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On day two of the 2007 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Championship the higher seeds - Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Austin Peay - were all winners and stayed alive in the event.
In the day's opener, No. 5 Eastern Kentucky staved off elimination with a 5-2 victory over Murray State. The Thoroughbreds were eliminated from the championship with the defeat. No. 2 seed Jacksonville State opened play in the championship with a 15-2 victory over No. 3 Southeast Missouri in the afternoon game. In that contest, JSU scored 10 runs in the fifth inning to break open the game. In the nightcap, the No. 1 seed and 2007 OVC Regular Season Champions, Austin Peay, opened play with a 5-1 win over No. 4 seed Samford. In that contest, OVC Pitcher of the Year Shawn Kelley tossed the event's first complete game in leading the Govs to the victory.
Friday's play will start at 11 a.m. with an elimination game between Eastern Kentucky and Samford. The winner of that contest will move on to face Southeast Missouri at 2:30 p.m. Friday's nightcap will feature the two top teams in the OVC, as Austin Peay and Jacksonville State will play at 6:30 p.m. Jacksonville State swept Austin Peay in the regular season, however, that was the first Conference series of the year back in March.
Game 3 - #5 Eastern Kentucky 5, #6 Murray State 2
PADUCAH, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky scored in each of the first four innings on its way to a 5-2 victory against Murray State in game four of the 2007 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship, Thursday afternoon, at Brooks Stadium. Eastern Kentucky advances to Game 6 of the championship at 11 a.m., Friday. Murray State is eliminated.
Eastern Kentucky (24-28-1) posted a lone run in each of the first four innings. Lucas Waters and Dylan McMaine had solo home runs in the third and fourth innings, respectively. The Colonels tacked on another run in the seventh on Waters sacrifice fly.
EKU starter Christian Friedrich (5-4) stymied Murray State through the first four innings, striking out six batters the lone base runners coming via three walks and an error. However, Murray State (18-35) scratched out two runs in the fifth inning as Friedrich but the first two batters he faced on base, hitting one batter and walking the second. A Colonels error plated the Thoroughbreds first run and Tyler Pittman's single scored the second run.
However, that was all the damage MSU could do as Friedrich settled back in to pick up the victory after allowing the two unearned runs over seven innings. He struck out 10 batters, walked four and allowed three hits. McKenzie Willoughby pitched the final two innings in scoreless relief for his season's fifth save. Waters finished 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Colonels offensive effort.
"Christian [Friedrich] was a little under the weather, but he went out and competed and gutted it out for us," EKU head coach Elvis Dominguez said. "And our offense was able to go out there and put some early runs on the board."
Murray State starter Anthony Stacy (2-2) went the distance allowing five runs on nine hits. Jamie Leidolf was 2-for-4 for the Thoroughbreds only multi-hit performance.
"Anthony Stacy did pitched well again," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "We couldn't have asked for any more from him. We just couldn't get it done offensively. Christian Friedrich is probably the best pitcher in the league. He's got outstanding stuff, especially his off-speed stuff. We were hoping to get the fast ball and not have to hit his off-speed pitches, and it worked out well for us where we had a lot of deep at-bats."
Eastern Kentucky will face Samford at 11:00 a.m. on Friday morning.
Game #4 - #2 Jacksonville State 15, #3 Southeast Missouri 2
PADUCAH, Ky. - Jacksonville State used a 10-run sixth inning to put away Southeast Missouri, 15-2, at the O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Championship, Thursday, at Brooks Stadium.
"Jacksonville State has a super club and today was their day," Southeast Missouri head coach Mark Hogan said. "They were really on today. Offensively, they executed tremendously well and (JSU starter) Tony Drinkard was outstanding as you would expect."
Southeast Missouri held a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, following a one-out walk with an RBI-double by Daniel Schuh. Jacksonville State plated a pair in the second inning on an RBI-double by Kyle McCreary and an RBI-single by Richard Turner to take a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
The Gamecocks would go on to score three runs in the fourth before delivering the game's big blow, a 10-run sixth inning. Josh Sanders singled up the middle to lead off the inning and the Gamecocks followed with back-to-back bunts and a two-RBI single by Jake Ball. After another bunt by Clay Whittemore, Allen Rose ripped a bases-clearing, three-RBI triple to the right-center alley.
Brian Piazza scored Rose with a double to left field and a Southeast Missouri error accounted for three more Gamecock runs and 15-1 lead. The Redhawks scored once in the seventh, setting the final margin, 15-2.
Drinkard (7-3) picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits, while striking out three in seven innings of work. Ball led JSU at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI. Nick Cleckler, Bert Smith, Sanders, Piazza and Whittemore each had multiple hits for the Gamecocks.
"Tony was real sharp today," JSU head coach Jim Case said. "He worked ahead in the counts. They were swinging at his fastball and he was locating it well. He kept his pitch count down. We made the decision to pull him the seventh because the inning was going on too long. It's nice to have a senior pitcher that's been in this situation before."
Southeast Missouri starter Asif Shah (7-3) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on eight hits in four innings. Five Redhawks had one hit each, with Daryl Graham and Schuh each recording an RBI.
Jacksonville State will meet Austin Peay at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night. Southeast Missouri will play at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, against the winner of the Eastern Kentucky/Samford contest.
Game 5 - #1 Austin Peay 5, #4 Samford 1
PADUCAH, Ky. - Starter Shawn Kelley threw a complete-game seven-hitter to lead Austin Peay to a 5-1 victory against Samford in game five of the 2007 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship, Thursday night, at Brooks Stadium. APSU advances to face Jacksonville State in a 6:30 p.m., Friday, winner's bracket contest. Samford else falls into the loser's bracket and will meet Eastern Kentucky in an 11 a.m., Friday, contest.
Samford (30-27) struck first, scoring its lone run in the first on Parker Gargis' double. However, Kelley retired the next 10 batters he faced before surrendering a double in the fifth. The Bulldogs got runners to third in that fifth inning and again in the sixth, but could not capitalize.
Austin Peay (37-20) had a chance to tie the game in the first, but a base-runner miscue resulted in an out at home. The Govs finally broke through in the third, plating four runs. Ryan Gilboy had a run-scoring single followed by Tyler Farrar's two-run double and Will Hogue's RBI single. APSU used a Samford miscue in the sixth to score its final run.
Kelley (11-3) threw his league-leading eighth complete game, allowing one run on seven hits and struck out five. Rafael Hill and Gilboy each had two hits to lead the Govs eight-hit attack.
"We came out and played a solid game like we have all year," said APSU head coach Gary McClrue. "Shawn had great command he pitched a great game he picked us up in some big situations. We hit the ball hard and gave him the support he needed."
Samford starter David Knapp (3-4) was tagged for the loss after allowing four runs on six hits over the first three innings. Michael Marseco and Louis Rojas each had two hits to lead the Bulldogs attack.
"Shawn Kelley did a great job tonight," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "I think the difference in the game was they were able to put together a big inning and we couldn't."