Box Score MURFREESBORO, Tenn. ? Middle Tennessee's Bryce Brentz and Brett Smalley combined for 10 strikeouts over a five-hit shutout on Friday night to lead the Blue Raiders (11-9-1, 4-5) to a 6-0 win over UALR (4-18, 1-7).
Brentz (1-0) picked up his first win of the year by striking out seven while holding the Trojans to three hits over 6.2 innings pitched. Smalley took the mound with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh, and preserved the shutout by retiring the first batter he faced. Smalley worked the final 2.1 innings with three strikeouts and two hits allowed to register his first save of the season.
Senior David Klumpp (1-5) took the loss for UALR after allowing five hits, three walks and three runs over 5.2 innings. The Trojans totaled just five hits in the loss, with seniors Robert Taylor and Nick DeSanctis accounting for two hits a piece.
The Blue Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Rawley Bishop delivered a two-out RBI single. Bishop went 2-for-3 on the day and tied teammate Zach Barrett for the team lead with two RBI a piece.
The scored remained 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when Middle Tennessee received RBI doubles from Bishop and Zach Dean. The 3-0 lead proved to be enough for the Blue Raiders, as UALR stranded three runners in the seventh and two in the ninth.
Up 4-0, the Blue Raiders capped off the scoring in the bottom of the eighth when Barrett ripped a two-out, two-run double to right.
The two teams return to action Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. for game two of the three-game series.
