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On day three of the 2007 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship, Samford won twice to stave off elimination while No. 1 seed Austin Peay won for the second time in two days to advance to Saturday's championship game.
No. 4 seed Samford started the day off with a 8-4 victory over Eastern Kentucky, topping the Colonels for the second time two days. The Bulldogs had to turn around and play again and this time eliminated Southeast Missouri with a 5-1 victory. The nightcap proved to be a dandy, as Austin Peay got a 8 1/3 inning performance from senior lefty Matt Reynolds in topping No. 2 seed Jacksonville State 2-1. Reynolds limited the League's top hitting team to just four hits.
Samford and JSU will meet in Saturday's first game (12 p.m.) with the winner facing Austin Peay at 3:30 p.m. in the Championship game. Should APSU falter in that contest, the second championship game would happen on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Game 6 ? #4 Samford 9, #5 Eastern Kentucky 4
PADUCAH, Ky. - Garrett Rice hit a seventh-inning grand slam, propelling Samford to a 9-4 victory over Eastern Kentucky, Friday afternoon, at Brooks Stadium. The Bulldogs advance to face Southeast Missouri in Friday's second game.
The game was tied, 4-4, in the seventh when Eastern Kentucky reliever McKenzie Willoughby allowed a pair of lead-off singles to put runners on first and second. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runners and Louis Rojas was intentionally walked to load the bases. The Colonels brought the infield in to force a play at the plate and Rice homered with a full count, putting Samford ahead, 8-4.
The Bulldogs would plate another run in the eighth, taking advantage of an EKU miscue and a sacrifice fly to score Bill Whitehead - who led off the inning with a double.
Willoughby (4-4) was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs on four hits in 2.1 innings. Tony Wells led the Colonels at the plate, going 3-for-4. Matt Davis added two hits and Joe Oliver hit a two-run blast - his only hit of the game - in the fourth inning.
Joseph Edens (4-2) earned the win in relief for Samford, pitching 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. Michael Marseco, Parker Gargis, Rojas and Rice each had two hits.
"It was a great effort by our kids," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "EKU did a really good job early in the game offensively. Chandler (Tidwell) did a nice job, but they battled him. Joseph (Edens) came in and really got the momentum back on our side. Then, we put some great at-bats together late and got a lot of big hits."
"We fought and battled them all the way," EKU head coach Elvis Dominguez said. "In the end it came down to that one big swing from [Garrett] Rice."
Game 7 ? #4 Samford 5, #3 Southeast Missouri 1
PADUCAH, Ky. ? John Morgan broke open a pitcher’s duel with a two-run triple, as fourth-seeded Samford pulled off the first upset in game seven of the 2007 O’Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship with a 5-1 victory against third-seeded Southeast Missouri, Friday afternoon at Brooks Stadium.
Samford (32-27) advances to game nine of the championship to be played at noon, Saturday, against the loser of the Austin Peay-Jacksonville State contest.
Southeast Missouri (32-24) is eliminated from the championship.
Samford starter Eric Lassiter surrendered the game’s first run after surrendering a one-out base on balls. After a Matt Wagner single, Asif Shah flied out to left field, allowing the run to score. He made way for reliever Doug Denson who held Southeast Missouri in check over the next four innings, allowing just two runners to reach second base.
Southeast Missouri starter Josh Syberg retired the first seven batters he faced and only allowed two hits in the first five innings. Samford broke through in the eighth when Jake Peavy singled to start the inning. He moved to second after Luis Rojas was issued a base on balls and the pair advanced one base on a sacrifice bunt. A Southeast Missouri error allowed the runner at third to score, tying the game.
In the ninth, Samford got back-to-back one out singles from Bear Burnett and Parker Gargis, chasing Syberg. Reliever Josh Parham was rudely greeted with a two-run triple by John Morgan, breaking the tie. Bill Whitehead followed with a double, scoring Morgan and chasing Parham. Ivan Nails came in and surrendered a double to Marseco before getting out of the inning.
Syberg (4-4), making a career-long 8.1 inning start, was left with the loss after allowing three runs on nine hits. Shah led the Redhawks offense with a 2-for-4 performance.
Denson (5-1) picked up the victory after throwing five innings of scoreless relief in which he allowed just two hits. Lassiter left with no decision after allowing one run on four hits over four-plus innings. Morgan led the Bulldogs with a 2-for-4, two RBI performance while Whitehead and Burnett each had two hits.
“I’m not sure what happened, but we put together five great at-bats together in a row in the eighth,” Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. “(Syberg) did a great job, and really that’s the second time in a row he has pitched well against us. For whatever reason, we have had a hard time against him. Garrett (Rice) and Kyle (Krebs) did a great job in the eighth of getting us started, putting some pressure on him and getting to their bullpen. And then, John Morgan’s hit was really what broke it open.”
"(Syberg) pitched a game certainly good enough to win, but unfortunately he will be the losing pitcher in the game,” said Southeast Missouri head coach Mark Hogan. “We just had trouble scoring runs in this tournament; you’ve got to tip your hat to the pitching in the OVC.”
Game 8 - #1 Austin Peay 2, #2 Jacksonville State 1
PADUCAH, Ky. - Matt Reynolds limited Jacksonville State to four hits, leading Austin Peay to a 2-1 victory in game eight of the 2007 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship, Friday night, at Brooks Stadium.
Jacksonville State (32-26) falls into the loser's bracket and will meet Samford in a noon, Friday, contest. Austin Peay (38-20) advances to the championship series and will meet the winner of the Jacksonville State-Samford contest in a 3:30 p.m. affair.
Reynolds (10-3) was the story as he limited the OVC's best hitting team to one run on four hits while striking out seven over 8.1 innings. Reliever David Vicini recorded the final two outs for his season's second save. It is the second consecutive game the Governors pitching staff has not permitted a base on balls.
"Matt came in and threw a gem," said Austin Peay head coach Gary McClure. "He had a little trouble in the first but after that he was lights out. He kept the hitters off balance, he hit his spots and it was really great to send a senior out there and have him carry us on his back. Jacksonville State is a great team and they did a great job getting out of the eighth, we beat a great pitcher in Donovan Hand tonight."
Jacksonville State starter Donovan Hand (7-8) also threw a gem, surrendering two runs while scattering 10 hits and striking out six in the complete-game performance.
"This was a great college baseball game," said Jacksonville State head coach Jim Case. "Donovan pitched well, their guy pitched well and there weren't a lot of hard-hit balls. Of (Austin Peay's) 10 hits, I bet you can't remember two of them. Donovan pitched his heart out tonight, but he just wasn't good enough, and that's okay. He gave everything he had."
JSU's offense broke through in the first frame as Bert Smith led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Clay Whittemore's single. However, after that single Reynolds retired nine consecutive batters and allowed just two hits the rest of the way.
Austin Peay posted its two runs in the fourth, with back-to-back one out singles by Tyler Farrar and Jake Lane. Then, with two out, Matt Smith and Josh Kemph both rapped out consecutive run-scoring singles. The Govs had an opportunity to open the game up in the ninth, loading the bases with three consecutive singles and no outs. But Hand responded with a strikeout, fly out and foul fly to end the threat.