Photo courtesy of MT Athletics
Over the weekend, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (5-6) traveled to Memphis to take on the Tigers (4-6). This was the Raiders’ first weekend series away from home for the season, and in the end, they dropped it 1-2.
Game 1
The first game was a low scoring affair with the Raiders walking away with the 2-1 victory in the 10th inning.
The pitching staff showed out for the Raiders, as right-hander Grant Williams made his first start of the season. In 6.1 innings he only allowed one run on three hits with eight strikeouts. His relievers prevented the Tigers from scoring, only allowing one additional hit.
On the offensive side, the Raiders struggled to get much of anything going with their only runs coming in the sixth, and the game-winner coming in the 10th with the score tied 1-1.
Catcher Aaron Antonini was the star of the day when he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Game 2
After a marathon game on Friday, the Raiders had little time to rest as they were back in action the following day. This time for a double header against the Tigers.
Left-hander Peyton Wigginton got the nod to start in the first game. He started off strong and managed to keep the Tigers at bay for a few innings until the bottom of the sixth when three runs were scored, giving the Tigers the lead. In total, Wigginton went 5.1 innings with five runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts.
Reliever Josh Young was not be able to dig the Raiders out of the whole as they fell 7-5.
Offensively, the Raiders were much better than they had been the previous game. Antonini went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, and Drew Huff, the captain, went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs.
Game 3
After a short break, the Raiders and Tigers geared up for their final game of the series.
Despite their success in the two previous matches, MTSU’s pitchers struggled early in the third matchup.
Right-hander Carson Lester only saw four innings on the mound, giving up three runs on four hits and one strikeout before being replaced by Drew Huff.
Huff struggled just as much before he was relieved in the eighth.
He made up for it with his offensive effort however, going 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI.
Antonini also continued his stellar weekend as he went 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
Despite taking the early lead, the Raiders just couldn’t hold on as the Tigers tied it up in the seventh inning and took the lead in the eighth, eventually defeating the Raiders 8-6.
What’s Next?
The Raiders will be at home on Wednesday to face the Belmont Bruins at 2 p.m. This weekend they travel to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Wildcats in a three-game series.
To contact Sports Editor David Chamberlain, email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
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