University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Murray St
Memphis Ends Road Swing With Tough Loss to Thoroughbreds
Mar 28, 2000 | Baseball
March 28, 2000
Murray, Kent. - The University of Memphis baseball team ended a four game road swing Tuesday with a tough loss to Murray State in Murray. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead by scoring three runs in the first inning and scattering three more throughout the game before giving up the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Nate Sams got things started in the top of the first with a two-run double down the left field line that scored Gabe Interiano and Daniel Uggla. Three batters later, Jon Leicester ripped a single to left field that scored Sams, and the Tigers took an early lead after the top of the first. Murray State then answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first off of a single by Justin Varitek that scored one and a double play that scored another.
In the top of the second, the Tigers added one more after Sams lined another single, this time to right field, and scored Paul Reuer. The Tigers increased the lead to 5-2 in the fifth inning when Sams scored off of a Jay Fik single to right.
In the sixth, the Thoroughbreds narrowed the margin when Brett McCutchan hit a solo home run off of Tiger starter Nick Rogers (Olive Branch HS). Then Preston Weatherly hit an RBI single to center that cut the score to 5-4 at the end of six innings.
In the top of the seventh, Nate Sams answered with a long solo home run over the centerfield wall for his fourth RBI of the afternoon, and that was all the offense the Tigers could muster. They held the lead until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Murray State put up three runs off of a two-run triple by Weatherly and a one-run single by Billy Moore. The Tigers were unable to rally in the ninth, and dropped the final game of their road swing by a final of 7-6.
Nick Rogers made the start for the Tigers and gave up four runs in 5.2 innings. Fellow freshman Andy Whitten pitched 1.1 innings in relief and allowed two runs, and redshirt freshman Joshua Cartwright (0-3) finished the game and picked up his third loss of the year. For the Thoroughbreds, Jason Glosser (2-1) pitched the eighth and ninth innings and picked up his second win of the season. The Tigers are now 8-17 on the season and return home to face C-USA foe UNC Charlotte in a three game series starting Friday evening at 7:00 at Nat Buring Stadium.
