SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Lindenwood 4, Tennessee Tech 3
@Morehead State 4, Western Illinois 3
@UT Martin 6, Little Rock 5
@Southeast Missouri 11, Southern Indiana 1
SIUE 16, @Eastern Illinois 4
LINDENWOOD 4, TENNESSEE TECH 3
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (28-22, 12-11 OVC) came away with their second consecutive walk-off win with a 4-3 victory over Tennessee Tech (17-34, 5-18 OVC) on Saturday afternoon, with senior Jake Radosevich drawing a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to bring home the winning run.
Radosevich went 2-3 on the afternoon, joining Kam Edwards, Will Geary, and Matt Graf with multiple hits, with Geary and Graf also driving in one run apiece.
Seth Benes had another strong start on the mound, giving up just one run on five this with six strikeouts through six innings of work. Easton Rakers (3-3) picked up the win after tossing the game's final 1.1 innings.
Tech's first two batters singled to lead off the top of the first, but the Golden Eagles were only able to score one run in the frame as Landon Smelser came home on a 4-6-3 double play before a Seth Benes strikeout ended the inning.
Lindenwood's first quality scoring chance came in the bottom of the third with the Lions loading the bases with two outs, but they were unable to bring anything across after a loud Filip Sarota flyout the warning track in left center.
After Seth Benes stranded runners on second and third in the top of the fourth with his sixth strikeout of the game, Sam Driscoll drew a lead off walk in the bottom of the frame before stealing second and moving to third on a wild pitch, allowing him to scoring the tying run on a Matt Graf two-out base hit to right field.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kam Edwards led off the frame with a stand-up triple before scoring the go ahead run on a Will Geary base hit to right field. Geary was caught stealing for the second out later in the inning, but Filip Sarota made the score 3-1 with a towering solo home run to left field.
TTU put two on with no outs in the top of the seventh, but Luke Wright entered the game and recorded three consecutive outs to get out of the inning without allowing a run. The Lions preceded to load the bases with three consecutive one-out base hits in the bottom half, but a 6-4-3 double play snuffed out the scoring chance.
The Golden Eagles loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the eighth but were again unable to score any runs after Easton Rakers entered the game and got a fly out to end the inning. However, following a double and single to lead off the top of the ninth, a pair of sacrifice fly outs for Tennessee Tech tied the game at three runs apiece.
Matt Graf answered with a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth before moving to third on an Owen Ralph sacrifice bunt, and after Kam Edwards drew a free pass, Will Geary was intentionally walked to load the bases, bringing Jake Radosevich.
Radosevich showed great discipline to work the count full, and with three ball and two strikes, laid off a ball high an inside to take the free base and bring in the game-winning run to secure the series for Lindenwood.
MOREHEAD STATE 4, WESTERN ILLINOIS 3
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State starter Landon Waugh scattered seven hits and notched a career-high nine strikeouts in a complete game and JJ Dutton delivered a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off 4-3 Saturday night at Allen Field at Prefontaine Park.
Waugh (2-5) allowed just three runs and walked two batters while throwing 117 pitches.
Morehead State (27-23, 11-12 OVC) got a one-out single to right center by first baseman Brayton Coomer to set the table in the bottom of the ninth. Eagle shortstop Jaden Correa followed with a looping liner into right for a single to advance Austyn Peak, pinch-running for Coomer, to third to put runners on the corners. Center fielder JJ Dutton dumped a 2-2 pitch into left field for a walk-off single.
The Eagles got on the board early for the third straight game. Left fielder Davis Germann led off with a double off the screen in right center, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on right fielder Ian McCubbin's swinging bunt infield single with two outs. After a balk by WIU starter Jason Buhl advanced McCubbin to second, MSU catcher Caden Sheridan's liner in center to give MSU an early 2-0 lead.
Western Illinois (17-32, 8-15 OVC) evened up the game in the third inning. First baseman Liam Bushey delivered a two-out single and Leatherneck second baseman Wandel Campana tied it up with an Allen Field special over the screen in center field that traveled 354 feet.
Germann got the Eagles back on top 3-2 with a leadoff home run lined over the screen in center field that Trackman estimated to travel 355 feet.
Waugh was dominant through the middle innings: he wiggled out of a two-jam in the fourth inducing a fly ball to left. He threw a clean fifth getting two fly outs to deep left center and closing out the inning with a strikeout and struck out the side in the top of the sixth.
WIU's Buhl matched Waugh's effort, pitching clean fourth and fifth innings. Leatherneck Cade Sonoqui allowed just two hits through two outs in the eighth to keep WIU within a run.
WIU evened the score and threatened a big inning in the top of the seventh. Left fielder Gage Hoover led off with a nine-pitch walk. Shortstop Joshua McClintock blooped a single down the left field line. WIU catcher Krayton Morse followed with a fly to shallow right field. McCubbin cut down Hoover at the plate and McClintock was gunned down at third base attempting to advance for a 9-2-5 triple play.
Western Illinois tied it up in the eighth when center fielder Joe Connolly led off with a triple down the right field line and scored on Bushey's sacrifice fly to left.
WIU reliever Eric Rawlings (2-4) took the loss. He got the last out in the eighth and one out in the ninth. He allowed four hits and struck out one MSU batter.
UT MARTIN 6, LITTLE ROCK 5
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team battled for its six seniors today and won a back-and-forth affair over Little Rock 6-5 at Skyhawk Field.
The win tied the division one program record for victories in a single season with 25.
TJ Grines (two doubles, RBI, two stolen bases) snagged his 60th stolen base of the season while leading the Skyhawks (25-25, 10-13 Ohio Valley Conference) in hits with three. Colten Payton (home run, two RBIs) and Andrew Davis (run scored) collected multi-hit games as UT Martin outhit the Trojans 10-5.
