Simon Elfrink
Staff Writer
selfrink@murraystate.edu
Murray State baseball won its first series on the road by taking two of three games against Austin Peay.
Game 1:
On Friday, March 6, the Racers took the first game 4-1.
As usual, senior right-hander Trevor McMurray opened the series on the mound for the Racers. McMurray outdid himself in style, striking out nine batters in just 6.2 innings and allowing his first earned run of the season on five hits. His ERA on the year moved to just .35 after the outing.
Head Coach Dan Skirka was as pleased as ever with his senior ace.
“Trevor has been our leader all year, and he really did it again,” Skirka said. “He set the tone for the weekend and just attacked their hitters and put us in a position to win that game.”
Runs were few and far between for most of the game for both teams. The first run of the game was scored in the third inning when redshirt junior outfielder Jake Slunder hit a two-run home run.
The Racers scored next in the sixth inning after junior infielder Bryson Bloomer scored on a wild pitch. Bloomer ended up having an exceptional day at the plate, going 4-4 with an RBI. He crossed the plate an additional time in the eighth inning after hitting his first home run of the season.
In the bullpen, junior right-hander Connor Holden got the save for the Racers, finishing off the last 2.1 innings of the game and even working his way out of a crisis when the Governors loaded the bases in the seventh inning. Holden struck out four batters and allowed no hits.
“Holden really pitched great tonight,” Skirka said. “He came in and got their best hitter out with the bases loaded and then really attacked and closed it out.”
Game 2:
The second game of the series proved to be a completely different story. Not only did the Racers pick up the loss, but both teams had continuously electric scoring all day. The final score found the Governors on top 12-10.
The Governors jumped on top immediately, putting up five runs in the first inning. Sophomore left Shane Burns took the brunt of the Governors’ hitting, having allowed four of the five runs in the first inning. Burns came out of the game after just 1.2 innings pitched and picked up his second loss of the season. After throwing only two pitchers in the series opener, the Racers had six different pitchers on the hill in the second game.
Despite the loss, Skirka had positive things to say about the combined effort from his pitching staff.
“Shane Burns struggled a little bit, which is out of the norm,” Skirka said. “We didn’t play great defense behind him, but we’re confident going to those other guys [in the bullpen].”
The Racers’ hitting was a high point, with four Racers having multiple hits. Redshirt sophomore infielder Wes Shad went 4-5 at the plate and crossed home twice. Bloomer stayed hot, getting three hits and driving in a run in the fifth inning on a single up the middle.
Senior outfielder Ryan Perkins hit a two-run home run that same inning, taking his home run total to six on the year. Senior infielder Jordan Cozart hit his second homer of the year in the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Governors’ superior hitting.
Game 3:
The Racers took the last game of the series in a landslide victory, winning their first series on the road 20-2.
Graduate student Sam Gardner got the start on the hill with a white-hot offense to back him up. The righty went six innings, allowing just a single run on four hits. Gardner also had a season-high nine strikeouts. Senior righty Justin Thomas closed it out for the Racers, allowing one run on a single hit and striking out one batter.
Despite the dominant pitching from Gardner and Thomas, the real star of the day was Cozart. He had an unbelievable game at the plate, hitting three home runs and driving in nine Racers.
“He’s had really good at-bats all year,” Skirka said. “Really the second half of last season until now he’s been one of our best, and guys were on base in front of him. He hit a grand slam, he hit a three-run homer. He’s just been having good at-bats and getting rewarded for it.”
While Cozart’s flashiness stole the limelight, he wasn’t the only one hitting for the Racers. Slunder had a three-hit game, driving in five runs in the process. Senior outfielder Brock Anderson and senior outfielder Sean Darmafall each had two RBIs apiece.
Skirka was pleased with the exceptional performance from his team at the plate.
“Like the Bowling Green series, today was warm, the sun was shining [and] the wind was blowing out,” Skirka said. “It was just a great day to be a hitter and we had good at-bats and they were rewarded for it.”
The Racers look to keep the success in the Austin Peay series with them as they travel to Florence, Alabama, on Tuesday, March 10, to play North Alabama University.