After hitting just one home run in the tournament, the Blue Raiders ended their dry spell recording four home runs on Friday night against the Cajuns. Middle Tennessee also set the doubles record for the tournament with 20 after notching six in the game with the Ragin' Cajuns.

Senior Nathan Hines set the doubles single-season and career records in the game after recording three doubles while going 4 for 6 with a home run, four RBI and scored two runs.

"All year we have tried to have big innings and sometimes their really big. Nobody would have known that we were going to get eight runs in one inning and we didn't know it was going to be that big," Hines said.

Middle Tennessee broke the game open scoring eight runs in the seventh inning and never looked back.

Senior Rawley Bishop also added assistance with three hits, a double and scored three runs. Middle Tennessee had 17 hits on the day with 11 of those being for extra bases.

"We can really hit. We have proven that to everybody we've played and everyone in Division I college baseball and I mean it, we can hit," head coach Steve Peterson said.

Junior Coty Woods picked up the win as the Blue Raiders took the lead after he entered the game and he worked 1.1 innings allowing just one hit in the outing.

Junior Tyler Hyde closed the game out working two innings allowing no hits or runs.

Hines doubled down the right field line in the first to tie the career and single-season doubles records.

UL-Lafayette put runs on the board first scoring four runs on five hits in the bottom of the second.

Brentz cut the UL-Lafayette lead to two runs with his two-run shot to left field. It was his first home run of the tournament and the first home run given up by Cook.

Dean hit a solo home run to right field to begin the fifth inning and put Middle Tennessee within one run.

The Ragin' Cajuns answered with a two-run shot to centerfield by Hawkins in the bottom of the fifth. Then Olasin hit a triple to centerfield driving in another run to extend its lead to four runs, 7-3.

Hines hit a solo shot to right field in the top of the sixth to cut the UL-Lafayette lead to three runs. With two outs the Blue Raiders scored three more runs in the inning on three hits to knot the score at 7.

UL-Lafayette's Fontenot hit a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the inning to break the tie and get back on top by one.

Hines broke the single-season and career doubles record with his RBI double to deep left field in the seventh to tie the game at 8. Then with runners at first and second McDade doubled to left field to hand Middle Tennessee the 10-8 lead. McDade scored from third on a wild pitch, reaching third on a double by Meinhart, to add another run. Middle Tennessee jumped ahead 15-8 after scoring eight runs on seven hits in the seventh.

Darlington hit a solo shot in the eighth to put the Blue Raiders up by eight runs. Then Dennis scored on a passed ball making it 17-8.

Middle Tennessee will face the Ragin' Cajuns again on Saturday, May 23 in a bracket final. If Western Kentucky defeats UL-Monroe in the late game on Friday the Blue Raiders would play at 10 a.m. but with a ULM win the game would start at 9 a.m.

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