April 15, 2008

Box Score

MURRAY, Ky. --

Memphis 17, Murray State 14

Memphis (14-21)       053 140 202 - 17 18 1
Murray State (12-18)  313 100 105 - 14 18 3

Memphis put up its most productive offense performance, pounding out a season-high 18 hits en route to 17-14 win in a non-conference slugfest versus Murray State on Tuesday afternoon. Senior catcher Alex Fennell led the Tigers with a career-best 4-for-6 day with a run and two RBI.

The contest showcased 31 runs on 36 hits. Trailing 17-9 in the bottom of the ninth, Murray staged a furious rally, scoring five runs for the 17-14 final.

Memphis's 17 runs scored are second only to the run production in the 18-9 route of Samford back on March 18. Including Fennell, five Tiger hitters had multiple hit outings. Brett Bowen was 3-for-6 and fell just a triple shy of the cycle. The junior homered in the fourth, doubled in the seventh and singled in the eight. Tyler Huelsing was perfect in three official trips to the plate. He added three runs and three walks.

Murray got out of the gates quickly, falling a home run shy of the cycle in the first three at-bats in the bottom half of the first inning. Kyle Tiernan jumpstart the Murray offense with a single to left centerfield and Zach Noonan followed with an RBI-double to the left-centerfield gap to get the `Breds on the board, 1-0. In the next at-bat, Wes Cunningham banged a triple to the right-centerfield gap made it 2-0. Cunningham came in on an RBI-single by Chris Craycraft.

The Tigers took a 5-3 lead with five scores on just one hit in the second inning. Memphis took advantage of five free passes, including working Murray State starter Jake Donze for four walks. Robby Graham was hit by a pitch to lead the inning off and Trey Wiedman, Huelsing and Eric Farrell were all walked in consecutive plate appearances. Farrell's walk came with the bases jammed and provided Memphis with its first run of the day. The Tigers were not done, as former Southaven High School teammates Fennell and K.K. Chalmers produced runs in the next two at-bats. Fennell knocked a looping line drive into centerfield to plate Wiedman, and Chalmers fielder's choice groundball brought Huelsing in to give the Tigers their first lead of the game, 4-3. A wild pitch by Donze allowed Farrell to score. Donze was lifted from the contest in the second, despite giving up no hits. However, the lefty walked four and allowed four runs in one inning.

Evan Pettit and the Thoroughbreds kept the scoring going when he led off the bottom of the second with a double. A sacrifice bunt by Blake Helm moved him to third and a sac fly by Tiernan scored him to make it a 5-4 ballgame.

But again, Memphis came back with the answer-back frame, plating three more runs in the top of the third to extend its lead to 8-4. Graham, who led off the second, led off the third with a single to centerfield. Huelsing then lined a single to right. Graham slid safely ahead of the throw to third, allowing Huelsing to advance to second. The Tigers two-out bats then came alive with Fennell, who produced his second hit in as many at-bats. This time the senior catcher launched an RBI-double to the gap in left-centerfield, driving both Graham and Huelsing to the plate. Chalmers made it back-to-back doubles, with a run-scoring two-bagger down the rightfield line.

In keeping with the flow of the game, Murray State came back with three runs in the third to keep within striking distance. Tyler Owen and Craycraft both singled to set up a two-run triple by Matt Hon. Hon accounted for all three runs after he came in on a single by Pettit.

Both teams crossed single runs in the fourth. Bowen hit his team-tying fifth home run of the year to help the Tiger regain a two-run cushion at 9-7. But a two-out RBI-double by Elliot Frey cut the Memphis lead back to one run.

The Tiger offense then struck for four runs on six hits in the fifth inning to take a commanding, 13-8 advantage. Fennell made it 3-for-3 with a single to rightcenter. Consecutive bunt singles by Chalmers and Zurcher loaded the sacks. After a fielder's choice groundball forced Fennell out at the plate, Cole Shelton lined a single off the glove of Thoroughbred third baseman, Tyler Owen. Chalmers came home on the infield single. Consecutive base knocks Wiedman and Huelsing put the Tigers ahead by five runs.

Memphis put the contest away with a pair of runs in the seventh. Bowen, who finished the day with three hits, led the stanza off with a double and Wiedman traded places with him on a double to left. Wiedman came around to score the game's only unearned tally, when Craycraft fielded a groundball by Farrell at first, but his toss to first went wide for a 15-8 Tiger lead.

Andrew Haley was the winning pitcher. The southpaw claimed his first collegiate win after tossing four innings and giving up two runs on three hits.

Memphis will make a return trip Jackson, Tenn. for a tilt versus UT-Martin on Wed., April 16. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. at Pringles Park. Listen to "The Voice" of Tiger Baseball, Jeff Brightwell as he brings live play-by-play action on 91.7FM. The pre-game show for the contest will begin at 5:50 p.m.