Junior shortstop Adam Yeager

March 30, 2008

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Marshall University junior shortstop Adam Yeager finished 4-for-4 and sophomore right-hander Dan Straily allowed just one hit through six brilliant innings to help lift the Thundering Herd to a 11-1 victory and series sweep of Memphis in Sunday morning's seven-inning Conference USA baseball game at Appalachian Power Park.

With its fourth consecutive victory, Marshall improves to 12-12 overall and is 3-3 in C-USA action. The series sweep of Memphis was the first over a conference opponent since 2006 when the Herd dispatched UAB in three games.

Marshall took an 11-0 lead into the seventh inning before Memphis scored its only run of the game, a bases loaded RBI ground out off the bat of right fielder Robby Graham.

With the conference Sunday 10-run mercy rule in effect in the seventh inning, freshman right-handed reliever Chad Johnson, who replaced Straily to start the inning, hurled a strikeout and forced a game-ending fly out to seal the victory.

The last time Marshall earned a mercy rule victory was in the 2007 series finale at Memphis. Herd pitcher Jeremy Slone tossed a complete-game seven-inning shutout to complete the 11-0 victory.

Straily (3-2) allowed just one hit, a single in the first, before pitching five straight hitless innings. The right-hander struck out three Tigers and surrendered just two walks in his sixth outing of the year.

Marshall opened up the scoring right off the bat with a run in the first inning. Yeager led off the inning with a single and would proceed to steal second. With one out, a single through the left side by junior center fielder Nate Lape helped Yeager cross the plate to give the Herd a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth and fifth innings, Marshall combined to score eight runs against the Tigers. A leadoff walk by Lape, followed by a freshman designated hitter Victor Gomez single put runners at the corners with no outs for sophomore first baseman Josh Valle. He took advantage of the situation, hitting a double to left center, plating Lape and Gomez. A groundout to first by junior right fielder Kurt Lipton scored Valle, giving the Herd a 4-0 advantage.

The fifth inning saw Marshall add on five more runs. Freshman left fielder Ben Jurevicius started things off with a walk. After moving to second on a wild pitch, he scored on a throwing error following a single by Yeager. Three straight walks loaded up the bases for Valle, who was hit by a pitch to bring in the second run of the inning. A junior third baseman Brandon Casamassima single plated two more runs while Lipton later singled to left for his second RBI of the day to give Marshall a 9-0 lead.

Two more Herd runs would cross the plate in the sixth, when Yeager collected his fourth hit of the game, a double down the right field line. Yeager and senior second baseman Matt Helm, who was hit by a pitch, advanced to second and third respectively on a fly out. Gomez picked up a pair of RBIs when he drove a single to left field, extending the Herd lead to 11-0. Freshman first baseman Tyler Oliver recorded his first collegiate hit in the next at-bat, but the Tigers induced an inning-ending double play.

Lipton, and Gomez finished with two hits apiece while Valle notched three RBIs to lead the offensive attack for the Herd.

Marshall returns to non-conference action Tuesday, April 4 for a game at Dayton. First-pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m.