Horschel, Phillips Lead Blue Raiders to 12-3 Victory

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - A three-run homer in the fifth by Derek Phillips opened the flood gates and Blue Raider hurler Travis Horschel allowed three runs in eight innings, as Middle Tennessee cruised to a 12-3 victory over East Tennessee Wednesday afternoon at Howard Johnson Field.

Horschel (4-1) struck out three and walked two in his longest outing of the season, throwing 103 pitches. The redshirt freshman won his fourth straight decision and has not lost since his opening start of the year at Troy State on February 22.

Middle Tennessee (20-13) led 4-2 heading into the fifth, but opened the contest with four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, including three-run homers from Phillips and Brett Carroll.

The Blue Raiders took an early lead on an RBI groundout in the first by Marshall Nisbett. But the host Buccaneers (11-20) pushed across two runs in the bottom of the inning via an RBI double from Brandon Cross and a run-scoring single by Kirk Keathley.

Middle Tennessee reclaimed the lead in the second when Kris Smith reached on an error, Phillips singled to center and both runners scored on a double to leftcenter from Chuck Akers. A single to left by Nate Jaggers put runners on the corners with one out and chased ETSU starter Mike Bauer.

A sac fly to left by Justin Sims plated Akers for a 4-2 Blue Raider advantage after just an inning and a half.

The Blue Raiders pushed the lead to 5-2 in the fifth when Marshall Nisbett doubled just inside the rightfield line and Jason Howarth singled to left with two outs, plating Nisbett.

Kris Smith then bunted for a single, prompting another pitching change by the Bucs. Phillips greeted ETSU reliever Caleb Moore rather impolitely, belting a three-run homer over the wall in rightcenter for an 8-2 Middle Tennessee advantage.

Jaggers hit a solo shot just inside the leftfield foul pole to lead off the sixth, and Brett Carroll followed later in the inning with a three-run blast to deep centerfield for a 12-2 lead.

Bauer (0-5) suffered the loss for the Buccaneers, allowing four runs, one earned, on three hits in 1-1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one. Chase Swing pitches a scoreless ninth for the Blue Raiders, allowing one hit.

Akers, Jaggers, Smith, Phillips and Nisbett all had two hits apiece in the 14-hit attack, while Jaggers, Smith, Phillips and Nisbett all scored twice.

The Blue Raiders open home conference action this weekend with a three-game series against Western Kentucky starting Friday at 7 p.m. at Reese Smith Field.

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