Baseball Game Suspended

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Josh Tarnow was 4-for-4 and New Orleans hit three home runs to lead 13-5 over Middle Tennessee Friday night before the rains came for the second time before the bottom of the seventh, suspending the contest. The two teams will complete the suspended game at 4 p.m. Saturday and then play the regularly scheduled game 30 minutes following the completion of the suspended contest.

Baxter was one of three Privateers to homer and collected four of UNO's 21 hits in seven innings. Nick Schwaner recorded three hits and Drew Anderson had two hits and four RBIs, including a two-run homer, his 10th of the season.

UNO starter Justin Garcia worked six innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on eight hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out six.

Middle Tennessee starter Brad Robinson allowed seven runs on 13 hits in 4.2 innings, raising his ERA by almost a run. Robinson walked two and struck out seven.

UNO scored three times in the first on four hits, including a leadoff home run from Brandon Bowser. Schwaner followed with a single before T.J. Baxter's RBI double to leftcenter. Johnny Giavotella followed with a single to right to put runners on the corners.

Robinson tried to pick off Giavotella off at first. The ball and Giavotella got to the bag at the same time and the ball trickled away. Baxter scored on the play for a 3-0 Privateers lead.

The Blue Raiders came back with a run in the bottom of the inning. Matt Ray bounced to first and reached when Garcia dropped the throw from Greg Wolfe. Ray stole second and moved to third on Wayne Kendrick's infield single.

Rawley Bishop's single to right plated Ray and Campbell was hit, loading the bases. But Blake McDade struck out and Myles Ervin grounded out sharply to Giavotella at second, who beat Campbell to the bag for the final out.

Schwaner and Baxter both singled to start the third before Giavotella singled to center. Schwaner broke late from second and then rounded third base wide, and Kendrick fired behind the runner to record the first out of the inning. Wolfe singled off Robinson's glove to load the bases, but Drew Anderson popped out and Joey Butler grounded out to end the threat.

Tarnow's sixth home run of the season led off the fourth for a 4-1 UNO lead.

Middle Tennessee answered with a run in the bottom of inning. Ervin was hit with one out and Drew Robertson doubled down the rightfield line, plating the run and cutting the UNO lead to 4-2.

But the Privateers ended Robinson's day in the fifth. Giavotella walked with one out before Anderson lined his 10th home run of the year over the wall in center, just to the left of the 24-foot batter's eye.

Butler followed with a single before Tarnow doubled to leftcenter, chasing Robinson from the game.

The Privateers added six more runs on six hits in the sixth inning. Schwaner singled with one out and Baxter walked. With two outs Wolfe was hit to load the bases before five consecutive hits from UNO, all singles. Anderson drove in two runs with his blooper down the rightfield line and Butler singled through the leftside, plating Wolfe.

Tarnow also drove in a run with a single, as did Jarrod Ware and Bowser. A throw back to the infield from Ervin was wild, but Ware was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Middle Tennessee scored three times in the sixth thanks to a pair of UNO errors. McDade singled before Ervin reached on a throwing error by third baseman Baxter. Barrett's grounder down the third base line went off Baxter's glove and when McDade tried to score on the play, his throw was in the dirt and went to the screen.

Ray then drove in two runs with a double to rightcenter, making it 13-5. The rains came again after the top of the seventh.

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