Having won their two previous games at the Southern Athletic Fields Invitational, the Middle Tennessee Mudcats improved to 3-0 in pool play by defeating the Marshall County Dusters 4-0 behind a strong performance from starting hurler Logan Hollingsworth.

Facing a Marshall County offense that had averaged more seven runs per game in their three previous tournament games, Hollingsworth limited the Dusters (2-2) to just five hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings of work to go along with three strikeouts.

At the plate

The Mudcats finished with five hits and two walks in the contest as well, but were aided by three hit batsmen and left only five runners on base. Marshall County, conversely, stranded eight men on base, including six in scoring position.

Ryan Yelenski led Middle Tennessee at the plate by going 2-for-2 with a stolen base and two runs scored, while Jacob Daughrity added a double and 3 RBI. Austin Harber (1 RBI) and Austin Harmon each notched a hit for the Mudcats as well.

Duster starting pitcher Hayden Bailey suffered the loss on the mound after allowing four runs on five hits and a walk over four and a third innings. Ryan Richardson then came on in relief of Bailey and yielded one walk in an inning and two-thirds.

Chandler Harmon doubled to account for Marshall County's lone extra base hit of the contest, while Lane Whitesell, Jay Murphy, Dunn Crowder, and Trent Wiles all singled.

Scoreless start

Bailey held the Mudcats scoreless through the first two innings of play with the help of two double plays, but Middle Tennessee broke through for two runs in the bottom of the third to grab a 2-0 lead. Yelenski singled and stole second prior to advancing to third on a groundout by Caleb Keller. After being hit by a pitch, Austin Harmon stole second with two outs before Daughrity belted a two-run double to deep centerfield.

The Dusters had a chance to cut into the deficit when Chandler Harmon smacked a ground rule double to left field, but Hollingsworth retired the next two Marshall County batters on a fly out and a groundout to snuff out the threat.

Longer lead

In the bottom of the fifth, the Mudcats gave Hollingsworth some more wiggle room by pushing across two runs in the frame to open up a 4-0 advantage. Following a leadoff walk by Boone Sweeney, Yelenski and Harmon both legged out bunt singles to load the bases with one out. Austin Harber then drove in courtesy runner Kennedy Mathis with a RBI single before Yelenski came home on a Daughrity RBI groundout.

The Dusters tried to mount a rally in the top of the sixth and loaded the bases with one out on a infield single by Wiles, a Whitesell single, and a walk by Chandler Harmon, but Hollingsworth escaped the jam by retiring the next two Marshall County hitters on a pair of fly outs.

Hollingsworth then worked around an error and a one-out single by Crowder in the top of the seventh with the aid of a 3-6-3 double play to complete the shutout.