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The 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship continues with action on Friday.
Tickets for the event are $10 per adult per day and $5 per day for children (12 and under) and college students with valid ID and can be purchased in-person at The Ballpark at Jackson. Parking is $5 per day. All seats are general admission for the OVC Championship.
This year marks the 42nd OVC Baseball Tournament (the first elimination style event was held in 1979) and first since May 2019 as last year's event was canceled due to the pandemic. It also marks the return to the venue that previously hosted the OVC Championship from 2010-16.
The Ballpark at Jackson opened in 1998 and has a seating capacity of 6,000. The venue hosted the 1999 and 2011 Southern League All-Star Games. In 2017 and 2018, The Ballpark at Jackson won back-to-back Sports Field of the Year honors from the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. The back-to-back victories marked the first time that any facility in the Volunteer State won the award in consecutive seasons. Jackson is located in the heart of West Tennessee halfway between Memphis and Nashville conveniently on Interstate 40.
Fans can watch the entire 2021 OVC Baseball Tournament live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($12.99/month). ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment, is an integrated part of the ESPN App and (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. More information can be found at
www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.
Game 2: #2 Murray State 8, #3 Morehead State 7 (13 innings)
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery
Game 3: #1 Southeast Missouri 6, #2 Murray State 5
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery | Postgame Interviews:
Southeast Missouri,
Murray State
Game 4: #4 Austin Peay 3, #3 Morehead State 1
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery | Postgame Interviews:
Austin Peay,
Morehead State
NOTE: Game 5 will take place on Saturday.
#2 MURRAY STATE 8, #3 MOREHEAD STATE 7 (13)
JACKSON, Tenn. - A game that started on Thursday but took until Friday afternoon to finish saw Murray State overcame multiple deficits to top Morehead State 8-7 in 13 innings.
The game began on Thursday but was suspended tied at six entering the 10th innings when weather entered the area. The two teams picked up on Friday to play the final four innings.
Morehead State scored on a Jacob Ferry single in the top of the 12th before Murray State's Brock Anderson launched his 18th home run of the season in the bottom frame to tie the contest.
An inning later David Hudleson had a bunt single that led to a throwing error, allowing Trey Woosley to come all the way from first base to score on a dramatic walk-off play.
Jordan Cozart hit two home runs and finished the game with five RBI for the Racers.
Jake Jones (7-2) was the winning pitcher, pitching a perfect final inning.
Despite striking out 12 in 4.2 innings of relief, John Bakke (1-3) got the loss.
#1 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6, #2 MURRAY STATE 5
JACKSON, Tenn. - Jevon Mason hit a game-tying three-run home run and Andrew Keck added the game-winning RBI single to lead top-seeded Southeast Missouri (29-19) to a thrilling 6-5 come-from-behind win over second-seeded Murray State (31-24) Friday.
With the win, SEMO advances to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship as the only undefeated team left in this year's four-team field. The Redhawks will play for the title at 4 p.m., CT Saturday and their next opponent is undetermined at this time.
Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, SEMO rallied for four two-out runs to bury the Racers. The Redhawks mounted their late comeback after going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Peyton Leeper singled to center and went to third on a double by Connor Basler. Mason then stepped in and belted Alex Whaley's 1-2 offering opposite field over the right field wall to tie the game.
On the next play, Tyler Wilber reached on a two-out catcher's interference and went to third on a single by Danny Wright. Keck ripped a single through the left side and Wilber scored the winning run.
SEMO wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Mason hit a first-pitch leadoff double, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored the game's first run on a single by Wilber in the bottom of the first inning.
Aided by three-straight two-out hits, MSU tied things up in the top of the second. Alex Crump and Brennan McCullough each singled before Trey Woosley doubled off the right field wall and Crump scored to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
Jordan Cozart, the OVC's second-leading home run hitter, gave the Racers their first lead with a solo home run to start the fourth. Ahead 3-2 in the count, Cozart homered to left center giving MSU a 2-1 edge.
