Middle Tennessee baseball (26-27, 12-16 CUSA) clinched a Conference USA tournament berth with an 8-1 victory in the series opener against Liberty University (36-18, 19-9 CUSA) at Reese Smith Jr. Field on Thursday.
In the top of the seventh inning with an 8-1 lead in hand for the Blue Raiders, David Horn Jr. was still working through his final frame on over 100 pitches. The Friday starter entered the inning with his pitch count rising and nearing his limit.
After a base hit from Flame outfielder Josh Campos to lead off the inning, Horn Jr. punched out two straight batters before allowing a walk.
With two runners on and the gas tank running empty, MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers met with the Friday starter.
“He [Meyers] comes out there and it seems like he’s got his mind made up before he gets out there,” Horn jr said. ”This time I got lucky, and he was feeling generous. He let me go back out there, and just said, ‘go get him.”
Horn Jr. responded as he did all night, striking out his ninth batter, finishing his night with seven innings of one-run baseball. Horn Jr.’s performance set the tone on the mound, as he tossed 74 strikes to fill up the zone. As Middle Tennessee’s offense picked up early runs, the senior arm got ahead early on Liberty hitters.
“He threw a lot of first-pitch strikes,” Meyers said. “He [Horn Jr.] made big pitches when we needed them, especially in those high-leverage spots.”
Offensively, the Blue Raiders approach was just as decisive. MTSU’s lineup stepped on the field with a plan to attack early in counts against one of the best pitchers in CUSA, Liberty’s Friday ace Ben Blair. Coming into the matchup with Middle Tennessee, Blair carried a 3.49 ERA, striking out 100 batters while walking only 11.
“That guy [Blair] gets ahead of hitters and throws a lot of strikes, so there was no sitting back,” second baseman Cooper Clapp said. “We had to be the aggressor.”
After a scoreless first inning, the Blue Raiders broke through in the second and never trailed against the Flames. After a series of base hits, Middle Tennessee outfielder Brett Rogers knocked an RBI single in the bottom of the second, driving in outfielder Nathan Brewer.
With the Brewer score, Middle Tennessee added four runs in the second frame, pushing MTSU’s lead to 4-0 after two. In the preceding inning, Clapp stepped in the batter’s box and nailed a solo-shot home run deep into left field to lead off the third.
The long ball marked the fourth consecutive game with a home run by the Savannah, Tennessee native. Clapp led the Blue Raiders offensively, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBI.
“I’m just seeing the ball well late in the season and trying to keep it simple — be on time and stay as consistent as possible,” Clapp said.
Clapp’s long ball ignited a three-run inning for MTSU, extending Middle Tennessee’s advantage to 7-0. Another run in the fourth and a solo home run by the Flames in the sixth sealed the Blue Raiders’ postseason berth.
The Blue Raiders currently sit in the No. 7 spot in the CUSA standings, tied with Kennesaw State University and Sam Houston State University. With two games remaining in the regular season, Middle Tennessee can still move up as high as No.6 with a pair of wins over Liberty and some help from Delaware University in its series against Western Kentucky University.
“We get to go play the conference tournament, get some good sleep tonight, and come back with that same energy,” Horn Jr. said. “ You know, we’ll bring it all weekend, so, uh, just looking to keep things rolling.”
With the win over the Flames in game one, the Blue Raiders return to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for game two on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT.
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