Middle Tennessee to take on Lipscomb on Tuesday

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After falling in back-to-back extra innings games over the weekend, the Middle Tennessee baseball team will look to get back to its winning ways on Tuesday against in-state foe Lipscomb at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

Tuesday will mark the last home game for the Blue Raiders before they set off on a five-game road swing to Louisiana Tech, Belmont and Kentucky. Middle Tennessee will return home again on March 15 and 16 for a pair of games against Southern Illinois.

Under the direction of head coach Steve Peterson, Middle Tennessee has been remarkably successful against Lipscomb, posting a 15-4 record and winning their last nine meetings in Murfreesboro.

The two schools had a pair of very memorable meetings last season, with Middle Tennessee weathering an eight-run bottom of the ninth to win 18-15 in Nashville and the Blue Raiders rallying for five runs in the bottom of the ninth on the way to a 21-20 victory in 12 innings in Murfreesboro.

Middle Tennessee will likely be buoyed by the contributions of seniors Will Skinner and Tyler Acker, who boast of a .467 and a .462 average, respectively. Skinner holds the team lead in hits (14), home runs (4), runs batted in (11), on base percentage (.541) and slugging percentage (.933). Acker is second on the team with 12 hits and has had three three-hit games this year.

Davis Pearce exploded out of the gates in his first two career starts this past weekend, homering and knocking in four runs.

Middle Tennessee and Lipscomb will meet at Reese Smith Jr. Field on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.