Blue Raiders Fall, 4-2

TROY, Ala. - Troy scored three times in the first and starter Clegg Snipes made it stand up, working seven innings in a 4-2 victory over Middle Tennessee Thursday night at Riddle-Pace Field.

Snipes (7-0) allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts in his seven innings of work. The Blue Raiders (27-22, 10-11 Sun Belt) had just one hit in his final four innings of work and no one reached scoring position.

Josh Dew got the final six outs of the contest for his fourth save, striking out four and giving up just one hit.

Middle Tennessee scored twice in the first, but Troy came back with three in its half of the inning, the first on a throwing error and the final two on groundouts from Dew and Cliff Robinson.

The Trojans (39-14, 18-4) plated an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single from Tom King.

Todd Martin was 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Blue Raiders, accounting for almost half of the team's seven hits in the contest.

Middle Tennessee starter Matt Scott (7-3) gave up four runs, two earned, to take the loss in seven innings of work, walking two and striking out six.

"I just through their pitcher was better than our hitters," head coach Steve Peterson said. "We ran into an outstanding performance. We weren't getting pitches to hit and were having to hit some special pitches."

The Blue Raiders scored quickly, with Jeff Beachum doubling off the wall in leftcenter on the first pitch of the game. Snipes then threw two straight wild pitches, allowing Beachum to score. Wayne Kendrick doubled later in the inning and scored on Martin's two-out double down the leftfield line for an early 2-0 lead.

But the Trojans came right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning, beginning with back-to-back singles from Ian Craze and King. Jared Keel put down a sacrifice bunt, but Scott's throw was low and got away, allowing Craze to score. Groundouts from Dew and Robinson plated runs for a 3-2 Troy advantage.

The Blue Raiders had a chance to tie the contest in the third when Nathan Hines and Michael McKenry both singled, but Martin grounded out to end the inning.

The Trojans did not manage another hit against Scott until a leadoff single from Bryan Madril to start the fifth.

Robinson singled to leadoff the sixth, but Edgar Ramirez's sharp grounder up the middle was stopped by a diving Kendrick, who backhanded a flip to Beachum to start a 4-6-3 doubleplay. Blake Green then ripped a grounder to Josh Horn at third, who backhanded the ball, spun around and made the throw to first, ending the inning with a second spectacular defensive play by the Blue Raiders.

The Trojans added an insurance run in the seventh after a one-out double from Madril. King blooped a single into short rightfield with two outs, plating pinch-runner Dru Rymer for a 4-2 Troy lead.

Robinson tripled to leftcenter with one out in the eighth against Middle Tennessee's Jeff Kasser. Ramirez was then intentionally walked, but Kasser worked out of the jam, getting Green to popout and striking out Beau Brooks.

The two teams play again Friday at 6 p.m. and conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES
Jeff Beachum played in his 219th career game, tying Darryl Steakley for fourth place on the all-time list ... Jeff Beachum's leadoff double in the first extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The double moved the senior into seventh place on the Sun Belt all-time list in two-baggers with 55 ... Wayne Kendrick's double in the first extended his hitting streak to eight games ... Todd Martin's double in the first extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games. It is the longest hitting streak by a Blue Raider in at least 10 years ... Michael McKenry struck out twice in the contest, only the third time he has gone done twice in a game via the strikeout and the first time since March 17 at Birmingham Southern, a span of 34 games.

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