MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee led 5-4 at the top of the ninth but a defensive breakdown allowed UL-Monroe to take an 8-5 win on Saturday night.
ULM (7-6, 1-1) tied the game for the second straight night in the top of the ninth. Shane Ardoin scored from second after an error by junior Justin Miller on a groundball hit by Caleb Clowers knotting the score at 5. Two more errors by Miller allowed three runs to score for the Warhawks as they took an 8-5 lead.
"You have to go out and get that 27th out which is very hard to do. I don't feel sorry for anybody. This is the way the game is and you find out things about yourself and your teammates. We are finding out we have to be a much mentally tougher team because being physically gifted is not the answer. Monroe had us the whole game and we were opportunistic when we got ourselves where we could have won it but we didn't," head coach Steve Peterson said.
Senior Justin Jones' pinch hit three-run home run tied the game at four and then junior Bryce Brentz hit a home run to right field to give the Blue Raiders (9-5, 1-1) the one run lead. Brentz's home run broke the all-time home run record at Middle Tennessee and he now has 52 in his career.
Sophomore Justin Guidry was the standout on the team in the game as he worked six innings on the mound and accounted for two runs. Guidry entered the game in the third inning and allowed just one run on three hits with four strikeouts in the outing. The Mount Juliet native also provided assistance to the offense going 2 for 3 at the plate with a home run, double, one RBI and scored two runs.
"I thought from the get go Monroe had us in check. They got their runs early and then Justin Guidry pretty much shut them down. Their guy shut us down and didn't really give us a chance then he made a couple of mistakes and Justin Jones did what is the hardest thing to do in baseball, came off the bench and hit a home run," Peterson said. "Congratulations to Bryce. He set the career home run record and put us ahead. They have just dominated us pitching wise so the series is right where it ought to be at 1-1."
The Blue Raiders had six hits on the day four of which were for extra bases. Jones and Brentz each posted a hit while senior Drew Robertson and junior Will Skinner also posted a hit in the game.
The Warhawks ended the game with 10 hits while their pitching staff shut down the Blue Raiders most of the night recording 13 strikeouts.
Trailing 2-0, Guidry hit a solo shot to right field putting the first run and hit on the board to lead off the second inning for Blue Raiders.
ULM added two more runs in the third to take a three-run lead, 4-1.
To begin the seventh, Guidry walked and then senior Stuart Meinhart pinch hitting for Acker also received a base on balls putting runners at first and second. Jones, pinch hitting for freshman Ryan Ford, stepped to the plate and with a 2-0 count, hit a three-run home run to right field tying the game at 4.
Brentz set the career home run record with his solo shot to right field with one out in the eighth to give Middle Tennessee a 5-4 lead.
Middle Tennessee will play the rubber game of the series with ULM on Sunday, March 14 at 1 p.m.
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