Latest news with #GrahamKelham
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Murray State to the College World Series for first time after beating Duke
Omaha, meet the Racers. In what almost certainly goes down as the biggest and most thrilling win in program history, Murray State punched its first-ever ticket to the College World Series, defeating the Duke Blue Devils 5-4 in a back-and-forth Super Regional showdown. Advertisement The victory marks a historic moment not just for the Racers but for college baseball in Kentucky, as an in-state program breaks through to the sport's biggest stage. The Racers came out swinging in the top of the first inning. Jonathan Hogart opened the game with a leadoff homer—his 21st of the season—to give Murray State an early edge. That momentum continued when Carson Garner crushed a double off the right-field wall, and Dom Decker followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Duke answered with solo homers from Jake Hyde and Jake Berger to take a 3-2 lead, but the Racers refused to fold. Hogart tied the game with his second home run of the night, a 413-foot bomb in the seventh. Then, Luke Mistone and Dan Tauken delivered clutch hits in the eighth to make it 5-3. Advertisement Duke threatened late, but closer Graham Kelham slammed the door shut with 2.2 strong innings to clinch the win. For Kentucky fans, especially those who bleed blue for the University of Kentucky, this victory carries extra satisfaction. Beating Duke — the same Duke program still infamous in the Commonwealth for Christian Laettner's heartbreaking buzzer-beater in the 1992 NCAA Tournament — is always a little sweeter. Ironically, this, too, involved a controversial kick from a Duke player. What looked like base interference by a Duke player in the ninth inning could have ended the game, but the officials said it was not interference, giving the Blue Devils one more shot before grounding out. Now, Murray State is Omaha-bound, making school history and giving the Big Blue Nation one more reason to smile. Advertisement More from
Associated Press
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Luke Mistone hits go-ahead homer in the 8th to help Murray State advance to the program's first CWS
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Luke Mistone hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, Graham Kelham was solid in another long relief appearance, and Murray State beat Duke 5-4 on Monday night in a winner-take-all championship game at the Durham Super Regional to advance to the program's first College World Series. Murray State (44-15) became the fourth No. 4 seed to advance to Omaha, Nebraska. Duke (40-20) was seeking its first appearance in the CWS since 1961. Jonathan Hogart hit his second home run of the game in the seventh inning — his 21st of the season — into the pine trees over the left-field wall to tie it at 3. Murray State retook the lead in the eighth on Mistone's leadoff shot — just his fourth homer of the year. Then Dan Tauken's triple scored Will Vierling from first for a 5-3 lead after the ball caromed off the wall toward center field. Later in the eighth, the Racers had the bases loaded with no outs after back-to-back walks but James Tallon struck out two and got a groundout to end the threat. Murray State appeared to win the game after an interference call at second base, but it was overturned after an official review to give Duke another chance. Kelham regrouped after the celebration to get a groundout to first to end it. Kelham, who threw 43 pitches on Sunday in a three-inning save, struck out four in 2 2/3 innings for his fourth win of the season. Reid Easterly (9-3) took the loss after allowing two earned runs in three relief innings. ___ AP college sports:
Associated Press
01-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Dan Tauken and Luke Mistone combine for 10 RBIs in Murray State's 13-11 win over Georgia Tech
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Dan Tauken and Luke Mistone each drove in five runs, leading Murray State to a 13-11 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday night, leaving the Racers on the verge of reaching the super regionals for the first time. Graham Kelham worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and had two runners in scoring position in the ninth before recording his sixth save of the season for Murray State. Jonathan Hogart's leadoff home run in the seventh inning gave the Racers an 11-10 lead and a sacrifice fly by Mistone made it 12-10. In the top of the eighth, Georgia Tech loaded the bases with one out. Kyle Lodise hit a grounder to third base, scoring Connor Shouse while the second out was made at third. Alex Hernandez struck out to end the threat. The Racers added a run in the bottom of the eighth on a home run by Tauken, his second of the game. In the ninth, Shouse doubled with two outs, putting runners on second and third. Kelham then struck out Drew Rogers to end the game. Murray State had two five-run innings — the first and the fourth — in building a 10-3 lead. In the first inning, Tauken had a two-run single and Mistone, Will Vierling and Conner Cunningham also drove in runs for a 5-3 lead. In the fourth, Mistone hit a three-run home run and Tauken homered for two runs. Vahn Lackey hit a three-run home run and John Giesler added a two-run double to highlight Georgia Tech's seven-run fifth inning that tied the score at 10. Georgia Tech will play regional host Mississippi in an elimination game on Sunday. That winner will need to beat Murray State later Sunday and again on Monday to reach the super regionals. Murray State would advance with one win. ___ AP college sports:
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dan Tauken and Luke Mistone combine for 10 RBIs in Murray State's 13-11 win over Georgia Tech
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Dan Tauken and Luke Mistone each drove in five runs, leading Murray State to a 13-11 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday night, leaving the Racers on the verge of reaching the super regionals for the first time. Graham Kelham worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and had two runners in scoring position in the ninth before recording his sixth save of the season for Murray State. Advertisement Jonathan Hogart's leadoff home run in the seventh inning gave the Racers an 11-10 lead and a sacrifice fly by Mistone made it 12-10. In the top of the eighth, Georgia Tech loaded the bases with one out. Kyle Lodise hit a grounder to third base, scoring Connor Shouse while the second out was made at third. Alex Hernandez struck out to end the threat. The Racers added a run in the bottom of the eighth on a home run by Tauken, his second of the game. In the ninth, Shouse doubled with two outs, putting runners on second and third. Kelham then struck out Drew Rogers to end the game. Murray State had two five-run innings — the first and the fourth — in building a 10-3 lead. Advertisement In the first inning, Tauken had a two-run single and Mistone, Will Vierling and Conner Cunningham also drove in runs for a 5-3 lead. In the fourth, Mistone hit a three-run home run and Tauken homered for two runs. Vahn Lackey hit a three-run home run and John Giesler added a two-run double to highlight Georgia Tech's seven-run fifth inning that tied the score at 10. Georgia Tech will play regional host Mississippi in an elimination game on Sunday. That winner will need to beat Murray State later Sunday and again on Monday to reach the super regionals. Murray State would advance with one win. ___ AP college sports:
Associated Press
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Dom Decker delivers for Murray State and Racers upset Ole Miss 9-6 in Oxford Regional
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Dom Decker drove in Conner Cunningham with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Murray State went on to upset Oxford Regional No. 1 seed Mississippi 9-6 on Friday night. No. 4 seed Murray State (40-13), in its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, will play Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets defeated West Virginia in the regional's first game. Ole Miss (40-20) and West Virginia will play a loser-out game Saturday. Dustin Mercer had four doubles and drove in three runs for the Racers. Jonathan Hogart had three hits and scored three runs. Hogart hit the first pitch of the game over the center-field fence. Mercer, the next batter, doubled and later scored on a fielder's choice for a 2-0 lead. The Racers added two more runs in the second inning on another double by Mercer and a sacrifice fly by Carson Garner. Judd Utermark's three-run home run in the third inning but the Ole Miss deficit to 4-3. The Rebels went ahead in the fourth for what would be the only time in the game on Campbell Smithwick's leadoff home run followed two outs later by an RBI-single from Luke Hill. Utermark came to the plate with two on and one out in the bottom of the ninth but Graham Kelham struck him out swinging on the way to his fifth save. The game ended on a popup by Smithwick. Jacob Hustedde (2-0) got the final two outs in the seventh for the win. ___ AP college sports:
