By Russell Smythia MTN Sports Reporter April 24, 2021
MTSU came out Saturday and took care of their business early.
The Blue Raiders scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning against the Blazers. They totaled 17 by the end of the seventh inning. This is the most runs scored for MTSU all year beating their previous high of 11 that they scored against UAB earlier this year.
The Blue Raiders beat the Blazers 17-7 in seven innings.
“It’s always important to get ahead early,” said head coach Jim Toman. “We went up six nothing and added onto that and made it 11-0 early. That demoralizes the other team and you get the momentum and we kept it pretty much the whole game.”
MTSU had six batters with multiple hits against UAB. Fausto Lopez, Cole Escher, Hunter Sullivan, Brett Coker, Nathan Sanders, and Daniel Freeman all had two hits.
The Blue Raiders had Zach Keenan on the mound starting, he pitched the top half of the first inning before the game was delayed for rain. The Raiders came back from the delay to put up six runs in the first before Keenan returned to the mound. He would finish the game pitching four innings allowing four earned runs, striking out five, and he picked up the no decision.
“The hitters were just locked in today and they didn’t let that bother them,” said Toman. “I don’t know if the rain delay helped Keenan at all because he had to sit for awhile. It was a long inning and we had a rain delay so it’s very difficult to pitch, get three outs quickly then have to sit for half an hour, forty-five minutes in a long inning. Maybe that’s why he didn’t pitch as well as usually does, but he competed for four innings. The rain, it is what it is can’t worry about that and have to grind it out.”
Freshman Jaden Hamm entered the game in the fifth relieving Keenan with a comfortable 21-4 lead. Hamm pitched two innings allowing only one run. Eriq Swan pitched the seventh inning for the Blue Raiders.
MTSU will play UAB again on Sunday at 1 p.m.