Kendrick, Ray Lead 11-2 Victory

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Matt Ray and Wayne Kendrick both collected three hits, Grant Box hit his fourth home run of the season and 10 Middle Tennessee pitchers scattered nine hits in an 11-2 victory over Lipscomb Wednesday night at Reese Smith Field.

The Blue Raiders (26-23) used 27 total players in the game, the final nonconference contest of the year, and tallied 15 hits. Middle Tennessee scored seven unearned runs in the contest on three Lipscomb (26-24) errors, including five in the fifth inning to break open a tie game.

Box had two hits in the game, including his fourth homer to leadoff the sixth inning, and Drew Robertson added two hits. Kendrick also drove in a pair of runs and raised his average to an even .400 heading into this weekend's series at Florida International.

Tyler Copeland allowed two runs on five hits in three innings for the Blue Raiders in his fifth start of the year. Nick Marrs (1-4) picked up the win, tossing 1.1 scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh innings and was the only other pitcher besides Copeland to get more than three outs.

Lipscomb stranded eight runners in the game, but left just two on in one inning. In the fifth Allen Bolden and Caleb Joseph both singled, but Tyler Hyde got the final out of the inning on a groundout by Ryan Wilkins.

Bolden had three hits and Joseph two in the loss for Lipscomb, who lost its fourth straight game overall. Matt Bowling (0-1), the third of five Bisons hurlers, took the loss, giving up seven runs, two earned, on four hits in 1.1 innings.

The Blue Raiders scored twice in the first to take an early lead. Ray led off with a single to center, stole second and scored on Zach Barrett's double to leftcenter. Rawley Bishop also doubled with one out in the inning, this one to rightcenter, plating Barrett for a 2-0 lead.

Lipscomb scored once in the second on three consecutive hits. Casey Bond singled back through the box with one out and stole second. Jared Picchiottino's single through the leftside put runners at the corners before an RBI single to left from Brandon Cadavid. Copeland induced a 1-6-3 doubleplay from Andrew Nickerson to end the inning without any further damage.

The Bisons tied the contest with a run in the third. Bolden singled to leadoff and Shane Simpkins singled with one out. Bolden was aggressive on the base paths, moving to third on the hit, and scored on a sacrifice fly to left from Joseph.

Middle Tennessee took advantage of a throwing error in the fifth to score five runs and retake the lead. Robertson singled through the middle and Ray singled to left. Barrett grounded to third, but Cadavid's throw to second sailed into rightfield, allowing Robertson to come around and score.

Kendrick then singled to right, scoring Ray, and Bishop walked to load the bases. Adam Warren bounced into a fielder's choice, plating Barrett, before a wild pitch from Bowling scored Kendrick. Warren moved to third when the ball got away and scored on another wild pitch for a 7-2 Blue Raider lead.

Box led off the bottom of the sixth with his fourth home run of the season, a towering drive over the wall in left. Matt Campbell then reached on a throwing error by Cadavid and the Blue Raiders took advantage of some wildness from Bowling, who walked Ray and hit Barrett to load the bases.

Reliever Josh Spicer also walked Kendrick, forcing in a run, before working out of the jam with a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning.

Middle Tennessee added two more runs in the eighth, again with the help of a Bisons miscue. Kendrick and Warren both singled and with two outs, Box's grounder to second baseman Nickerson ricocheted into rightfield. Kendrick scored on the play and Warren came around on a single to left from pinch-hitter Justin Jones.

Middle Tennessee heads to Florida International for a three-game series starting Friday at 6 p.m. CT from University Park in Miami.

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