Scott shines, hitters deliver as Blue Raiders claim 10-4 win

MIAMI - Matt Scott continued his dominance as a starting pitcher in the Middle Tennessee rotation, hurling eight dynamite innings to help lead the Blue Raiders to a 10-4 win in the first game of a pivotal Sun Belt Conference series against Florida International at University Park Friday night.

Scott scattered eight hits in his eight-inning stint, struck out four and didn't walk a batter to improve to 7-1 this season and 20-3 overall in his Blue Raider career. The junior right-hander surrendered four runs to the Golden Panthers in the first two innings and then settled into cruise control as he retired 17 of the next 18 over the next six frames to earn the win. Tommy Sterritt came on to close the game in the ninth.

"It was a great performance by Matt Scott, especially after those first two innings," Middle Tennessee skipper Steve Peterson said. "He had control of his pitches and really dominated through the middle and late innings. We did a good job at the plate and the guys did a good job of battling back to pick up a big first win of the series."

While Scott was dominant on the mound, Middle Tennessee also had several offensive heroes in the triumph, including five players with multi-hit games. Todd Martin continued to be a power source with his team-leading 12th home run of the season, while Marcus Taylor connected for his seventh circuit clout.

Junior catcher Michael McKenry continued his outstanding season with a 3-for-5 performance, driving in three runs. Martin, Taylor, Jeff Beachum and Nathan Hines each had two hits.

Middle Tennessee (23-17, 8-7 SBC) scored in the top of the first, only to see Florida International (28-19, 7-9) come back with one in the bottom of the inning and then strike for three in the bottom of the second to stake claim to a 4-1 advantage.

The Blue Raiders started their comeback with a two-run third to pull to within 4-3. McKenry drove in his second run of the game with an RBI single and scored on Martin's RBI double to narrow the margin. Middle Tennessee took the lead for good in the fifth inning when they sent nine to the plate and scored three runs to take a 6-4 lead.

Middle Tennessee added four insurance runs in the ninth when Martin and Taylor delivered home runs. Josh Horn added an RBI triple and Beachum supplied a sac fly.

The Blue Raiders go for the series win Saturday when Tyler Copeland takes the mound. First pitch is set for noon.

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