With five conference games remaining this season, Middle Tennessee was two games out of making the 2025 CUSA Tournament. They outdueled the Sam Houston Bearkats on Friday night but had a chance to take the series and make up some ground when the two met on Saturday. Things were tight late into the ballgame. But MTSU scored eight runs from the sixth through the eighth, which was enough to propel the Blue Raiders to an 11-6 victory, their first CUSA series win of 2025.
After Colin Kerrigan tossed a scoreless frame to begin the game, the Blue Raider bats were due up. Eston Snider led off the bottom of the inning with an infield single. He would not have to stay on first base very long, as two batters later, Tyler Minnick launched a two-run shot over the left field wall to give the Blue Raiders the early lead.
Brett Vondohlen struck out, but Clay Badylak extended the inning with a double to left-center field. Matt Wolfe drew a six-pitch walk to put runners at the corners and a chance to add more to its lead. Keaton Ray would ground softly through the middle of the infield, but the Sam Houston defense had enough time to tag second base for the force out to end the inning.
A pitch hit Hayden Miller to begin the bottom of the second inning before advancing to second base on a Cooper Clapp bunt and throwing error to second. Brett Rogers was beamed by a ball two batters later to load the bases with one out, and Minnick due up. The big backstop grounded up the middle where the Bearkat defense stepped on second and tried to turn the double play, but Minnick legged it out at first base to score a run and keep the inning alive.
Kerrigan surrendered a leadoff walk, then an infield single two batters later to start the top of the third. Wolfe was shaken up on the single while trying to field it, so he would get checked out and eventually leave the game. Hunter Autrey drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Jace Martinez put a good swing into one and sent it to the warning track, but it was caught. That deep flyout was still deep enough to score Sam Houston’s first run of the game.
Ryan Franden came up next and laced a two-run double to left-center field to tie things at three apiece. Kerrigan would eventually get out of the frame, but a 3-0 MTSU lead was no more.
After that, Kerrigan would be pulled for Ethan Imbimbo after three innings, allowing five hits, three runs, and striking out a trio of Bearkats.
Imbimbo posted a scoreless top of the fourth, but that was not replicated in the fifth. He gave up a solo blast to Autrey in the top of the inning to give Sam Houston its first lead of the afternoon. After allowing two more Bearkats to reach, he was pulled for Cole Torbett, who got the third out of the frame on one pitch.
Things looked bleak for the Blue Raider bats. They had just gone 1-2-3 in consecutive innings and recorded two outs to begin the bottom of the sixth, but that’s when things would do a 180. Snider walked, followed by Rogers smacking a single into left field to put runners at the corners. Minnick came up clutch again with an RBI single into left field, his fourth of the game.
Vondohlen broke his 0-for-3 skid with another RBI base knock to score Rogers and give Middle Tennessee the lead. Badylak added onto it with his infield single that plated the third run of the inning, all with two outs. Cale Vinson flew out to end the threat, but the Blue Raiders had taken a 6-4 advantage.
The Bearkat offense got to work quickly after Autrey and Franden strung together singles to begin the top of the seventh. Sam Lee flew out to deep center field, but Autrey scored easily from third base to cut the Blue Raider lead to a single run. Torbett rebounded nicely by forcing a groundout of Parker Blackman to end the frame.
Keaton Ray and Miller recorded outs to begin the bottom of the seventh before Clapp walked to extend the inning for Snider. Like the previous inning, the Blue Raiders did severe damage with two outs. This time, it was a two-run shot off the bat of Snider to add insurance and put Middle up 8-5.
Things got interesting in the eighth when Sam Houston put two runners on with one out. Torbett would be pulled for Bryant Beranek, who walked his second batter faced to load the bases with two outs. However, he was able to force a pop-up to end the frame and keep the Bearkats from tying things up.
Minnick mashed a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning, followed by a Vondohlen single to put runners at first and third with no outs. Badylak singled up the middle to score Minnick and go up by four runs. Ray came up two batters later and collected his first hit of the game, a two-run double, which extended the Blue Raider lead to 11-5. Back-to-back strikeouts would end the inning, but Middle Tennessee had all but ended the Saturday contest.
Beranek came back out for the ninth to get three outs, which would give MTSU its first CUSA series win of the season. After surrendering a leadoff walk, the junior recorded consecutive outs to bring SHSU to its final chance. Grant Nottleman doubled down the line to score a run, followed by an Easton Dean walk. Beranek settled in and struck out Brady Christensen to lock down MTSU’s first CUSA series victory of 2025.
The Blue Raiders return to the diamond on Sunday with a chance to sweep the series. First pitch is at 1 p.m., and it will be Middle Tennessee’s Senior Day.
