HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Interstat) — Bryant Beranek and John Michael Pickens combined for eight hitless innings of relief, and Dean O’Neill homered and drove in three runs as Middle Tennessee cruised past Alabama A&M 10-2 on Tuesday evening at Bulldog Field.

The Blue Raiders (13-12) broke open a tight game with a four-run seventh inning and pulled away late, handing the Bulldogs (5-20) their eighth consecutive loss.

The most important sequence of the game came from the Middle Tennessee bullpen. After the Bulldogs put two runners on with one out in the first inning against starter Mason Dobbs, Beranek entered and completely stifled the Alabama A&M offense. The right-hander fired five perfect innings, striking out two, to earn the win. Pickens followed with three more perfect frames, striking out one, before Dobbs returned to close out the ninth.

Their collective effort meant the only Alabama A&M hits came against Dobbs in the first and ninth innings. Keilon Parnell provided both Bulldogs runs with a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth, his third hit of the game. Brycen Hammonds also had two hits for Alabama A&M, which finished with 10 hits but stranded multiple runners early.

Middle Tennessee’s offense, which collected 12 hits, was opportunistic. The Blue Raiders scratched out single runs in the first, third and fifth innings to build a 3-0 lead against Bulldogs starter Virgil Heath and reliever Daveyon Lavender.

The game turned decisively in the seventh. With two outs and the bases loaded, Layne Akers drew a walk from Raymond Clark to force in a run. Edyn Barber relieved Clark but immediately unleashed a wild pitch that scored another run, and a throwing error by catcher Colin Mason on the same play allowed a third run to cross, stretching the lead to 6-0.

O’Neill, who finished 3 for 5, led off the ninth with a solo home run off Griff Minor. Akers and Clay Badylak added RBI hits later in the inning to cap the scoring.

Brett Vondohlen went 3 for 4 with a double, two runs and a walk for Middle Tennessee. Brett Rogers and Tyler Minnick each had two hits.

The victory gave Middle Tennessee a season sweep of the home-and-home series after a 19-2 win in Murfreesboro on Feb. 17. It also provided a positive rebound after the Blue Raiders were swept in a three-game weekend series at Missouri State.

Alabama A&M’s Lavender took the loss, allowing one run on four hits over 2 2/3 innings of relief. Barber was effective in his 1 1/3 innings, allowing no hits or earned runs.

The game, which started in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, far exceeded the scoring projection of Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 3-2 Middle Tennessee victory. The Blue Raiders’ win probability was set at 87.6% by the service’s ELO system.

Middle Tennessee opens a three-game home series against New Mexico State on Friday. Alabama A&M begins Southwestern Athletic Conference play on the road Friday at Mississippi Valley State.