April 21, 2007

Box Score

Marshall at Memphis Box Score
Download Free Acrobat Reader

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Marshall baseball team erupted on Saturday as it ended its 16-game losing streak in grand fashion with a convincing 21-7 win over Conference USA foe Memphis at Nat Buring Stadium.

The win also snapped a 17-game losing streak within C-USA play, dating back to last season, and put Marshall (15-21, 1-9) in the hunt for a berth in the C-USA Championship in May after defeating the league's second-place squad.

The Marshall bats came to life at the outset of the game as the Herd took a 13-2 lead after three innings, thanks in part to three early Memphis errors.

Left fielder Jeff Rowley (Buffalo, N.Y.) started off the Herd hit parade in the first with a one-out, opposite field base knock off Memphis starter Scott McGregor to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Designated hitter Brendan Murphy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) followed with a walk and it appeared that the Tigers would get out of the inning unscathed when shortstop Brandon Casamassima (Colleyville, Texas) rolled a potential double play ball to third, but Kyle Norrid booted the ball for an error that opened the flood gates.

Right fielder Nate Lape (Huntington, N.Y.) tallied an RBI single that commenced a scoring barrage that would not soon end. Josh Valle (Brentwood, N.Y.) singled up the middle with the bases loaded to score two. Tommy Johnson (Gaithersburg, Md.) then attempted a sac bunt that was muffed by McGregor for the Tigers' second error of the inning to score Lape. A Nick Damas (Willow Springs, Ill.) sac fly gave Marshall a 5-0 lead after the first as MU sent 10 hitters to the plate.

Marshall continued to pour on the runs, posting four runs in both the second, third and fifth innings. Casamassima hit his seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the third.

Thad Ledford (Yukon, Okla.), Johnson, Chris Peak (Barboursville, W.Va.) and Murphy also hit home runs for the Herd. Peak's blast came as a pinch hitter in the eighth on the first pitch he saw from Matt Jobe, a two-run shot that served as not only his first career home run but his first hit of 2007. Murphy's home run came in the next at bat after Peak, a shot to straightaway center field for his team-leading ninth of the season.

First baseman Brit Vincent (Bowling Green, Ky.) recorded a career-high seven at bats (2-for-7), joining Rowley (2-for-5), Casamassima (2-for-6), Lape (2-for-4), Valle (3-for-4), Johnson (3-for-3) and Damas (2-for-4) as Herd batters with multiple hits on Saturday. Damas collected a team season- and career-high five RBI, followed by four RBI by Johnson. Valle knocked in three runs, his second three-RBI game of the season.

Murphy and Casamassima scored four runs apiece for MU.

Marshall starter Ryan Kiel (Los Gatos, Calif.) had been roughed up in his last two starts, not making it past the third inning with at least five earned runs surrendered in each. In his first career C-USA start on Saturday, however, the left-hander shook off a shaky first inning to pitch a solid 6.0 innings with seven hits and five earned runs to move to 4-3 on the season.

Right-hander Adam Dobies (Pittsburgh, Pa.), a regular weekend starter whose start was cancelled last weekend versus East Carolina due to rain, pitched three innings of three-hit relief.

McGregor (3-2) lasted only 1 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits, nine runs (three earned) with a walk and a strikeout. Dusty Davis, Memphis' top reliever, came in for three innings and gave up six hits and seven runs (four earned).

Memphis shortstop Michael Murray went 2-for-3 while first baseman Adam Amar went 3-for-4.

Marshall's 21 runs is a season-high in 2007. In fact, the Herd topped its previous season-high of 12 runs by the third inning. The Herd also set team season-highs in at bats (46), hits (19), home runs (5), total bases (36) and RBI (20).

Marshall and Memphis will determine the series winner on Sunday in the conclusion of the three-game set at 2 p.m. ET.