Box Score MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth to break a 3-3 tie and hand UALR a 4-3 loss on Sunday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field. The Blue Raiders (20-12, 8-4) trailed 3-0 after two innings, but held UALR (16-16, 3-9) scoreless the rest of the way to complete the three-game sweep.
Junior Blake Johnson led the Trojans with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and two RBI, while senior Cameron Bentley went 2-for-5 with a run scored and one RBI. Bentley got things going for UALR in the top of the first with a leadoff double down the left field line (his 11th of the year), and the Trojans quickly loaded the bases as junior Myles Parma singled and senior Nick Rountree walked. Johnson delivered a two-run double to left to plate Bentley and Parma, but the Blue Raiders managed to throw Rountree out at the plate as he tried to score from first (7-6-2).
UALR extended its lead in the top of the second after sophomore Ben Crumpton drew a leadoff walk and moved into scoring position by stealing second - one of two steals in the game. Crumpton came around to score on a two-out single by Bentley to put the Trojans on top 3-0.
UALR starter Blake Huffman retired the first six Blue Raiders of the game in-order, but ran into trouble in the third as the Blue Raiders manufactured three runs to tie things up at 3-all. A leadoff single by Ryan Stephens and a walk by Robert Lawrence set the table for Middle Tennessee. After both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt, Ryan Ford put MT on the board with a run-scoring single to center. The Blue Raiders made it a 3-2 ballgame as Justin Guidry singled through the right side, but the Trojans managed to get an out at the plate on the next at-bat off a 2-5-1 fielder's choice by Johnny Thomas. MT tied things up in the next at-bat, however, as Guidry scored from third on a wild pitch with two outs on the board.
The two teams went scoreless for the next five innings, with UALR stranding a pair of runners at third. Relievers Cody Tollison and Daniel Palo combined to work a perfect ninth inning for the Blue Raiders and keep the game tied at 3-all.
Ethan Williams started off the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff single to right, before being pulled for pinch runner Dalton Henzman. A sacrifice bunt by Stephens moved the runner into scoring position, and the Trojans opted to intentionally walk Lawrence. Junior Marshal Hamrick got the next batter to ground out to short, but the Trojans were unable to get an out on the play. Sophomore Bryson Thionnet came on to pitch for Hamrick with the bases loaded and one out, but surrendered a walk-off RBI single to Ford.
Neither starting pitcher factored in the decision, as Palo (1-0) was credited with the win after recording the final out of the ninth inning. Hamrick (0-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing one hit and one run over 0.2 innings. MT starter Jonathan Sisco surrendered eight hits, three runs and four walks, with six strikeouts, over 5.1 frames, while Huffman struck out six and allowed four hits, three runs, and two walks over 6.0 innings.
UALR returns to action Tuesday, April 10 when it travels Columbia, Mo. to take on the Missouri Tigers at 4 p.m. The Trojans return to Gary Hogan Field next weekend for a three-game set with South Alabama.
