Friday, February 25
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
3 p.m.
Jacksonville State University
10
at
2
Middle Tennessee State
Senior Matt McLaughlin homered and drove in four runs on Friday
Gamecocks Power To 10-2 Win Over Blue Raiders
2/25/2011 6:44:19 PM | Baseball
BOX SCORE
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Matt McLaughlin and Jordan Beistline led the way in their season debuts for the Jacksonville State baseball team on Friday, when the Gamecocks rolled to a 10-2 win at Middle Tennessee in the first of a three-game series at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
McLaughlin homered and drove in four runs in a 2-for-2 game in which he entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth, while Beistline held the Blue Raiders (1-4) scoreless on two hits in five innings of work. The LaGrange, Ga., native struck out two and retired the final six batters he faced before handing the ball over to junior Chase Smith, who retired the first five he faced in relief for the Gamecocks (1-2).
Smith pitched three scoreless frames before the Blue Raiders finally got to him with two runs in the ninth. Freshman Casey Antley recorded the final two outs in his collegiate debut to help JSU defeat MTSU for the third time in a row and the fourth time in the last five meetings.
The right-handed McLaughlin entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth, when left-handed reliever Joey McClung entered and drove in his first run of the day with a sac fly. The Tampa, Fla., native's second RBI came on a solo home run in the eighth, while his final two came in the ninth on a single to center.
Freshman Coty Blanchard, also making his JSU debut, drove in a pair of runs after going 2-for-5 on the afternoon, while junior Ben Waldrip also plated a pair in going 1-for-3 with a walk. Junior Kyle Bluestein and senior Sam Eberle also recorded two hits apiece.
The Blue Raiders got a pair of hits and an RBI from Will Skinner, while Davis Pearce drove in the other run.
The Gamecocks got on the board in the second, thanks to Waldrip's first RBI of the day on a single up the middle that scored Eberle from second. Waldrip drove in the Gamecocks' next run in the sixth, but this one came on a bases-loaded walk that put JSU up 2-0.
McLaughlin followed Waldrip's second RBI of the day with his first, when his sacrifice fly to center scored Bluestein from third and gave the Gamecocks a 3-0 advantage.
They broke it open with two more in the eighth, the first of which came with Waldrip standing in the batters box again. McClung was intentionally walking the 6-foot-6 first baseman but saw his second pitch sail to the backstop and allowed Bluestein, who doubled to lead off the inning, to trot home from third. McLaughlin capped the two-run inning with his solo home run, the team's first of the season.
The Gamecocks tacked five more on in the top of the ninth, one on an Eberle single, two on a McLaughlin single off of the center field wall and the final two off of a Blanchard single to left.
The Blue Raiders were able to plate two in the home half of the ninth, thanks to RBI hits from Skinner and Pearce.
Hunter Adkins suffered his first loss of the season after allowing three runs on four hits in five innings on the hill. He struck out three and walked a pair in his second start of the year.
The two will continue the three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m., before concluding the set at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Matt McLaughlin and Jordan Beistline led the way in their season debuts for the Jacksonville State baseball team on Friday, when the Gamecocks rolled to a 10-2 win at Middle Tennessee in the first of a three-game series at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
McLaughlin homered and drove in four runs in a 2-for-2 game in which he entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth, while Beistline held the Blue Raiders (1-4) scoreless on two hits in five innings of work. The LaGrange, Ga., native struck out two and retired the final six batters he faced before handing the ball over to junior Chase Smith, who retired the first five he faced in relief for the Gamecocks (1-2).
Smith pitched three scoreless frames before the Blue Raiders finally got to him with two runs in the ninth. Freshman Casey Antley recorded the final two outs in his collegiate debut to help JSU defeat MTSU for the third time in a row and the fourth time in the last five meetings.
The right-handed McLaughlin entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth, when left-handed reliever Joey McClung entered and drove in his first run of the day with a sac fly. The Tampa, Fla., native's second RBI came on a solo home run in the eighth, while his final two came in the ninth on a single to center.
Freshman Coty Blanchard, also making his JSU debut, drove in a pair of runs after going 2-for-5 on the afternoon, while junior Ben Waldrip also plated a pair in going 1-for-3 with a walk. Junior Kyle Bluestein and senior Sam Eberle also recorded two hits apiece.
The Blue Raiders got a pair of hits and an RBI from Will Skinner, while Davis Pearce drove in the other run.
The Gamecocks got on the board in the second, thanks to Waldrip's first RBI of the day on a single up the middle that scored Eberle from second. Waldrip drove in the Gamecocks' next run in the sixth, but this one came on a bases-loaded walk that put JSU up 2-0.
McLaughlin followed Waldrip's second RBI of the day with his first, when his sacrifice fly to center scored Bluestein from third and gave the Gamecocks a 3-0 advantage.
They broke it open with two more in the eighth, the first of which came with Waldrip standing in the batters box again. McClung was intentionally walking the 6-foot-6 first baseman but saw his second pitch sail to the backstop and allowed Bluestein, who doubled to lead off the inning, to trot home from third. McLaughlin capped the two-run inning with his solo home run, the team's first of the season.
The Gamecocks tacked five more on in the top of the ninth, one on an Eberle single, two on a McLaughlin single off of the center field wall and the final two off of a Blanchard single to left.
The Blue Raiders were able to plate two in the home half of the ninth, thanks to RBI hits from Skinner and Pearce.
Hunter Adkins suffered his first loss of the season after allowing three runs on four hits in five innings on the hill. He struck out three and walked a pair in his second start of the year.
The two will continue the three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m., before concluding the set at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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