Blue Raiders sweep UALR with two wins Sunday

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Senior Blake McDade hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth after a 15-minute rain delay to hand the Blue Raiders a 12-9 win and series sweep over UALR. Middle Tennessee won the first game of the doubleheader 10-8.

McDade drove in seven runs with two home runs in the win and ended the day 6 for 9 with eight RBI.

"I felt like they weren't going to give him anything to pull. I said you are probably going to have to go the other way and take a sac fly or something like that and try to drive the ball into the outfield. They gave him to pull and he made it big for us. It was a clutch hit and he had two out today," head coach Steve Peterson said.

Middle Tennessee had 27 hits on the day with four home runs, a triple and a double. In the first game of the doubleheader, Middle Tennessee used 15 hits, just one for extra bases, to propel it to the win led by junior Justin Jones. Jones ended the game 3 for 4 with four RBI.

Junior Tyler Burnett ended the second game 3 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and scored two runs. Burnett went 5 for 10 on the day scoring four runs and driving in another four. Sophomore Justin Guidry also performed well going 3 for 5 with one RBI and scored a run.

Guidry entered the second game in relief working 4.2 innings allowing two runs on four hits as he improved to 2-0.

Junior Hunter Dawson picked up his fourth win of the season after allowing no runs or hits in 1.2 innings of work in the first game of the doubleheader. Palo worked two innings allowing no runs or hits as he earned the second save of his career.

"Anytime we win two games in one day it is great for the bullpen. In the first game, Dawson got the win but they hit him pretty hard. I thought Palo did a very good job and looked very confident and mature out there," Peterson said. "Justin, obviously was well rested, I knew I could get a lot out of him but then I had to go to him in the fourth. He went through the line-up three full times and that is a lot for a reliever. The way they swung the bat against Kenny Roberts I felt like the left-handers were going to get used. Justin just kept getting outs." <

P> It is the first Sun Belt sweep by the Blue Raiders this season and helps them stay atop the Sun Belt standings in a three-way tie for second with Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic at the end of play Sunday. Middle Tennessee holds the tie-breaker over both of those teams.

"To win a championship you have to win a lot of series and try to stay away from getting swept but you have to sweep someone. You have to win the games you are supposed to win so this was a huge weekend. Anytime you win three in a row especially in your conference it's a big deal. It is a mental thing and it's easy for the team to think the opponent is going to roll over, which their not and the opponent is tired of losing," Peterson said.

"For the first time my team showed that they know how to win all through the weekend. We didn't play all that great with pitching and defense. Friday night I thought we played a pretty solid ballgame but today was kind of rag-tag. We didn't play good defense, didn't support Chad Edwards but we did what we had to do and that was swing the bats and take advantage of their mistakes."

Middle Tennessee will have the week off to prepare for UL-Lafayette. The Blue Raiders will play the Ragin' Cajuns next weekend in a three-game series in Lafayette, La.

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