April 4, 2004

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-The Blue Raiders put up eight runs in the first which proved to be an ample lead as the Cajuns leave Tennessee winning two out of three in the series against MTSU. The Cajuns move to 18-9 overall with the loss and drop to 4-2 in conference play.

Middle Tennessee jumped ahead in the bottom of the first when Eric McNamee singled to the right side off of Cajuns starter Josh Kohrs before Chuck Akers walked. Derek Phillips bunted both runners over with a sacrifice before Shane Kemp walked on a full count. McNamee scored on a Brett Carroll flare that fell for a single to left. Nate Jaggers and Jeff Beachum each singled in a run to put the Blue Raiders on ahead by three. Michael McKenry hit a grand slam to clear the bases putting the Raiders on top 7-0.

Brandt Sanders came in to pitch in relief of Kohrs with one out in the inning.

Middle Tennessee added one more in the inning after Chase Eakes walked to bring up McNamee in the top of the lineup. Eakes advanced to second on a groundout to third before scoring on an Akers single to center.

Josh Kohrs(3-1) accepted the loss throwing only one-thirds of an inning giving up seven runs on seven hits.

BJ Church got the win throwing five-and-two-thirds innings giving up three runs on three hits while fanning ten.

Church retired the Cajuns in order in the top of the second.

Kevin Preau chopped a single up the middle with two outs for the Cajuns in the top of the third. Preau went to second when Church hit Merendino with his first offering. Josh Landry reached on a fielding error to load the bases, but the Cajuns would leave the bases full as Church recorded his third strikeout in the inning.

Church retired the Cajuns in the fourth and fifth without allowing a hit.

The Cajuns got on the board in the top of the sixth when Brad Saloom hustled out a wild pitch after swinging at strike three to reach first and reached third on Landry’s double to the wall in right-center. Justin Bourque singled to left scoring Saloom and Landry. Bourque advanced to second on an errant throw before Raiders reliever Chase Swing issued a free pass to Leonard Guerrero. Ryan Core drove in the third run of the inning with a double off the outfield wall in left that left runners on second and third. Micah Cockrell doubled down the third base line to drive in the two chasing Swing in favor of Steve Kline who got the last out of the inning for Middle.

Jered Salazar came in to work in the bottom of the sixth for the Cajuns
striking out two and getting a ground ball out to retire the heart of the
Raiders’ lineup.

The Cajuns got one more in the top of the seventh. Saloom started the inning with a hotshot single up the middle before Landry singled to right-center putting the runners on first and second. Rhett Buras walked to load the bases. A fielder’s choice gave Bourque an RBI pulling the Cajuns to within two.

McNamee punched a single through the left side for Middle Tennessee before Akers bunted for a single to put runners on first and second. A fielder’s choice put runners on the corners. Kemp hit a sacrifice fly to left as McNamee trotted home giving the Blue Raiders a 9-6 lead.

The Cajuns will head home today and prepare for a four game homestand starting with a Wednesday night showdown with the Demons of Northwestern State at the “Tigue