BOX SCORE

TERRE HAUTE, IN  - Murray State baseball picked up the 11-6 victory over Valparaiso in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championships at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute, Indiana. The win marked the 30th of the season for the Racers, giving them three-straight 30-win seasons for just the second time in program history as Murray State won 30 games in each season from 1973-76. 

After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, the Racers stormed back, to outscore the Beacons 11-2 the rest of the way. 

Four different Racers put up a multihit performance as Dustin Mercer, Drew Vogel, Ethan Krizen, and Seth Gardner all had two hits. Logan Bland along with Vogel, Carson Garner, and Gardner all had two RBIs on the night.

Garner blasted his 10th home run of the season over the trees beyond the left-center field fence for the lone big fly for MSU. Brennan McCullough, Vogel, and Cade Sammons each doubled to round out the extra-base hits for the Racers. 

Relief pitching played a vital role in the victory as bullpen arms Matt Boynton and Nathan Holler combined for 7.0 innings pitched while allowing just one earned run and striking out seven. Boynton earned the win with 4.0 innings pitched with no earned runs while giving up just three Beacon hits. Holler picked up his first save of the season with 3.0 innings pitched while giving up just one runs and striking out six. 

Next Up 

The Racers now set their sights on the second-seeded Missouri State Bears for a Wednesday matchup at 6:30 p.m. CT in Terre Haute.