FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Charleston Southerrn 17,
Eastern Kentucky 4
@Austin Peay 4, Iowa 2
Texas Southern 4,
Eastern Illinois 3 (Jackson, Miss.)
@Kennesaw State 11,
Jacksonville State 6
Illinois 13,
@Tennessee Tech 2
@Belmont 4, Valparaiso 3
Morehead State 11, @Alabama A&M 0
@Lipscomb 7,
SIUE 4
@Central Arkansas 10,
Murray State 1
@Southeastern Louisiana 5,
UT Martin 4
Southeast Missouri 7, @New Orleans 4
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 17, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Eastern Kentucky jumped out to a 4-0 lead in its season opener at Charleston Southern, but the Buccaneers scored 17 unanswered to take a 17-4 win.
The first three innings of the 2013 season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for the Colonels. Austin Grisham took the first pitch of the game and drove it into right field for a single. Two batters later he scored on a Bryan Soloman single.
EKU added three more in the third. With the bases loaded and one out, freshman Kyle Nowlin singled through the left side for his first collegiate hit and a 2-0 Eastern lead. A wild pitch platted another run before Sean Hagen’s sacrifice fly made it 4-0 in favor of the visitors.
Starter Anthony Bazzani didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, including striking out the side in the second.
CSU took advantage of two EKU errors to cut its deficit in half in the bottom of the fourth. John Faircloth singled in a run and then later scored on a fielding error. The Buccaneers added another run in the fifth before exploding for 11 runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings.
Bobby Ison had a two-run single in a 5-run sixth. Drew Woodall and Jaren Sustar had a pair of two-run singles in a 6-run seventh inning. Charleston Southern pushed across three more in the eighth.
The Colonels finished with five errors. Only 10 of CSU’s 17 runs were earned. Bazzani (0-1) allowed seven runs, six of which were earned, on seven hits over five innings. He struck out six. Cameron Langfels surrendered nine runs in one and two-thirds innings, but only three were earned.
Soloman had two hits in four at bats, a run scored and one driven in. Matt Phipps went 2-for-3.
Tory Schroff (1-0) earned the win after pitching three innings of hitless relief. Ison finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Woodall went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs.
AUSTIN PEAY 4, IOWA 2
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Starting pitcher Lee Ridenhour struck out seven batters over seven innings and catcher P.J. Torres hit for three parts of the cycle as Austin Peay’s baseball team opened the 2013 campaign with a 4-2 victory against Iowa, Friday afternoon at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Ridenhour began the game impressively – retiring Iowa in order in the first. His found his only trouble of the day in the second when he hit two batters and Iowa capitalized on third baseman Nick Day’s single for a 1-0 lead.
However, Ridenhour settled in again and worked around errors in both the third and fourth innings before retiring the side in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Iowa attempted to shake the Govs starter in the fifth as the first two batters attempted bunts to reach base, but third baseman Kevin Corey gunned down both runners on bang-bang plays at the bag.
Austin Peay’s offense also applied pressure from the opening at-bat as left fielder Rolando Gautier singled to start the bottom of the first. The Govs would eventually have two runners on with one out, but shortstop Reed Harper lined into an inning-ending double play.
The Govs didn’t allow the missed opportunity to dull their resolve as they struck for two runs in both the second and third innings. Left fielder Cody Hudson started the second with a one-out triple and was followed by Torres who hit a two-out triple, scoring Hudson to tie the game. Center fielder Dylan Riner followed with an RBI single to give the Govs the lead.
Austin Peay’s two-run third inning was assisted by a walk issued to Gautier, second baseman Jordan Hankins being hit by a pitch with one out and Harper reaching on an error that scored the eventual game-winning run. First baseman Craig Massoni added a RBI groundout to close the Govs scoring.
The game turned into a pitcher’s duel over the final five innings. Austin Peay would surrender a run in the seventh when reliever Kacy Kemmer surrendered a pair of base hits, including a two-out RBI single to shortstop Jacob Yacinich. Iowa’s staff combined for five scoreless innings, but it was too little too late.
Ridenhour picked up the victory in his Govs debut, allowing one run on one hit over seven innings while striking out seven and walking none. Rogers picked up the season-opening save after retiring Iowa in order in the ninth.
