MURRAY, Ky. -- MURRAY, Ky. – Some small-ball from the
Tennessee Tech baseball team that resulted in a run scored in the
top of the fifth inning ended up being the difference in the game,
as Tech and Murray State finished in a 1-1 tie after five innings
due to rain.
The Thoroughbreds drew first blood, scoring a run in the third
inning with the help of a triple, followed by a balk from pitcher
Ryan Dennick.
In the top of the fifth, Heath Cheverton reached on an error by the
shortstop, and Alex Henry laid down a sacrifice bunt to put
Cheverton in scoring position with one out. Casanova Donaldson took
first base after being hit by a pitch, which brought up
Tech’s RBI leader A.J. Kirby-Jones. Kirby-Jones flew out to
right-center, which left Tech with two men on and two outs.
Freshman Ben Burgess then made the clutch hit, an RBI single that
got through the right side to score Cheverton and tie the game at
1.
Dennick pitched 4.2 innings for Tech, and allowed three hits and
one run while striking out four.
Burgess finished the game 2-for-3 from the plate, with an RBI. Evan
Webb, Donaldson and Cheverton each finished 1-for-2 in the
contest.
The Golden Eagles are now 7-11-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play,
and 22-20-1 overall. Tech has one OVC series remaining, a
three-game home series against Jacksonville State on May 9 and
10.
Tech is currently battling for the sixth and final spot in the OVC
tournament, which takes place May 20-24 in Paducah, Ky. The Golden
Eagles were a half game ahead of idle Eastern Kentucky for sixth
place in the OVC standings heading into the weekend, before going
0-2-1 against MSU.
The last time Tech finished in a tie was a season ago, when
inclement weather forced Tech and Middle Tennessee to a 6-6 tie on
February 26, 2008.