MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Chandler Alderman has been in this spot, before. Though he's just a sophomore, some of the best starts in his career have come at times when Middle Tennessee (16-20, 3-9 CUSA) has been in a rut. Having lost seven in a row coming into the final game of the series with first-place Louisiana Tech (23-13, 8-3 CUSA), Alderman was masterful. The lefty sat down nine of the last 10 Bulldogs to come to the plate and didn't allow a hit after the fifth inning in a 4-3 win to snap the Blue Raiders losing streak.

Keaton Ray, who came into this afternoon with a pair of two-hit performances to his credit this weekend, doubled to the lip of the warning track in right center to score Clay Badylak and Tyler Minnick to give Middle Tennessee a 2-0 lead after one.

In the fourth with the game tied at 2-2, Brett Rogers' picked up his 16th RBI of the year to put the Blue Raiders back in the lead 3-2. The Bulldogs once again tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning, and Tyler Minnick homered off the facade of Floyd Stadium in left field to put Middle Tennessee ahead 4-3. It was the veteran backstop's fifth home run of the season.

Alderman matched his career-high in innings pitched, today, and allowed just two earned runs with a season-high 10 strikeouts. The Poplar Grove, Illinois, native also crossed the 100-strikeout threshold of his career in the second inning when he struck out Thaxton Berch for his second of the game. Alderman tossed 130 total pitches and struck out two in the ninth to end it.

At the plate, Clay Badylak capped off a great weekend with a 1-for-2 day with two walks and a run. The second baseman went 5-for-11 with three RBIs and three walks. Minnick scored two runs and Keaton Ray had a pair of RBIs.

By the Numbers
108: Strikeouts for Chandler Alderman in his career.

27: RBIs for Tyler Minnick, good for second on the team.

9, 10: Career-high 9.0 innings pitched for Alderman. The southpaw also had a season-high 10 strikeouts.

The Skipper Speaks (Jerry Meyers)
"Today was big for (Alderman), personally, but it was also big for the team," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jerry Meyers. "He felt really good today and probably felt better in the last three innings than he did in the first three innings. He got into a groove and was efficient, and that was big for us. We didn't play particularly well and may have played better in more chunks in the first two games than we did today, but that's how it goes, sometimes. We did enough today to win, and it was big."

Player's Perspective: (So. LHP Chandler Alderman)
"I just went out there and trusted my stuff," Alderman said. "I started the season trying to do to much, I think. I went out today and wanted to do what I did last year and said to myself 'I'm just going to go out there and throw.' (A start like today's) makes everybody else have trust in you on the mound, and that's huge. Once the team and coaches trust you, you can roll."

Up Next
The Blue Raiders will take a quick trip up I-24 to Nashville to face the Belmont Bruins on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Blue Raider Network.