COOKEVILLE - When you start four true freshmen and the two pitchers who lead the team in appearances are also rookies, there are going to be growing pains.
There were no such pain here Wednesday as Middle Tennessee pounded out a 9-3 win to split the season series with Tennessee Tech, and freshmen were chiefly prevalent in the game's outcome.
The freshmen quartet of Blake Benefield, Austin Dennis, Drew Huff and AJ Spencer combined to go 8-for-16 with two home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored. Additionally, freshman pitcher Carson Lester earned his first career victory with four innings of two-hit, shutout baseball.