Story by Gage Johnson, Staff writer
Game One
Murray State baseball headed to Lawrence, Kansas on Friday for the first of a three-game series with Kansas University and lost 5-3.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Trevor McMurray got the starting nod for the Racers on opening day. McMurray started five games for Murray State last season out of his total of 11 in-game appearances.
The Jayhawks got the action going first when sophomore right fielder Brendt Citta homered to left center with a runner on, giving them an early 2-0 lead. Their offensive attack continued in the inning when sophomore outfielder Brett Vosik doubled and drove in Kansas’ third run of the inning.
Murray State went on a run of their own starting in the fourth inning of play. Freshman designated hitter CJ Bush singled to right field for his only hit of the day to knock in the Racers first run of the season. They followed that up with an RBI groundout from sophomore third baseman Davis Sims that put them within one run of the Jayhawks.
Despite McMurray’s rough start, he managed to hold Kansas scoreless until he was credited with another earned run following being removed from the mound after one out in the fifth inning. Junior outfielder Devin Goyle was the one grounded out, but drove in the fourth run for the Jayhawks that was charged to McMurray.
The Racers refused to bow out, however, as junior catcher Mike farnell earned himself an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning, putting Murray State down one run. As they had all game, Kansas answered back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring on a bases loaded walk. That was all the Jayhawks needed, as junior pitcher Zack Leban held Murray State scoreless in the top of the ninth, giving them the 5-3 victory.
Murray State will now look to bounce back with a victory, when they play the second of this three game series at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Kansas.
Game Two
Murray State played their second game of its three-game series with Kansas University on Saturday and came away with a 10-5 win at the Jayhawks home field.
The Jayhawks opened up the series by taking the first game over the Racers 5-3. Junior pitcher Peyton Hayes got the starting nod for Murray State, and senior pitcher Taylor Turski took the mound for Kansas.
Both teams got off to a good start early on. It was the Jayhawks that struck first, as sophomore catcher Jaxx Groshans got his first of two hits on the day with an RBI double to left field in the first inning. The Racers answered back in the top half inning. Graduate student first baseman Ramsey Scott hit his first solo home run of the year, and the first run of the game for Murray State. That was then followed up by an RBI double from Murray State sophomore catcher Bryan Chilton.
The Racers then gave Hayes some more run support in the fourth when sophomore left fielder Ryan Perkins scored on an error and Scott crossed home plate on a wild pitch. The Racers didn’t stop as they tacked on another run in the fifth inning when Perkins drove in sophomore third baseman Davis Sims, extending their lead to 5-1.
Kansas bounced back in their half of the fifth when sophomore infielder James Consentino hit a three-run bomb to put them just one run behind Murray State, 5-4. The Racers then responded with an RBI groundout from Sims, making it a 6-4 ballgame. An RBI single by junior infielder David Kyriacou in the sixth for Kansas put them down one run again heading into the seventh inning of play.
After 4.1 innings of pitching, six strikeouts and four earned runs for Hayes, sophomore pitcher Alec Whaley took over for the Racers. Whaley only gave up one run in his 4.2 innings of pitching to go along with three strikeouts and got some more run support from the Racers in the eighth inning. A two RBI double for Sims, followed by a two run home run for Scott, gave Murray State four runs in the inning. Scott’s homer was his second of the game. The play gave Murray State a 10-5 lead, and that would be all she wrote for the Jayhawks.
Murray State will take on Kansas for the final game of the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Kansas.
Game Three
The Racers baseball team lost 4-1 on Sunday in their final road game of their three-game series with Kansas.
Sophomore pitcher Luke Brown took the mound for Murray State, while sophomore pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn stood on the bump for Kansas University. It was both pitcher’s first start of the young season, and each had very different outcomes in the game.
The Jayhawks looked to win the series and defend home field right from the start. After striking out three of the four Racers to have an at-bat in the top half of the first, Kansas then scored three runs in the bottom half. Those runs came from an RBI single from junior outfielder Devin Foyle and a two RBI single from senior first baseman Luke Bakula.
It was a short day for Brown, with freshman Brayden Cook replacing him in the second inning of play. In his second and final inning on the mound, Cook gave up an earned run off of an RBI single from senior catcher Tanner Gragg. This gave Kansas a 4-0 lead.
The Jayhawks’ only run given up to the Racers was unearned due to an error. Junior Jarron Robinson later hit an RBI single to drive in graduate student Gavin Wehby that had reached on the error. This left Kansas in charge 4-1. Zeferjahn went the furthest for the Jayhawks, throwing five full innings, giving up just two hits and striking out eight. After Zefejahn’s exit, three others took the mound for Kansas and gave up one hit combined and struck out five.
This performance from the Jayhawk pitching staff allowed them to come away with the series clinching 4-1 win. Zeferjahn walked away with his first win of the season, while Brown took his first loss of the season for the Racers. Junior pitcher Zack Leban also claimed his second save of the series and of the season, closing out the ninth and securing the win for Kansas.
After going 1-2 in the road series with the Jayhawks, they will hit the road for one more game before making the trip home. The Racers will take on Alabama A&M at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Huntsville, Alabama.