Baseball 3/1/2024 8:55:00 PM

Aggie baseball tops Western in league opener

Box Score By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
Facing a showdown with Western Oklahoma State College in the baseball conference opener Friday afternoon, the Murray State Aggies exploded for six runs in the first stanza and held on from there for a 9-7 victory at The Ranch.

The Aggies improved to 12-6 on the season while running their winning streak to seven in a row. Western slipped to 11-6 and will be back at The Ranch for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Coach Sam Bjorling's squad looked like it might run away with the series opener, sending nine batters to the plate in the first inning while erupting for six runs.

Gage Gilchrist led off with a walk and rode home on an Austin Haley two-run blast over the centerfield wall. Murray State then capitalized on a Western error, Trace Necessary single, catcher's interference and a pair of sacrifices all ahead of a Jaxon Gless three-run homer to right.

Western got its offense untracked in the second frame, scoring four runs to answer before an Aggie single tally in the third when Andrew Tinsley doubled and rumbled home on a Brennan Morgan RBI single.

A Gilchrist single was the only Murray State hit over the next three stanzas as the Pioneers close to within 7-6 through six innings. Tinsley's two-run homer in the seventh provided some breathing room for the hosts, which is all they would need.

Brody Roe battled through five innings on the mound, scattering five runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks to pick up the pitching victory. Kyndon Lovell added two and one-third solid frames of relief work, yielding a run on two hits, before Nathan Darden slammed the door in the ninth for the save, picking off a Pioneer runner at second base to end the game.

Murray State tallied just seven hits, but three of those went out of the park and another was a double, as Tinsley cashed in two of those and drove in two. Gless had three RBI while Morgan and Haley knocked in a pair apiece.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Jaxon Gless: C/RHP; Sophomore; R/R

#10 Brody Roe: LHP; Sophomore; L/L

#13 Gage Gilchrist: 1B; Sophomore; L/R

#5 Austin Haley: INF/RHP; Freshman; R/R

#20 Andrew Tinsley: OF; Sophomore; R/R

#21 Brennan Morgan: INF; Freshman; R/R

#23 Kyndon Lovell: LHP; Sophomore; L/L

#27 Trace Necessary: CIF; Sophomore; R/R

#29 Nathan Darden: RHP; Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

#6 Jaxon Gless
: Sophomore; R/R
: C/RHP

#10 Brody Roe
: Sophomore; L/L
: LHP

#13 Gage Gilchrist
: Sophomore; L/R
: 1B

#5 Austin Haley
: Freshman; R/R
: INF/RHP

#20 Andrew Tinsley
: Sophomore; R/R
: OF

#21 Brennan Morgan
: Freshman; R/R
: INF

#23 Kyndon Lovell
: Sophomore; L/L
: LHP

#27 Trace Necessary
: Sophomore; R/R
: CIF

#29 Nathan Darden
: Sophomore; R/R
: RHP