Baseball Takes Series Opener Over Tennessee Southern 6-5

PULASKI, Tenn. - The Lindsey Wilson baseball team opened a Mid-South Conference series Saturday with a 6-5 victory over Tennessee Southern.

Sam Gage led the Blue Raider (14-10, 6-6 MSC) offense going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Chance Stayton also recorded two hits in the victory and drove in a run while Matthew Schultz had an RBI.

Cohen Achen got the win for Lindsey Wilson pitching 6-2/3 innings while giving up eight hits, two runs and issuing four walks. Achen recorded double-digit strikeouts for a second-consecutive start with 10. Glenn Simes pitched 1-1/3 innings allowing one run on three hits. Mitchell Buchanan threw 2/3 of an inning giving up two runs and three hits. Cade Duncan earned the save recording the final out.

The Blue Raiders struck first in the first inning. Thorne Gray reached on a leadoff walk and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Stayton drove in Gray with a single into center field to give Lindsey Wilson a 1-0 lead. Tennessee Southern started the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles. Following a stolen base, the Firehawks tied the game on a Michael Wurtz RBI.

Back-to-back singles to begin the top of the second put runners on first and third. Lindsey Wilson retook the lead on a Schultz RBI single. Gage then double to right field to score two to increase the Blue Raiders lead to 4-1. Achen struck out the side in the bottom of the second inning.

Lindsey Wilson added a run in the sixth inning. The Blue Raiders scored on a two-out error by the Firehawks to increase their lead to 5-1. Tennessee Southern got a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh. The Firehawks then cut the lead to 5-2 on an RBI-double from Noah Junker.  

Ty Garrett hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 5-3. Gage gave the Blue Raiders an insurance run in the ninth with a solo home run making it 6-3. Tennessee Southern didn't go away as they put together a rally in the bottom of the ninth. Back-to-back one-out doubles made it 6-4. The Firehawks made it a 6-5 game with a two-out RBI-single. Both the tying run and winning run were on base after a hit by pitch. Duncan secured the Lindsey Wilson victory striking out the final Tennessee Southern batter.

The Blue Raiders are back in action on Sunday against the Firehawks with a doubleheader beginning at Noon CT.