Featured photo by Ryan Loftis
Story by Conner Smith
Murfreesboro, TN- Middle Tennessee State baseball had a sour ending to the 2023 home stretch as it was defeated by the UAB Blazers on senior day by a score of 6-2 at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
UAB was able to get on the board first with a tape measure two-run home run in the top of the second inning. MTSU did return the favor when it put two runners in scoring position and a DJ Wright double drove in both runners to tie it at two.
The Blazers took the lead once again in the third when they were able to plate a trio of runs. The game stood at a stalemate until UAB scored again in the seventh to take a 6-2 lead.
Kota Sato and Jalen Wirtz finished the game on the mound while hurling five strikeouts through the final two frames, but the Blue Raider offense couldn’t muster any runs as the Blazers spoiled the MTSU senior day.
“The senior class will always be a special group to me,” MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers said. “We went ‘Ok, this is how we’re going to do things’” back in September when our staff took over and they go ‘Ok, we’re going to try to do everything we can to be as productive as we can with this club, but a lot of it’s going to be what the coaches say, but it’s going to be more so what JT and Coker and Gino and DJ and Jeremiah (said).’ I really appreciate the effort that they gave all year long in terms of maximizing what we can do up to this point. The leadership has been huge.”
Conner Smith is a sports reporter for MTSU Sidelines. If you have information for a story, you can email him at cws4t@mtmail.mtsu.edu.
