Tigers Win Second-Straight Series, Drop Finale to Valpo

Sunday, February 23

Memphis, Tenn.

1:05 P.M.

University of Memphis

4-2

Valparaiso

1-5

Valparaiso

Memphis

Jonah Sutton catching vs. Valpo, Feb. 23, 2025

Photo by: Eli Parker

Tigers Win Second-Straight Series, Drop Finale to Valpo

Feb 23, 2025 | Baseball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis baseball team dropped the series finale, 5-3, to Valparaiso on Sunday afternoon at FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field. Despite the loss in the finale, the Tigers took the series, two games to one, to mark back-to-back series wins to begin the season.

The Tigers moved to 4-2 overall following the loss and will aim to get back in the win column on Tuesday afternoon vs. Alabama A&M.

"Disappointing loss today," head coach Matt Riser said. "We want to take the steps to grow and get better, to not just be good, but be great. Unfortunately, we shot ourselves in the foot today … I did think we did a really good job of pitching it and playing defense outside of the one big inning today."

HOW IT HAPPENED
• For the third-straight game, Valpo got on the board first. Tiger RHP Caden Robinson made his second start of the season and recorded five quick outs, looking sharp early. After recording two quick outs to begin the second inning, the Beacons strung together eight-straight base runners and pushed across five runs to take a 5-0 lead.
• The Tigers were held scoreless until they broke through for a run in the bottom of the fifth. First baseman Shane Cox led off the inning with a double over the center fielder's head for his seventh extra-base hit of the year. That led to freshman Carter McKay shooting an RBI single back up the middle just two pitches later for the first hit and first RBI of his collegiate career.
• Right fielder Cy Turner led off the sixth for Memphis with a walk and later scored on another RBI single from McKay, trimming the Valpo lead to three runs.
• In the eighth, Chase Nixon laced a one-out triple off the right-center field wall and came home on a James Smith IV RBI single to make the score 5-3.
• The Tigers went down quietly in the ninth as the comeback bid fell short and the Beacons hung on for the 5-3 victory.

NOTABLES
• McKay made his first collegiate start and was the lone Tiger to record a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles.
• Nixon's triple marked the third triple of the young season for the Tigers (six games). Last season, Memphis recorded just six triples in 55 games. Nixon ended the game 1-for-4 with a run scored.
• Shane Cox continued his hot streak to begin the season with his seventh extra-base hit of the year. Through six games, the redshirt junior is hitting .381 with four doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs to go with six RBI and a 1.361 OPS.
• Smith IV tallied his team-leading eighth RBI of the season with a 1-for-4 performance at the plate.
• Relievers Luke Ellis, Hayden Donahue and Seth Cox combined to throw 7.1 innings and allowed no runs on just five hits. Ellis and Cox recorded three strikeouts apiece while walking none.

UP NEXT
• The Tigers are back at FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field on Tuesday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. for a mid-week matchup with Alabama A&M.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.