Murfreesboro, Tenn.— Middle Tennessee (18-34, 11-16) came to the plate in the fifth inning looking for answers. It trailed by only two runs and was still trying to figure out Vanderbilt (42-10, 20-7) starter Mason Hickman. After the Blue Raiders loaded the bases to begin the night, the bats fell silent, only mustering one baserunner between the second and fourth innings.
Middle Tennessee shortstop Myles Christian would answer the call in the fifth inning, lifting a one-out double to centerfield to advance Darrell Freeman to third base. Following an Aaron Antonini sac-fly that cut the Vanderbilt lead to 2-1 while moving Christian to third base, the table was set for the man coming off of a career best 4-for-5 outing against Florida International just two days ago; Brycen Thomas.