Torres finished the night 3-for-3 with a RBI, following his triple with a fourth-inning single and a sixth-inning double before Iowa intentionally walked him in the eighth. Riner went 2-for-4 with a RBI while Harper extended his hit streak to seven games with an eighth-inning single.
Iowa starter Sasha Kuebel was tagged for the loss after allowing four runs on five hits while striking out six over five innings. The Hawkeyes’ offense was held to three hits, with Yacinich finishing 1-for-4 with a RBI and Day going 1-for-3 with a RBI.
TEXAS SOUTHERN 4, EASTERN ILLINOIS 3
JACKSON, Miss. - The Panther baseball team dropped its season opener, 4-3, against Texas Southern on Friday afternoon at Braddy Field. EIU will have a rematch with the Tigers at noon on Saturday before facing tournament host Jackson State at 6 p.m.
Tied at two in the top of the eighth inning, newcomer Demetre Taylor hit a solo home run to put the Panthers up, 3-2. Texas Southern responded in the bottom of the frame when De’Mario Thibodeaux crossed home plate on a Panther throwing error. Thibodeaux eventually hit the game-winning RBI single for the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth, giving Texas Southern the opening-day victory.
“It was a tough loss,” said Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz. “I thought the first six or seven innings we played really well. Matt Borens was excellent today and did a great job for us in his first outing of the season.”
Borens, in his fourth career start, went 5.1 innings with two strikeouts and one walk. The sophomore pitcher allowed eight hits and only two runs (one earned). Newcomer Jaden Widdersheim (0-1) took the loss in his first appearance with the Panthers, allowing one run and three hits in one inning of work.
The Tigers posted four more hits (11-7) than EIU and had one fewer error (2-1). Texas Southern left 13 runners on base while the Panthers stranded five base runners.
Sophomore Brant Valach went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI for the Panthers. Senior Nick Priessman also added a run and an RBI.
KENNESAW STATE 11, JACKSONVILLE STATE 6
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kal Simmons and Jacob Bruce each drove in three runs to lead Kennesaw State to an 11-6 win over Jacksonville State in the season opener for both teams on Friday.
Travis Dean (1-0) scattered four hits over four innings to earn the win for the Owls, while Taylor Shields gave up five runs in 3 1/3 innings to suffer the loss for the Gamecocks.
Kennesaw State (1-0) took the early lead after Simmons and Bruce each had a RBI double, and Peyton Hart followed with an RBI infield bunt to give the Owls the early 3-0 lead in the third inning.
Jax State (0-1) got on the board in the fourth inning after Andrew Bishop drew a two-out walk and moved to second on Zach Elbirt's single to center field. Tyler Gamble walked to load the bases, before Chase Silvani singled through the left side to score Bishop and cut the lead to 3-1.
The Owls answered in the home half of the fourth inning after Simmons drove in a pair of runs with a single to left field and then added another run in the fifth inning after Bo Way led off with a solo home run to give the Owls a 6-1 lead.
The Gamecocks cut the lead to 6-2 in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Eddie Mora-Loera that scored Elbirt, but Kennesaw Sate added two in the seventh and three more in the eighth inning to build an 11-2 lead.
Jax State took advantage of a pair of walks and three hit-by-pitch, while Michael Bishop and Elbirt each drove in a run as the Gamecocks scored four runs in the ninth inning for the final margin.
Bishop and Mora-Loera each had two hits to lead the Gamecocks, who finished the game with nine hits on the day.
ILLINOIS 13, TENNESSEE TECH 2
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Despite chilly and wet weather, there was a great atmosphere for the Tennessee Tech baseball team on Opening Day Friday, as more than 400 fans gathered to see the Golden Eagles kick off the 2013 season against the Fighting Illini of Illinois.
The Illini took the first of a three-game series, 13-2, collecting 16 hits in their season-opening victory. A senior pitcher and starter for Illinois, Kevin Johnson threw six strong innings, surrendering nine hits and one run while striking out six and walking one. The bullpen for the Illini played very well, allowing just two hits and one run over the final three innings.
Left fielder Jordan Parr led Illinois with three RBI on three hits in six trips to the plate. He also scored two runs.
Tech put together 11 hits in the contest, with four Golden Eagles securing two hits apiece. Dylan Bosheers, a sophomore shortstop, recorded both RBI for TTU in the contest, hitting a single in the fourth inning and roping a double into left field.
