Rice University
12-13, 0
Middle Tennessee
14-10, 0
Blue Raiders Take Series Opener, 4-1
4/1/2021 7:52:00 PM | Baseball
Saturday Twinbill Set For 1 PM
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee baseball team broke a 1-1 deadlock with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 4-1 win over the visiting Rice Owls in the opening game of a Conference USA series Thursday afternoon in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Middle Tennessee opened the scoring with a run on a pair of hits in the bottom of the third inning, but Rice was able to repel other threats to keep the margin at a 1-0 deficit. The Owls broke through to tie the contest with two away in the top of the sixth.
Cade Edwards was hit by a pitch and Bradley Gneiting followed with RBI double to right-center. Gneiting's hit was a rocket blast that would have cleared the fences at Reese Smith Jr. Field on almost any other day, but the gusting wind blowing in toward home plate kept the ball in the yard and the score at 1-1.
The starting pitchers for both teams, Rice's Blake Brogdon and the Blue Raiders' Aaron Brown, were not allowing much else. In the bottom of the eighth Middle Tennessee loaded the bases but the Owls appeared to be working out of danger with a two-out fly ball to left-center. This time a combination of the wind and creeping shadows (from the football stadium next door) were havoc for the Rice outfielders. MTSU's Nathan Sanders had cleared the stations with double for a 4-1 lead, and the game's final score.
Records
Rice moved to 12-13 overall and 1-4 in C-USA action. Middle Tennessee is now 14-10 on the year and 3-2 in league play.
Of Note
• The game was originally scheduled for 6 pm but moved to 3 pm due to cold temperatures in the area. It was 45 degrees at first pitch with 20/25-mph winds.
• Rice head coach Matt Bragga was back coaching in the state Tennessee for the first time since 2018.
• Starter Blake Brogdon deserved some better luck for pitching so well in his seventh start of the season. The right-hander allowed just four singles and two walks while striking out seven in a career-long 7.1 innings.
• Brogdon did a good job keeping the ball out of the blustering wind most of the time. The ground balls led to two double plays and second baseman Will Karp recorded a new season high with five defensive assists.
• Leftfielder Cade Edwards batted leadoff to notch his 100th career start for the Owls.
• The sixth is Rice's best offensive inning this season. In 25 games the team has now scored 22 runs in the sixth inning.
Friday Twinbill
The same teams continue the four-game C-USA series thru Saturday. Friday's schedule is a double header of two seven inning games starting at 1 pm. The Saturday finale is a nine inning game beginning at 1 pm.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Aaron Brown (4-2)
L: Brogdon, Blake (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Gneiting, Bradley 1
RBI: Gneiting, Bradley 1
SH: Long, Justin 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Edwards, Cade 1
CS: Comeaux, Braden 1
HBP: Edwards, Cade 1
Batting:
2B: Nathan Sanders 1
RBI: Nathan Sanders 3
SH: Luke Vinson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fausto Lopez 1 ; JT Mabry 1 ; Cole Escher 1 ; Hunter Sullivan 1
SB: Fausto Lopez 1 ; JT Mabry 1 ; Cole Escher 1 ; Brett Coker 1
HBP: Bryce Symlar 1 ; Brycen Thomas 1
