Photo by Darius Horton / MTSU Sidelines
It was a gloomy overcast Saturday, as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders geared up to play the Indiana State Sycamores for game two of the Mule Mix Classic. After defeating Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday, the Blue Raiders just couldn’t muster up enough offense and lost to the Sycamores by a score of 21-4.
Pitching troubles continue
After starter Andy Rivera walked three batters in a row to start the game, the Raiders made a quick pitching change and brought in freshman Zack Keenan.
It was revealed later by Head Coach Jim McGuire that Rivera was dealing with an injury that needed further examination.
“We don’t know (how severe it is), but he felt some soreness,” McGuire said. “Hopefully he’ll be okay and will be back soon.”
Keenan also struggled on the mound, giving up a two-run single and a three-run home run on consecutive batters. He lasted just under four more innings before being replaced.
All in all, eight different pitchers saw action on Saturday as the Raiders simply couldn’t stop the offensive onslaught from Indiana State.
Thomas hits first home run, offense stifled again
The Raiders only scored in the first and ninth innings of the game. Throughout the rest of the contest, they struggled just to get runners into scoring position.
In total, the team had 11 combined hits on the day and failed to capitalize on most of them.
The Raiders tried to pinch-hit and put some fresh batters in the line up to get a spark going for the offense. It seemed to work for freshman Brycen Thomas, as he hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning.
“We saw some things out of the guys that don’t have much playing time like what Brycen did today,” McGuire said.
What’s next?
The Raiders will be back in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when they take on the Kent State Golden Flashes. This will be the final game of this year’s Mule Mix Classic.
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