Lead-off man Zach Zarzour (in photo) grabbed hits in his first two at-bats of the afternoon. The second baseman finished with two hits on the day. Seniors James Abraham and Michael Morris each collected two hits for the Golden Eagles, as well.
Senior ace Tristan Archer took the loss for the Golden Eagles, giving up four earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched. He finished with two strikeouts.
Nick Price, a senior right hander, pitched 3.1 innings in relief for Tech, giving up just four hits and striking out four batters.
BELMONT 4, VALPARAISO 3
NASHVILLE - Behind a triple in the first inning from senior Judah Akers, sophomore Scott Moses scored the first run for the Bruins in 2013. The Belmont Bruins (1-0, 0-0), defeated Valparaiso, 4-3.
Senior Chase Brookshire (1-0) earned the start and the win for the Bruins. He struck out the first side and in the second, the left-hander struck out the first two batters before giving up his only walk of the outing. Brookshire then picked off a runner to end the inning, to maintain Belmont's 1-0 lead over the Crusaders.
Through five innings, Brookshire struck out eight and gave up three hits.
Behind a Neil Hickman double, Josh Davis crossed the plate to put Belmont up 2-0 in the fourth.
Senior Jessie Snodgrass came on to relieve Brookshire in the sixth inning. Snodgrass continued to keep Valparaiso scoreless. The right hander struck out a pair of batters and gave up two hits in his 1.1 innings of work.
Josh Davis, who started game as the designated hitter, saw some action on the mound tonight. The senior right hander avoided a bases loaded situation to hold Belmont's lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, freshman Dom Veltri singled up the middle for his first collegiate hit in the bottom of the seventh. Moses and sophomore Jamie Ritchie scored for the Bruins to extend their lead, 4-0
Moses, who started at the short stop position, took the mound in the bottom of the eighth to strike out the first batter he faced in the 2013 season. After walking one and hitting a batter, the right hander gave up the first run of the game.
Despite a late rally from Valparaiso who scored scored two runs in the top of the ninth, to make it a one-run ballgame, the Bruins held off the Crusaders to win, 4-3, on opening day.
MOREHEAD STATE 11, ALABAMA A&M 0
NORMAL, Ala. - Sophomore right-hander Aaron Goe fired seven scoreless innings on Friday afternoon and the Morehead State baseball team pounded out 20 hits in an 11-0 victory over Alabama A&M at Joe Davis Stadium.
The game was the season opener for both schools.
Sophomore right fielder Brandon Rawe led five Morehead State players with multiple hits. He finished 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBI.
Junior designated hitter Bobby Burns (3-for-4, 2 R), junior second baseman Jeff Birkofer (3-for-3, 2 R), senior catcher Drew Williams (2-4, 1 R) and freshman third baseman Alan Mocahbee (2-for-5, 1 R) all recorded more than one hit for the Eagles.
Goe, who earned the win, scattered seven hits, while walking just one and striking out three.
Morehead State loaded the bases in the top of the third with three consecutive singles. Senior center fielder Taylor Pickens then forced home MSU’s first run with a walk. Senior shortstop Chase Greenwell followed with a sacrifice fly before Rawe capped the inning with a run-scoring single.
The Eagles added five runs in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the ninth. The fifth was highlighted by sophomore first baseman Kane Sweeney’s two-run double and Rawe’s two-run triple.
Alabama A&M sophomore right-hander Josh Freeman, who allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, was tagged with the loss. The Bulldogs collected eight hits, but seven were just singles.
LIPSCOMB 7, SIUE 4
NASHVILLE - SIUE baseball opened its 2013 season with a four-run first inning. Lipscomb answered with a run in its half of the first, three in the second and three more in the fifth on its way to a 7-4 victory over the Cougars.
Travis Becherer homered to start the game. James Vazquez and Matt Highland each followed with singles. Joel Greatting was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Chase Green singled with one out to drive home Vazquez to make it 2-0 SIUE. Nick Lombardo followed with an RBI-single to make it 3-0 Cougars. Then with two outs and the bases loaded Brian Sipe drew a walk to put SIUE on top 4-0.
Lipscomb starter Josh Cotham (1-0) settled in to toss 4.1 innings. He allowed just a single hit after the first inning.
The Bisons (1-0) got on the board in the bottom of the first when Zach Lowery homered off SIUE starter Travis Felax. Lipscomb scored three times on four hits and an error in the second to tie the score, 4-4.
