MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Nate Jaggers belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to lift Middle Tennessee to an 11-9 victory over Southeast Missouri in a wild game Wednesday afternoon at Reese Smith Field.

Visiting SEMO took the lead in the top of the eighth on a three-run home run by Justin Christian to take a 9-7 lead. But the Blue Raiders plated a run on an RBI single from pinch-hitter Kevin Suba before Jaggers provided the game-winner with two outs in the inning for Middle Tennessee's fifth win in six games.

Danny Borne (1-0) got six outs to get the win, allowing one run and striking out one. Borne allowed the Christian round-tripper after entering the contest with two on and no one out in the eighth.

SEMO senior Denver Stuckey (0-1), who made his first pitching appearance of the season, starting the game as the leadoff hitter and third baseman, suffered the loss. Stuckey gave up four unearned runs in 1.2 innings on two hits with one walk.

The game featured 20 runs, 28 hits and seven errors, as the Blue Raiders netted eight unearned runs thanks for Southeast Missouri's three errors in the contest.

The Blue Raiders (18-19) scored four unearned runs in the first, thanks to a pair of Indian errors and a home run from Jerry Knox.

Jeff Beachum led off the inning with a single and went to second when a pickoff throw to first was wild. Beachum came around to score from second when Josh Archer's ground ball to first was booted by SEMO's Eric Hoffman. Brett Carroll followed with a single before Knox blasted his third homer in two games for a 4-0 Blue Raider lead.

SEMO (18-11) got a run back in the second when Seth Moulton got a ball into the jetstream for a solo homer to centerfield. The Indians put together four straight hits in the third to score two more runs, as Brian Hopkins, Christian, Zach Borowiak and Gary Gilbert all had consecutive singles to cut the deficit to one run.

Derek Phillips lined a ball over the rightfield wall for his first round-tripper of the year, a solo shot to give Middle Tennessee a 5-3 advantage in the fourth.

The Indians' Adam Fangman reached on a two-out error in the sixth, chasing Blue Raider starter Shay Horseman from the contest. Knox entered the game to pitch and promptly allowed consecutive singles to Denver Stuckey and Hopkins, plating Fangman and cutting the Blue Raider lead to 5-4.

Chad Cooper gave Middle Tennessee a two-run advantage again in the bottom of the inning, belting his second home run of the season, a solo shot over the leftfield wall.

The Indians plated a pair of unearned runs in the seventh to knot the game at six. Gilbert drew a one-out walk and Moulton followed with a perfect bunt single. Carroll's throw to first was well wide of the bag and rolled all the way to the Blue Raider bullpen, allowing Gilbert to score and Moulton to move all the way to third. David Lawson followed with a single through the leftside, scoring Moulton with the tying run.

But the Blue Raiders took the lead back in the bottom of the inning, as Beachum led off with an infield single, his fifth three-hit game of the season and second in a row. Beachum went to second on a wild pitch and third on Akers' single to left. Jaggers plated the run with a groundout for a 7-6 Blue Raider advantage.

The Blue Raiders could not hold the lead, though, as Stuckey and Hopkins both singled against Steven Kines before Christian banged a 3-2 pitch over the rightfield wall off Borne, giving SEMO a 9-7 lead.

The Blue Raiders got one of the runs back in their half of the eighth thanks to an error from Christian. Cooper drew a leadoff walk and Phillips bounced into a tailor-made doubleplay, but Christian's throw to second was wild, allowing Cooper to move to third. Suba then singled up the middle off the glove of the shortstop, plating Cooper and cutting the deficit to one.

Middle Tennessee had a chance to get more in the inning, but Beachum popped up a bunt attempt and Akers flied out to deep center. But Jaggers bailed them out, belting a three-run blast over the wall in leftcenter for the go-ahead runs.

Akers and Phillips added two hits apiece for the Blue Raiders to go along with three from Beachum. Beachum also scored twice, as did Cooper and Phillips, while Jaggers drove in four runs and Knox added three RBIs.

A trio of Indians had three hits each, led by Hopkins, Christian and Moulton. Stuckey and Lawson added two apiece in SEMO's 16-hit attack, while Hopkins, Christian and Moulton all scored twice.

Horseman got no decision for the Blue Raiders but deserved better. The freshman allowed three runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings, striking out nine and walking just one. Knox was in line for the win until the three-run homer by Christian in the eighth. Knox gave up two unearned runs on three hits in 1.2 innings.

SEMO starter Ryan Forsyth allowed five runs, one earned, on six hits in six innings of work, striking out five.

Middle Tennessee hosts 30^th-ranked South Alabama this week in Sun Belt action, starting Friday night with a 7 p.m. contest at Reese Smith Field. Saturday's game begins at 2 p.m. with the Sunday finale starting at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES

Jerry Knox drew his third straight start as the designated hitter ... Chad Cooper started in leftfield for the second time this season and the first since March 8 at Southwest Missouri State ... Jeff Beachum extended his hitting streak to seven games with a leadoff single in the first ... Brett Carroll extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the first ... Derek Phillips made his hitting streak seven games with a home run in the fourth ... Chuck Akers extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the fifth ... Beachum had three hits in the game, his 11^th multi-hit game of the season. It also marks his fifth three-hit game of the year, second in a row and third in six games ... Nate Jaggers' home run in the eighth extended his hitting streak to eight games ... The Blue Raiders won for the third time this season when being outhit by their opponent ... Middle Tennessee improved to 21-13 against Southeast Missouri under Steve Peterson, including 13-4 at Reese Smith Field ... Shay Horseman is 2-0 with a no decision in his last three starts, striking out 21 in 15.2 innings pitched. The Blue Raiders are 3-0 in those starts and 3-1 in Horseman's four starts this season.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.