Middle Tennessee Defeats Vanderbilt, 4-2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Josh Archer, Jeff Beachum and Nate Jaggers had run scoring hits and Blue Raider pitchers posted 11 strikeouts as Middle Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt 4-2, Tuesday, May 13 at Hawkins Field. Middle Tennessee improves to 28-24 while Vanderbilt slips to 24-26.

MTSU reliever Travis Horschel (3-2) earned the win. In three and two thirds innings of work, Horschel scattered three hits and a run (earned) while striking out four and walking two. Teammate Chase Swing pitched two and two-thirds innings to earn his eighth save of the year. He struck out two without allowing a hit.

Vanderbilt starter Blake Owen (1-2) took the loss. He gave up five hits and three runs (all earned) while striking out six and walking five in five and two-thirds innings.

Middle Tennessee took an early 1-0 lead in the first. Chad Cooper drew a two-out walk and scored on Archer's RBI double into the right-center field alley.

The Commodores answered back in their first frame. Ryan Klosterman led off with a double to left field. He took third on a passed ball and scored on an infield hit by Cesar Nicolas.

The Blue Raiders jumped ahead 3-1 in the second inning when Owen ran into control problems. Brett Carroll was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Jaggers and Marcus Taylor followed with back-to-back walks to load the bases with no outs. Owen got the next battter, Troy Harp, to ground into a double play that brought home Carroll from third base. Beachum followed with an infield hit to third base that scored Jaggers and gave MTSU a two-run lead.

Middle Tennessee added some cushion in the eighth when Carroll doubled to center field and scored on a double by Jaggers to make the score 4-2.

Like the Blue Radiers, the Commodores stranded 10 runners on base. VU left the bases loaded in the second inning and could not take advantage of back-to-back walks to start the third. John Kaye was thrown out attempting to steal home in the fifth and Nicolas was stranded at second base after leading off the seventh with a double.

Nicolas was 3-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored for Vanderbilt. Cooper was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Jaggers was 2-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored for MTSU.

Tuesday's paid attendance of 1,588 marks Vanderbilt's seventh consecutive crowd of at least 1,100 fans - a Hawkins Field record.

Despite losing six of their last eight, Vanderbilt battles for its first berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament since 1996 this weekend when its plays host to Tennessee. The three-game series that concludes the regular season begins Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday's game starts at 6 p.m., and will be televised by Comcast Sports Southeast. The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Commodores are in fourth place in the SEC Eastern Division; two games behind second-place Tennessee. Third-place Florida leads Vanderbilt by a half-game. The top two teams in the SEC Eastern Division and the Western Division, as well as the next four teams with the best conference win percentage, advance to next week's league tournament in Birmingham, Ala.