MSU extended its lead to 4-1 in the top of the sixth with the help of an RBI-triple by Crump and a run-scoring single by McCullough.
Wade Stauss clobbered the first pitch of the bottom of the sixth inning for a home run to right field, his third round-tripper of the tournament.
The Racers had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh and came away with their final run when Bryson Bloomer touched home on a wild pitch.
Reliever Austin Williams (2-3) earned his first career postseason win. Williams gave up two hits, struck out one and did not allow a walk in 2.2 scoreless innings. He recorded the last three outs of the game after giving up a leadoff single in the ninth.
Jack Wenninger (4-5) took the loss out of MSU's bullpen. Wenninger scattered two hits, including the RBI-single to Keck.
Offensively, SEMO posted 12 hits. Wright went 3-for-4 to lead four different Redhawks with multiple-hits. Mason finished at 2-for-4 with two runs, a walk and three RBI, while Stauss and Leeper each added two hits and scored a run.
SEMO is in pursuit of its fourth OVC Tournament title in program history and advances to the OVC Championship round for the first time since 2016. This year marks the Redhawks 10th OVC Tournament Championship appearance all-time.
#4 AUSTIN PEAY 3, #3 MOREHEAD STATE 1
JACKSON, Tenn. - Starting pitcher Drew McIllwain put together his best outing of the season at just the right time of the season, leading Austin Peay State University’s baseball team to a 3-1 victory to eliminate Morehead State in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship, Friday, in The Ballpark at Jackson.
Austin Peay (23-32) advances to face Murray State in a noon, Saturday elimination game. The winner of that game advances to the championship round to face regular-season champion Southeast Missouri at 4 p.m., Saturday. Southeast Missouri advanced to the championship round with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory against Murray State earlier Friday.
But back to Friday and the story of the day as McIllwain (2-3) provided 7.1 innings of relief and he held the Eagles scoreless for the first seven innings. After allowing an inning-ending double in the second, he did not allow another base hit until a one-out double in the eighth – a stretch of 18 batters where he did not allow a runner in scoring position.
Meanwhile, third baseman Gino Avros was doing what leadoff hitters should do in big games – get on base and score. He reached base and scored as the leadoff batter in the first, third and eighth innings to account for all three runs.
Avros led off the game with a walk advanced around the bases on an error and a ground out before center fielder Garrett Spain drove him in with a single. In the third, Avros again walked, advanced two bases on a Spain single and scored on first baseman Bobby Head’s single. Then in the eighth, he singled and advanced on a sacrifice bunt before head again drove him in with a single.
Morehead State (24-23) had an opportunity to get on the board in both the first and second innings. A one-out single and a walk put two on board in the first but McIllwain got back-to-back fly outs to end the frame. In the second, a one-out walk nearly scored on left fielder Jacob Ferry’s double to right fielder Skyler Luna, but the Govs defense made a highlight-reel worthy relay play to cut the runner down at home to secure the shutout.
The Eagles would not threaten again until the eighth inning. Second baseman Bryce Hensor doubled center fielder Ryley Preece walked, and third baseman Stephen Hill was hit by a pitch to load the bases – ending McIllwain’s outing.
Austin Peay turned to reliever Tucker Weaver who got off to a rough start when he issued a walk to the first batter he faced, driving in a run. However, he induced a critical ground ball that the Govs turned into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. Weaver returned in the ninth and worked around a two-out single to retire the side and end the game for his season’s first save.
Head led the Govs offense with a 2-for-4, two RBI effort. Spain went 2-for-3 with a RBI. Austin Peay was held to five base hits – all singles – but also earned five walks.
Ferry went 2-for-4 for Morehead State’s only multi-hit outing in a five-hit day. MSU starting pitcher Matt Bettio (2-2) suffered the loss after allowing a run on a hit and two walks while facing only five hitters and recording two outs. Reliever Joe Rokis, the Eagles second reliever, went seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits.