By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – An early deficit proved too much for the Tennessee Tech baseball team to overcome Wednesday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell to in-state rival Middle Tennessee, 11-3, at Reese Smith Jr. Field in Murfreesboro.
Both sides traded zeroes on the scoreboard over the opening three frames, but it was the Blue Raiders that struck first. In the bottom of the fourth, Middle Tennessee snagged a trio of runs to take a 3-0 advantage.
The home squad continued the offensive surge in the fifth, scoring twice to move out by five. Tech gathered its first response in the sixth, with back-to-back hit-by-pitches putting third baseman Peyton Mills and first baseman John Dyer on base for the purple and gold.
Left fielder Preston Ford provided the spark, sending an RBI single to left field to make it a 5-1 ball game. In the bottom half, the Blue Raiders looked to blow the game wide open, loading the bases with no outs and picking up a run on a walk.
Following the free pass, Tech reliever Brody Lanham locked things down, striking out the side to avoid further damage and keep the Golden Eagles within striking distance at 6-1. The Golden Eagle bats went back to work in the seventh, cutting the deficit to just two.
Catcher Hayden Gilliland drove in the first marker of the frame, singling to center field and advancing to third on an error. He scored later in the frame after Mills grounded out to shortstop, making it a three-run contest.
Middle Tennessee answered with a run in the bottom half and four more in the eighth to finish off the 11-3 decision. Designated hitter Troy Baunsgard, shortstop Nick Spardone, and Ford each recorded two hits in the contest to lead the offense.
The Golden Eagles return home to Cookeville for a weekend series with in-state rival ETSU starting Friday evening with a 6:00 p.m. CT contest at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. Game two is slated for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and the series finale is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start on Sunday.
File photo by Jim Dillon
