Box Score LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? Middle Tennessee junior Brad Robinson (4-0) blanked UALR (12-19, 2-8) for seven innings on Saturday afternoon to lead the Blue Raiders to a 6-1 win at Gary Hogan Field. Robinson allowed just six hits and one run over 7.1 innings of work, as the Blue Raiders (18-17, 9-5) evened the Sun Belt Conference series at one game a piece.
Middle Tennessee tallied five of its 11 hits in the first inning to build a 3-0 lead they would never relinquish. UALR freshman Ashur Tolliver (3-3) settled down after a 47-pitch first inning, retiring nine in-a-row at one point and fanning seven batters, but was credited with the loss after allowing nine hits and five runs over 6.1 innings.
Each of MT's first four batters enjoyed a multi-hit afternoon as the Blue Raiders outhit UALR 11-to-7. Seniors Ryan Gotcher and Brett Lawler, and junior Robert Taylor each totaled two hits in the loss and went a combined 6-of-12 at the plate. The rest of the team, however, struggled to a 1-for-20 showing against Robinson and reliever Alvis Jordan.
Middle Tennessee came out swinging on Saturday, as each of its first four batters delivered a hit to help the Blue Raiders jump out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Matt Ray opened the frame with a leadoff single, but was thrown out trying to steal second base. Adam Warren followed with a single of his own, and moved into scoring position by stealing second. Consecutive RBI doubles by Wayne Kendrick and Rawley Bishop made it a 2-0 game with no outs on the board.
Zach Barrett extended the Blue Raiders' lead to 3-0 with a two-out RBI single up the middle. Tolliver then issued a two-out walk to Grant Box to load the bases, but the Sherwood, Ark.-native fanned Drew Robertson to escape the inning without any further damage.
“Ashur getting out of the bases loaded jam in the first kept us in the ball game, and gave us a chance to make a comeback,” said UALR head coach Jim Lawler. “The bottom line today was that we hit so many balls right at them, especially with men on base and in scoring position. If a couple of those fall it's a different game.”
Trailing 3-0, the Trojans threatened to cut into the Middle Tennessee lead by loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the third. Freshman Brad Swiderski drew a one-out walk and Gotcher followed with a single on a sharply hit ball to first ? UALR's first hit of the game. A single through the left side by Lawler loaded the bags with one out, but Robinson got outs from the next two batters he faced (a line out to third, and a fly ball to left) to preserve the shutout.
Tolliver followed up Middle Tennessee's big first inning with three straight scoreless innings, retiring nine-consecutive Blue Raiders before surrendering a single to Robertson in the fourth. Middle Tennessee got back in the scoring column in the fifth, as consecutive singles by Warren and Kendrick led to the Blue Raiders scoring a pair of runs off a wild pitch from Tolliver and a RBI single by Myles Ervin.
Middle Tennessee extended its lead to 6-0 by plating an unearned run off freshman reliever Gavin Gray in the top of the eighth. Barrett reached base on a fielding error at second base and came around to score on a RBI double to left by Ray.
UALR finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth as a single by Lawler and a walk by senior Brian Asbill chased Robinson from the game. Jordan took the mound with two on and one out, and surrendered a hit to Taylor to load the bases. Junior Nathan Parker plated the Trojans' first run with a sacrifice fly to left, but UALR was unable to cut into its deficit any further, as Jordan got a 4-3 groundout from the next batter to end the inning.
The two teams will conclude the three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
“Thank goodness we won Friday night because now we can go into Sunday's game with a chance to win this series. We know we can play with these guys,” added Lawler. “A win tomorrow would be huge for us.”
