Middle Tennessee Takes Series from Herd

Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Marshall Baseball (14-18-1, 4-8 C-USA) dropped a pair of games to Middle Tennessee (15-15, 7-5 C-USA), 3-1 and 5-2, Sunday afternoon at the Kennedy Center.

Game 1: Middle Tennessee 3, Marshall 1
Both pitchers were dominant to start the contest. Patrick Copen retired the first nine Blue Raiders he faced, seven by strike out. Eriq Swan of Middle Tennessee retired seven of the first eight batters he faced, Cole Williams reached base via a throwing error from the shortstop in the first. Geordon Blanton recorded the first Thundering Herd hit, a double down the left-field line, but was later picked off at second in the bottom of the third inning.

The Blue Raiders got on the board in the third after a hit-by-pitch forced in a run. Copen limited the damage and got out of a bases-loaded jam with an infield fly followed by a 6-4-3 double play.

Marshall answered in the bottom half of the frame with Luke Edwards smacking a double to left center. The hit extended Edwards' on-base streak to 41 games. Williams grounded to first allowing Edwards to advance to third. A wild pitch allowed the Herd's third baseman to cross home plate and tie the game at one.

MT pushed back in front after Brian Dillingham registered a double when his hit landed inside the left-field line. Luke Vinson, the following batter, sent a single to right field allowing Dillingham to score and give the visitors the advantage, 2-1. Copen induced a fly out followed by a strike out to strand a runner on third.

Middle Tennessee threated again in the top of the sixth, but a fly out stranded a runner at third for the second consecutive inning.

Vinson added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when knocked a homer and the Herd could not make up the difference in the first contest falling 3-1.

Game 2: Middle Tennessee 5, Marshall 2
The Herd offense came out swinging with a pair of homeruns in the bottom of the first. Edwards started the scoring sending his shot a couple feet over the right-field wall, and Ryan Leitch punched his hit over the wall in left making it 2-0 Marshall. Edwards extended his on-base streak to 42 games in the process.

Middle Tennessee answered with three runs in the second. Brett Coker scored on a fielder's choice, Briggs Rutter crossed home plate after a wild pitch, and Brycen Thomas scampered home on a sacrifice fly to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.

MT tacked on a pair of runs in the third off a single from Rutter (5-2).

Marshall had a chance to cut into the Blue Raider advantage with Schaefer and Billups reaching base back-to-back on a walk and single, respectively, with one out in the fourth, but a fielder's choice and strike out ended the opportunity.

Ryan Capuano entered in the fourth and curtailed the Blue Raider offense by pitching three scoreless innings surrendering only a hit and a walk. Louis Davenport recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh, but Marshall fell in game two, 5-2.

UP NEXT
Marshall continues its home stand with Ohio coming to the Kennedy Center on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.

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Team Stats

Luke Edwards

Ryan Leitch

Geordon Blanton

Travis Sankovich

Players Mentioned

Geordon Blanton

Ryan Capuano

Patrick Copen

Louis Davenport

Luke Edwards

Ryan Leitch

Cole Williams

Players Mentioned

Geordon Blanton

Ryan Capuano

Patrick Copen

Louis Davenport

Luke Edwards

Ryan Leitch

Cole Williams

Marshall University Athletics