Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
EDMOND, Okla. – Murray State and Redlands split a pair of one-run decisions in Region 2 baseball action Thursday afternoon at the University of Central Oklahoma.

The Aggies held on for a 4-3 win in the opener and the Cougars returned the favor to hold on for a 3-2 triumph in the nightcap.

Coach Sam Bjorling's club saw its record move to 31-16 overall and 13-5 in conference play, remaining two games back of league leader NOC-Tonkawa. The Aggies are slated to host Redlands at The Ranch Saturday at 1 p.m. to wrap up the series.

In the opening contest, neither team could sustain much offensively over the first four stanzas before the Aggies finally came alive with a run in the fifth when Austin Haley singled and came around to score on a Michael Barham triple to left.

Murray State cashed in singles from Marlon Moore and Haley along with a Redlands error for two more tallies in the seventh that looked to put the Cougars away. Redlands had other ideas however, capitalizing on three hits of their own to erase the 3-0 deficit and force extra innings.

The Aggies loaded the bases with two outs thanks to an error, Kaden Monkerud single and walk and plated the ultimate game winner on a passed ball.

Jakob Holzer got roughed up for the three runs in the seventh, but recovered to slam the door on the Cougars in the bottom of the eighth to pick up the victory. The Aggies got a fabulous start from ace Cash Kuiper, who scattered four hits in five and one-third scoreless innings that included nine strikeouts but didn't figure in the decision.

Game two was a similar pitcher's duel most of the way as neither team could muster a run through the first four innings.

Murray State finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth on Barham's two-out single to left, but Redlands immediately answered to tie the game. The Cougars tacked on two more runs in the sixth frame, taking a 3-1 lead into the final stanza.

The Aggies cut the lead in half on a Haley two-out base hit and Barham followed with a single to extend it before the comeback fell short.

Haley and Barham posted two hits apiece, as did Cason Johnson in the squad's six-hit total.

Tayte Dome twirled four and two-third frames, allowing one run on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Conner Smeltzer worked an inning and a third, yielding two runs on one hit. He fanned one and walked one.