Featured Photo by Luke Larkin
Story by Conner Smith
Middle Tennessee baseball had twice the fun today, winning 16-3 and 6-3 in a doubleheader against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. It was led by, once again, stellar pitching and a high-powered offense.
Game 1
The Blue Raiders got it started first when Brett Coker doubled and put runners at second and third with one out. Jeremiah Boyd hit a deep ball into left that was caught but allowed Eston Snider to trot home and send Coker to third. A fielder’s choice plated Coker.
In the seventh MT held a 4-3 lead but the bats were very quiet. That didn’t last long. A three-run shot by Gabe Jennings got the fireworks started. That was followed by back-to-back home runs off the bats of Snider and a DJ Wright single that scored Coker.
Jaden Hamm then exited the game after another stellar performance. He had nine strikeouts, zero walks, and gave up just two earned runs in 7.2 innings.
“I started off with a bad first inning but was able to lean on my slider and that really helped me,” Hamm said. “The defense was good today and that was a huge help from my team. The scouts were here today but all I care about is winning the games and helping my team, the rest will fall into place.”
There were fireworks in the eighth inning for the Blue Raiders as they plated seven runs including a two-run single from Jared Vetetoe who made his first appearance of the year. Freshman Cale Vinson came in to pinch hit and drove in his first RBI of his career off a single.
“After the injury last year, I’m just ecstatic to get back out there,” Vetetoe said. “This is my first home game, and it feels awesome to finally play at home. The team was great today, we all focused on our approach, and we were able to handle business.”
Game 2
Things were starting off very similar to game one with a stalemate until the Bonnies got on the board in the third inning with a one-run single. The very next inning the Blue Raiders scored three off the bats of Vetetoe and JT Mabry.
MTSU once again got a gem from sophomore Jalen Wirtz. Wirtz went five innings only walking one man and giving up one earned run.
In the sixth inning Vinson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Jennings joined the hit parade with a bunt that scored Vetetoe.
Vetetoe once again delivered with a two-out triple that scored Boyd. St. Bonaventure scored one more run in the eighth but was shut out in the top of the ninth as MTSU comfortably won 6-2.
“In a doubleheader, it can be hard on guys to stay focused and can be hard on their bodies,” MTSU head coach Jerry Myers said. “The players stayed focused and played well today. We only used four pitchers today, so it is huge on the outlook of the final two games of the series.”
Conner Smith is a sports reporter for MTSU Sidelines. If you have information for a story, you can contact him at cws4t@mtmail.mtsu.edu.
