Baseball 3/29/2025 10:55:00 PM

Aggies claim series with sweep of Pioneers

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
ALTUS, Okla. – Big offensive production carried Murray State in the opener and they road a pitching gem in the nightcap for a vital conference baseball sweep of Western State College on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Aggies were 8-6 victors in the first game behind two home runs and six RBI from sophomore Austin Haley. Carson Culbreath then no hit the Pioneers for seven frames in the second game for a 6-1 triumph in his best mound performance of the year.

Murray State improved to 21-13 overall and 5-3 in league play with Western dipping to 19-12 and 3-5. The Aggies' next action is slated for Thursday when they continue conference play on the road at Carl Albert State College in Poteau for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.

After spotting the Pioneers a 1-0 edge in the opener, the Aggies responded by tying the score without the aid of a hit in the third inning and then erupted for four runs in the next frame when Haley belted a grand slam over the centerfield wall.

The Aggies tallied another run on a Junho Son RBI single in the fifth but it wasn't until the seventh inning when Murray State took the lead for good on a two-out, two-run blast from Haley.

Three of the team's nine hits came from Haley while Brennan Morgan also contributed a pair of doubles. Michael Barham added two with one each from Son and Kaden Monkerud

Haley tossed frames in the pitching start but didn't figure in the decision as Jakob Holzer picked up the mound victory with two scoreless frames of one-hit relief in which he fanned three batters.

Culbreath was lights out in baffling the Western bats for seven brilliant innings with seven strikeouts and four walks in a 104-pitch effort. Ty Frakes with two stanzas, yielding one run on one hit with a pair of strikeouts and one walk.

A three-run second inning uprising proved to be all the scoring the Aggies would need in game two. Son tripled home a pair for the first two and Haley contributed a run-scoring single. They tacked on another pair in the fourth inning as Barham came through with a clutch two-out hit.

Monkerud's RBI dougle made it a 6-0 cushion in the seventh frame and Murray State coasted in from there.

Haley had a huge performance while going four for four at the plate. Son, Barham, Brady Taylor, Morgan, Tanner Norman, Monkerud and Zach Markarewich each notched a hit.

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Players Mentioned

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

#22 Jakob Holzer: LHP; Sophomore; L/L

#21 Brennan Morgan: INF/RHP; Sophomore; R/R

#11 Carson Culbreath: RHP; Freshman; R/R

#13 Michael Barham: 1B/OF; Freshman; R/R

#15 Ty Frakes: RHP; Sophomore; R/R

#20 Tanner Norman: IF; Freshman; L/R

#1 Junho Son: UTL; Sophomore; L/R

#41 Kaden Monkerud: C; Sophomore; R/R

#6 Brady Taylor: 1B/LHP; Freshman; L/L

Players Mentioned

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

#22 Jakob Holzer
: Sophomore; L/L
: LHP

#21 Brennan Morgan
: Sophomore; R/R
: INF/RHP

#11 Carson Culbreath
: Freshman; R/R
: RHP

#13 Michael Barham
: Freshman; R/R
: 1B/OF

#15 Ty Frakes
: Sophomore; R/R
: RHP

#20 Tanner Norman
: Freshman; L/R
: IF

#1 Junho Son
: Sophomore; L/R
: UTL

#41 Kaden Monkerud
: Sophomore; R/R
: C

#6 Brady Taylor
: Freshman; L/L
: 1B/LHP