giving up one single, while walking two and striking out a pair.
MU threatened to tie the score in the ninth, when Victor Gomez sliced a single to right to start the frame. Pinch runner Justin Maynard swiped second and later stole third, unfortunately Paullus recorded back to back punch outs to end the game.
Paullus worked 4.1 innings of one-hit relief, striking out five without walking a batter.
Marshall is off until next weekend when East Carolina comes to Power Park for a three-game set in Charleston.
