Life in the Valley

Racers Capture Game 4 at MVC Championship in 11 innings

Much of the day at the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament Wednesday featured offense and drama. Those factors combined in the 11th inning of the nightcap, as Jonathan Hogart’s sac fly scored Gunnar Bingham with the winning run in Murray State’s 15-14 victory over Belmont.

Charlie Jury started the inning with a double down the left-field line. Replaced by pinch-runner Gunnar Bingham, Jury retreated the dugout with the Racers’ 5th double of the game. Bingham moved to third on a ground out from Connor Cunningham. Jonathan Hogart followed with a fly ball to center, deep enough to score Bingham and give Murray State a well-earned victory. Hogart, who also homered, finished with 2 runs and 3 RBIs.

It didn’t look like there’d be need for such dramatics early, as Murray State (36-13) scored 4 runs in the 1st inning and 5 more in the 2nd to take a 9-4 lead. And with Issac Silva on the mound, the Racers had to feel good about their position.

Until the 4th inning, anyway. Then, the Bruins (25-33) responded with 9 runs of their own to take a 13-9 lead. Mike Sprockett’s 3-run homer was the big blow in the inning, but Pete Daniel contributed a 2-run. single, and Landon Godsey, Charlie Davis (3-for-7, 2 R, 2 RBIs), and Ty Allen all had run-scoring hits. Daniel was stellar in defeat, going 4-for-7 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs. Sprockett also doubled in the game and finished with 4 RBIs.

The Racers got 2 back in the 6th on Will Vierling’s 2-run double that scored Dom Decker (3-for-5, 3 runs) and Carson Garner. After Sprockett’s RBI double made it 14-11 at the 7th-Inning Stretch, Garner played hero, mashing a 3-run homer to left-center that scored Hogart and Cunningham and tied the game.

With all the looks of the preceding game Wednesday, a 19-17 UIC victory over Southern Illinois, it didn’t figure to stay 14-14 very long. But the pitchers had other ideas. After allowing the homer, Belmont’s Ethan Harden settled in, retiring the side in order in the 8th and working around a walk to Garner (one of 4 free passes he drew) in the 9th to keep the Racers at bay. Logan Brock came on in the 10th and worked a 1-2-3 inning, sending a difficult part of the Murray State order (Luke Mistone, Vierling, and Dan Tauken) down in order.

But with Belmont at the plate, life wasn’t any easier for the hitters. Murray State’s Graham Kelham starred during 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing just 1 hit and 0 runs, with 0 walks and 6 strikeouts. He got 11 outs on just 46 pitches, a meager 4.18 pitches per out. Kelham struck out 2 batters in each of the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings, and got out of trouble in the 11th after Daniel doubled with 2 outs. Kelham got Davis to fly to right for the final out.

Jacob Hustedde before him had also gone 3 2/3 innings, giving up just 1 run on 2 hits with 3 strikeouts. Racer pitchers fanned 14 Bruin batters, with the bullpen throwing 7 2/3 innings total. And they did it without using standout Dylan Zentko, which will be a key factor for Murray State’s success going forward, given he’s averaged 2.56 innings per appearance this season – all in relief.

Each team doubled 5 times. Belmont outhit Murray State, 16-13 and the game featured 16 total walks.

Belmont will be in action Thursday, playing the loser of the first game of the day between #2 Missouri State and 5th-seeded Illinois State. That was the scheduled nightcap Wednesday, but was moved to this morning due to the length of the Belmont-Murray State game.

The Racers already know their next opponent. Murray State will take on Southern Illinois in today’s finale, slated for a 7 p.m. Central start. SIU must win to stay alive.

UIC, which beat SIU on Wednesday despite 10 Saluki homers, will play the opener Friday against the Missouri State-Illinois State winner.

Ed Morgans is the founder of MVCBaseball.com. An Evansville graduate, Ed has written about and broadcast college baseball, while following the sport for 40 years.