The MTSU Blue Raiders had dropped four consecutive games heading into their midweek matchup against the Austin Peay Govs. They needed a bounce-back win with a difficult weekend series coming up against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Middle held a 3-2 lead early, but after a disastrous performance by the bullpen, the Blue Raiders lost 14-10, dropping their fifth consecutive contest.

Eston Snider led off the game with a double down the left field line and would then advance to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Wolfe. Tyler Minnick got behind in the count at 0-2 but contributed with an RBI sacrifice fly to right field to give MTSU its first run of the ballgame. Brett Vondohlen added to that lead with a solo home run deep over the left-field wall, making it 2-0.

The lead wouldn’t last long as Kyler Proctor led off the bottom of the inning before John Bay followed it up with a two-run shot to tie things at two apiece. Austin Peay would put two more runners on via singles, but MTSU starter Cole Torbett settled in and retired the other two batters needed to end the first.

That tie was short-lived as Hayden Miller blasted a solo shot on the first pitch of the third inning to give the Blue Raiders a 3-2 lead. Snider walked on five pitches in the next at-bat, but three consecutive outs would end the frame for the Middle Tennessee bats.

Torbett would be pulled for Matthew Driver in the bottom of the third after going two innings, giving up two runs, four hits, and tossing 38 pitches.

Driver got the first two outs of the frame quickly, but that’s when he got into trouble. Gus Freeman doubled and then scored on a Cole Johnson RBI two-bagger. Ray Velazquez kept it going for the Govs with a two-run bomb way over the left field wall to give Austin Peay its first lead. MTSU finally got out of the inning, but its one-run lead had turned into a 5-3 advantage for APSU.

Clay Badylak reached on an error to begin the top of the fourth, but three consecutive strikeouts from the Blue Raiders would strand him at second base.

Austin Peay loaded the bases at the bottom of the inning after Andres Matias doubled, and a governor was hit by a pitch, leading to MTSU head coach Jerry Meyers pulling Driver for Ollie Akens. He came into the game and immediately hit a batter to load the bases, then gave up a two-run single by Bay.

The Governors tacked on two more via an RBI groundout by Johnson and then a single by Velazquez to put APSU up 10-3.

Austin Peay scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after Proctor flew out but scored a run. Then Bay homered, his second long ball of the game, which scored a pair to put APSU up 13-3. Akens would be pulled for Logan Bingham, who recorded the final out of the frame on just one pitch.

The Blue Raiders would respond immediately with a big inning of their own. Vondohlen reached due to an error before Badylak and Keaton Ray got on base to load them up. Brett Rogers drew a five-pitch walk to score a run, then Kenny McKinley drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.

Snider smacked his second hit of the night, an RBI single to shallow left field, making it 13-6. Wolfe followed that up with a single through the middle of the infield to score Miller, and then Snider, after a throwing error put the ball in the Governor dugout. Tyler Minnick grounded out to end the frame, but the Blue Raiders chipped away at the APSU lead, making it 13-8.

Austin Peay plated another in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to eight runs before MTSU began to get something cooking in the seventh.

Badylak singled before the Govs walked two Blue Raiders to load the bases again. However, Middle Tennessee recorded back-to-back outs to strand an opportunity to get back into the game and keep it at 14-8 Austin Peay.

The Blue Raiders would cut the deficit in the ninth after a two-run homer off the bat of McKinley made it 14-10. But Middle Tennessee couldn’t score anymore, dropping its second game in as many days.

MTSU will be back at it this weekend as they open a three-game set against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. First pitch on Friday is at 6 p.m.