Cason Sharp (4-5) spun his second straight complete game of the season and first nine-inning complete game of the year. The righty struck out four with no walks allowed and went the distance by throwing just 89 pitches.
With a 0-0 game in the bottom of the third, Andrew Lawrence brought Grines home for the game’s first run to give the Skyhawks the first lead of the bout. Sharp sat down 12 of the first 13 Little Rock (29-22, 15-8) batters he would face and posted a 1-2-3 frame in the fifth to keep UT Martin in the lead.
The Trojans pulled in front during the top of the sixth but went scoreless in the seventh after Sharp induced two flyouts and a groundout. Down by two in the seventh, the Skyhawks sparked a rally that began from a pinch-hit lead-off home run off the bat of Cameron Greene. Grines drove in the game-tying run on a double, and against two outs and an 0-1 count with a runner on second, Payton lifted a skyscraping shot over the wall in left field for a go-ahead two-run homer.
Little Rock knotted the game up at the start of the eighth, and we went to the home half tied at five. Davis found himself standing 90 feet away with two outs when a pitch went to the backstop and allowed him to come home for UT Martin to take the lead, 6-5.
In the ninth, Sharp put the cherry on top to his complete game by retiring the Trojans in order that gave the Skyhawks a Senior Day triumph.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 11, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (34-16, 14-9 OVC) secured a decisive 11-1 victory over Southern Indiana (25-25, 8-15 OVC) on Saturday at Capaha Field in seven innings. The Redhawks' offense was bolstered by ten hits and three doubles, while their pitching staff allowed just one run and eight hits over seven innings.
The Redhawks opened the game strongly, scoring three runs in the first inning. Caleb Klein singled to center field and stole second, followed by Cal Sullivan walking. Joe Hall's double to right center brought Klein home, and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Lopetegui allowed Sullivan to score. Carson Schrack completed the scoring with a sacrifice bunt, bringing Hall in for the third run. The Redhawks led 3-0 at the end of the first inning.
In the second inning, Klein singled again and advanced to third on a fielder's choice. He scored on Schrack's single through the right side, extending their lead to 4-0 after two innings.
The Screaming Eagles managed to score in the third inning with a solo home run by Martin, P., but the Redhawks responded when Brooks Kettering doubled and later scored on Hall's single to left field, making it 5-1 through three innings.
The Redhawks added another run in the fourth inning. Andrew Ramirez walked and scored on a single by Kettering, increasing the lead to 6-1.
In the sixth inning, SEMO capitalized on a double by Dakot Joggerst, who later scored on a single by Tank Sims, bringing the score to 7-1.
The seventh inning saw the Redhawks solidify their lead with four more runs. Klein and Sullivan were both hit by pitches, and Klein advanced to third on a wild pitch. Schrack walked, bringing in Klein, and Ramirez also walked to score Sullivan. A two-RBI single by Sims capped the inning, making the score 11-1.
SIUE 16, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4
CHARLESTON, Ill. - SIUE baseball made its 50th game of the season a memorable one. The Cougars homered eight times while toppling several records on their way to a series win. SIUE routed Eastern Illinois 16-4 to win the series and strengthen their hold on first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
SIUE has won seven in a row and improved to 17-6 in the OVC and has a two-game lead in the league. The Cougars are 29-21, establishing a new program high for wins in a season at the Division I level.
Eastern Illinois fell to 15-8 in the OVC and 28-17 overall.
Chase Bloomer finished the game 3-6 with a home run and two RBIs and broke SIUE's Division I hits record along the way. He now has 233 for his career.
Ryan Niedzwiedz enjoyed the first three-homer game of his career on his way to setting the program record for home runs in a season with 24. The third blast also tied SIUE's single-game record of three homers in a game, last achieved by Bloomer last season. Already the program leader in home runs, Niedzwiedz now has 43 for his career.
Daniel Gierer recorded the first multi-homer game of his career, hitting two and finishing 4-5 with three RBIs.
Cooper Eggert homered and finished with two hits and three RBIs. Brenden Fry finished with a homer, two hits and two RBIs. Mack Mitchell finished with 2 hits and an RBI.
The first four Cougar hitters came up with hits Saturday, with Chase Bloomer putting the Cougars on top with a double to score Daniel Gierer, who doubled to start the game. Ryan Niedzwiedz then hit his first home run of the game to put the Cougars up 3-0.
Niedzwiedz's second blast came with one out in the third to make it 4-0.
The Panthers got on the board with an unearned run in bottom of the third.
Ethan Willoughby walked to start the fourth inning and Eggert followed with a two-run home run to right center to extend SIUE's lead to 6-1.
Bloomer's record hit came with one out in the fourth, as he singled through the right side of the infield.
The Panthers trimmed the lead back to 6-3 with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth inning.
A four-run fifth inning made it a 10-3 Cougar lead. A sacrifice fly from Sean Kang and an infield RBI-hit from Brenden Fry brought home runs before Gierer connected on his fifth home run, a two-run shot, to left field. A single by Mack Mitchell and an error allowed Joshua Heyder to score in the sixth to make it 11-3.
The Panthers picked up another run in the bottom of the seventh when Brett Stanley doubled off SIUE starter Tim Teixeira.
Teixeira (7-5) worked seven innings allowing four runs, three of them earned, on four hits. He struck out four in the win. Brennen Grams tossed two scoreless innings in relief to finish the game. He struck out four.
Niedzwiedz led off the eighth inning with his third home run of the day to break the Cougars' single-season record and push the lead to 12-4. Cooper Eggert added an RBI single in the inning to make it13-4.
Fry, Gierer and Bloomer hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to lead off the ninth inning.
In all, SIUE outhit EIU 18-4 for the game.