Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee baseball was mercy-ruled by the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Saturday evening and would look to make up for it against Old Dominion the following day. The Blue Raiders got off to a hot start, leading 2-0 early before the Monarchs stormed back offensively while getting 7 2/3 innings of two-run baseball. As the Blue Raiders would drop the final game of a four-team event, 5-3.
After a 1-2-3 first inning from Drew Horn, Brett Vondohlen came to the plate holding a hot bat and would homer to give MTSU the early lead. Tyler Minnick followed up with a hit, then Nathan Brewer singled to right field, but a fielding error allowed Minnick to go from first to home. Extending the Blue Raider lead to 2-0.
Old Dominion got on the board in the second inning with a leadoff single and double to left-center field, which plated the first Monarch of the day.
The bats would be cold the next inning before ODU tied it up in the fourth. Kainen Jorge drew a leadoff walk before Zach Leite singled up the middle to put runners at first and second. The Monarchs would pull a double steal, and a throwing error by MTSU catcher Jaxon Junnila led to the ball going into shallow center field, allowing Jorge to stroll home easily.
Old Dominion got to Horn in the fifth with three of the first four batters hitting singles to score a run and threaten for more. Jorge walked to load the bases, and Horn would be pulled for Ollie Akens after 4 1/3 innings of work, giving up three earned runs and striking out eight.
Akens would give up a single against his first batter faced to score another run but would strike out the next two, ending the frame after ODU stretched the lead 4-2.
Kyle Edwards started the sixth inning with a double in the right-center field gap. He scored after a stolen base attempt to third and a throwing error by Junnila, putting the Monarchs up by three.
While the Blue Raider offense was stagnant, Akens was busy shoving on the mound as he would get out of trouble and strike out four over the next inning and a half. He would punch out seven total batters, a career-high for the junior from Sweetwater, Tennessee.
Eston Snider ripped a one-out double off the left-center field wall to put a runner on for the first time since the fourth. Vondohlen quickly drove him in on a ball down the left field line but would be out trying to stretch it into a double.
MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers would plead his case with the umpires, but it was no good as the call on the field was confirmed. Tyler Minnick would fly out to end the frame.
After allowing a leadoff walk in the ninth and getting his non-pitching hand checked out, Akens would be pulled for Landen Burch, who retired three straight to bring the bats back up.
The Blue Raiders would not go down without a fight as Brewer roped a one-out single. Matt Wolfe popped up, but Brett Rogers reached on an error, and Hayden Miller walked to load the bases with MTSU down by two runs.
Cale Vinson came into the game as a pinch hitter but, with a 1-1 count, would fly out to left field, ending the ballgame as Middle Tennessee lost 5-3 and dropping its second consecutive game.
The Blue Raiders will be back on the diamond this Tuesday against Austin Peay. First pitch from Raymond C. Hand Park is at 4 p.m.
