Memphis baseball picked up a series win at home over the weekend that helped them get back on the right side of the win column.
The Tigers took the last two games of the three-game series against the Miami (OH) Redhawks. This series helped Memphis shake off a brutal stretch of their schedule.
Memphis (6-7) started off by losing the first game 9-0, winning the second game 5-2 and taking the third 4-2. The Redhawks (7-7) returned to Oxford, Ohio on a two-game losing streak.
Game 1
The Tigers managed five hits in their second shutout of the season. All hits were singles and only the seventh inning had multiple hits. The Redhawks put up nine runs from eight hits and scored in six of the nine innings. Six of their nine runs were scored in the first three innings.
Memphis used three pitchers throughout the game with Blake Wimberley getting the start. Wimberley allowed six runs on four hits and struck out three batters in 2.1 innings. Wimberley walked five batters and was pulled in the third. Dalton Kendrick was then put on the mound and lasted 3.2 innings after a performance of five strikeouts and two walks.
James Muse was called on to close it out for the final three innings. Muse struck out six batters, had no walks and allowed two runs.
Game 2
The Tigers got off to a better start and took the lead in the game that would finally snap their seven-game losing streak. A stronger showing in pitching and hitting combined to provide Memphis with a 5-2 win.
The Tigers scored the first runs of the game in the second inning. After the fourth inning Memphis had a 5-1 lead. Miami scored once in the eighth inning, but the game concluded before they could get any closer.
Seven batters on the Memphis roster got a hit in game two. Hunter Goodman was the only batter to have more than one. The five runs batted in came from Goodman, Taylor Howell and Braden Webb. Webb and Howell each had two.
Game 3
The final game of the series went to Memphis in a 4-2 fashion. The Tigers won the series after big efforts from Alec Trela's hitting and Landon Kelly's pitching.
Trela had three hits in three at-bats and was two of the Tigers' four runs. Trela also had one RBI from his solo home run in the sixth inning.
Kelly pitched 5.1 innings allowing six hits and one run. Kelly walked one batter and had one strikeout. Three Memphis pitchers helped close out the last 3.2 innings allowing one hit and one run.
The rough patch behind the Tigers
Memphis had a tall order of six games against three Power Five opponents. Over the course of two weeks, the Tigers faced Ole Miss, Baylor and Vanderbilt. The Rebels and Commodores were both ranked in the top five in the nation.
All six road games were losses for the Tigers. Memphis lost their first game of the season to No. 4 Ole Miss 16-4. Memphis was swept in a four-game to the Baylor Bears. Then a trip to Nashville to play the No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores ended in a 10-4 loss.
As of now, the Tigers are 0-6 on the road, 5-1 at home and 1-0 at neutral site games. Next up is a four-game home series against the MTSU Blue Raiders (9-5) set to start Mar. 19.
After dropping their first game of a three-game series with the Redhawks, the Tigers were able to rally back.
