The Murray State baseball team squandered a 6-0 lead through six complete innings Tuesday night at Reagan Field as Lindenwood (Ill.) used a seven-run top of the seventh to come from behind and defeat the Racers, 7-6.
Adam Bauer led the Racers (14-10) in the loss with a 3-for-3 night. He also, along with Kipp Moore scored a pair of runs to lead MSU. Bauer also recorded his fourth triple of the season in the contest and now has 13 for his career, one shy of tying Wes Cunningham for first all time in program history.
Bauer was the only Racer to record a multi-hit game as MSU was held to just eight hits on the night, none of which came after the fifth inning. Tyler Lawrence had a pair of sacrifice fly RBIs against the Lynx (16-14) and led the team with those two ribbies.
In fact, four of the Racers’ six runs in the loss came via sacrifice fly. Lawrence and Ryan Perkins both recorded one in the bottom of the first to put MSU on the board early. A ground-rule double from Jack Hranec scored Brandon Gutzler and the Racers led 3-0 after one.
In the second, Bauer made it 4-0 with an RBI single through the right side and two batters later, Lawrence flew out to right field to score Moore. After a scoreless third, Gutzler brought home Bauer with a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the fourth and it was 6-0 MSU.
LU recorded five hits and drew three walks in its seven-run seventh inning as they came all the way back to win.
MSU used a pitcher by committee in the game was John Lollar got the start and pitched the first two innings and struck-out two. Blake Clynes, Chad Gendron, Tyler Horsley, Trevor McMurray and Alec Whaley all pitched an inning each of scoreless relief. Derrik Watson took the loss as he gave up the final earned run of the game to break the 6-6 tie. Watson allowed four hits in 1.2 innings of work and struck-out four batters.
The Racers return to action this weekend as they host Jacksonville State in a three-game OVC series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
