Box Score MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee's Kenneth Roberts held the Trojans (21-18, 4-12) to six hits and a run on Friday night as the Blue Raiders (24-15, 12-7) picked up a 9-1 victory in the series opener at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
UALR scored its only run of the game in the top of the sixth as junior Jake Rowell hit a solo homer to right - his sixth of the year. Roberts followed up Rowell's homer by holding the Trojans to one hit over the final three frames, striking out the side in the eighth.
UALR starter Adam Champion fanned five Blue Raiders over the first two frames on Friday night, but Middle Tennessee pushed across three runs in the bottom of the third after its first four batters reached bases to start off the inning.
Middle Tennessee pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh to go ahead 4-1 and then erupted for five more in the eighth, fueled by a three-run homer to right by Justin Miller. The Blue Raiders banged out 13 hits in the win, led by a 3-for-5, three-RBI performance by Miller.
Champion (4-4) was saddled with the loss after allowing eight hits and four runs (three earned) over 6.2 innings. The Evansville, Ind.-native finished with six strikeouts against four walks.
Roberts evened his record at 3-3 on the year by limiting the Trojans to six hits and a run in the complete-game effort, while racking up six strikeouts against one walk.
The two teams return to action tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m.
