Murray State blasted five home runs and collected a season-high 20 hits on its way to a 13-7 victory Saturday over Eastern Illinois at Reagan Field. The five homers is one shy of tying for the program record of six. EIU (9-13, 1-4 OVC) jumped out to an early lead Saturday, scoring three unearned runs in the top of the first inning. In the bottom half of the first, Davis Sims got the Racers (13-11, 4-4 OVC) on the board with a single through the left side that scored Gavin Wehby and cut the deficit to 3-1.
In the second, the Panthers would get the run back to go up 4-1 but the bottom of the second was when the MSU homer barrage hit. Mike Farnell got the Racers going with a solo shot to right field to make it 4-2, two batters later, another solo homer, this one from Ryan Perkins made it 4-3 in favor of EIU.
In the fourth, Jaron Robinson gave the Racers their first lead of the game and they wouldn’t look back as his two-run shot to left center put MSU out front 5-4. Later in the inning, Ramsey Scott hit a three-run blast, his team-leading sixth of the season to push the Racers out in front 8-4.
After EIU got a two-run homer of its own in the fifth, Robinson again hit a two-run shot, this one that just went over the left field wall and MSU was back up four runs, 10-6. Then in the sixth, MSU got a three-run inning as Farnell and Caleb Hicks each got RBI singles up the middle. Robinson grounded into a fielder’s choice later in the inning that scored Farnell and made it 13-6 Racers.
Grant Wood led seven Racers with multiple hits in the win as he went 4-for-5 from the dish with a run scored. Sims and Wehby were both 3-for-5 on the day while Perkins was 2-of-3 with three runs scored. Robinson also went 2-of-3 and led MSU with five RBIs. Farnell and Hicks also had two-hit days in the victory.
Trevor McMurray was solid out of the bullpen as he picked up his third win on the season. McMurray pitched the final 5.1 innings in relief of starter Blake Clynes. McMurray allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out four. Clynes pitched 3.2 innings and allowed four runs, just one of which was earned.
(Courtesy MSU Athletics)