Middle Tennessee opened its baseball series against Western Kentucky with a 7-1 victory, according to a May 1 announcement. Blue Raider starter David Horn Jr. delivered six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out seven batters.
The game began with Middle Tennessee’s first seven hitters reaching base, resulting in three runs in the opening inning. Owen Nowak extended his hitting streak to ten games with a leadoff single, while Tyler Minnick reached base for the thirty-sixth consecutive game after being hit by a pitch. Cooper Clapp and Nathan Brewer contributed RBI singles during the first inning.
Nathan Brewer finished the night going three-for-five at the plate with three RBIs. “I think (playing well tonight) means a ton,” Brewer said. “Especially for me since I didn’t get to play against (WKU) last year in the series at their place. It’s just huge getting a win at home against a rival like them… I didn’t hit the ball hard today, but I got lucky putting it in play and things worked out for me.” Layne Akers also recorded three hits and stole a base.
Horn Jr., who threw 113 pitches over six innings, reflected on his performance: “(Being the Friday starter) has been a lot of fun,” Horn Jr. said. “This is my fourth year in college baseball and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been waiting for an opportunity to pitch on Friday nights… The preparation started in the winter after not throwing this fall… Got myself into a good throwing routine and bullpen routine, and I think that’s why I have felt so comfortable getting later into games.” Relievers John Michael Pickens and Bryant Beranek allowed just one run over the final three innings.
Head Coach Jerry Meyers commented on his team’s approach: “I liked the heartbeat today,” said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jerry Meyers. “It was intense, but we didn’t speed it up too much… He battled and won some of those extended at-bats… It’s big to get the first one, but I told the (team) you got about 30 minutes to feel good about this one because we still have a lot of work to do.”
Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