Felax lasted four innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits. He struck out one.
Freshman P.J. Schuster followed Felax to start the fifth inning. The Bisons scored three times on four hits in the inning to go up 7-4. Schuster did not allow a hit after the fifth. He struck out three and walked one.
Highland led the Cougars at the plate. He finished 3-4 with a run scored. No other player had more than a hit.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 10, MURRAY STATE 1
CONWAY, Ark. - Murray State got on the board early before Central Arkansas broke open the close game in the middle innings to hand the Breds a 10-1 defeat Friday afternoon in the 2013 season opener at Bears Stadium.
The Bears (1-0) got on the board in the first inning as a slow roller to third and a single to right center put runners on the corners. After a walk loaded the bases, Doug Votaloto drove in a run with a fielder’s choice to second. The damage could have been worse on the play if it hadn’t been for the diving stop by Dylan Wheeler to get the out at second.
The Breds (0-1) were able to quickly tie the game as Mike Kozlowski started the second by reaching on a fielding error by the second baseman. Brandon Eggenschwiler put runners on the corners as he found a hole on the right side. With one out, Noah Zipko delivered a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score Kozlowski from third to tie the game.
UCA was able to regain the lead in the third inning as Jonathan Davis and Michael Marietta delivered back-to-back two-out doubles into the left-field corner.
The Bears pushed across two runs in the fifth inning despite collecting only one hit in the frame. A pair of hit by pitches loaded the bases before a wild pitch scored one run. A walk loaded the bases back up and Garrett Brown drew a bases-loaded walk to score the second run.
MSU fell further behind in the sixth as a pair of singles to start the inning set the stage for two runs to score. A bases-loaded wild pitch allowed one run to score before a sacrifice fly into the left-field corner scored the second run. UCA continued to stretch its lead in the seventh as they scored a pair of runs for the third-straight inning.
Will Handlin (0-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits and three strikeouts over 4.2 innings. Caleb McClanahan (1-0) picked up the victory after allowing just one unearned run on five hits and three strikeouts over seven innings.
Kozlowski led the offense by going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Eggenschwiler collected a pair of hits.
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 5, UT MARTIN 4
HAMMOND, La. - The University of Tennessee at Martin saw all nine position players reach base safely at Southeastern Louisiana, but the Lions held on for a narrow 5-4 win this evening in the season opener for both squads.
The Skyhawks trailed 4-0 after two innings but came back to tie the contest after five frames. Southeastern Louisiana – who received votes in a pair of national preseason polls – then scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to give the Lions a 5-4 lead that stood up for the duration of the contest.
Senior Grant Glasser went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored out of the leadoff spot to lead seven Skyhawks who recorded a hit. Matt Haynes scored two runs and drove in a run this evening, while Matt Young drove in a run and Sonny Mastromatteo crossed the plate for UT Martin.
On the mound, Skyhawk starter Dan Tobik fanned five batters through four innings but received a no-decision after conceding three earned runs. Newcomer Chris Ross registered a pair of strikeouts while allowing just one hit in 2.2 scoreless innings. Carter Smith was hit with the hard-luck loss after allowing an unearned run in 1.1 frames.
Southeastern Louisiana took advantage of five hits and a Skyhawk error to push across four runs in the bottom of the second. However, UT Martin got two runs back in the top of the third. Mastromatteo led things off with a single and came around to score when Haynes guided the first pitch he saw for an opposite field double to right center. Glasser then stroked a one-out double to score Haynes and slice the Skyhawk deficit to 4-2.
Tobik pitched around trouble in the third, fanning a pair while getting some help from his battery mate Ben Brewer, who threw out a would-be basestealer at second base. Tobik then shut out the Lions in his fourth and final inning, departing after tossing 76 pitches.
The Skyhawks would even the score in the fifth. Haynes drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Brewer. Glasser followed with a single to put baserunners on the corners with one out. Young then reached on a sacrifice, plating Haynes. Glasser would come around to score the tying run on a Southeastern Louisiana error, knotting the score at 4-all.
Smith kept Southeastern Louisiana off the scoreboard in the bottom-half of the fifth, inducing a pair of groundouts and a flyout.
UT Martin nearly went ahead in the sixth. After Wade Collins reached on a single and Mastromatteo was issued a walk, Brewer lifted a 2-2 pitch deep to the warning track but the ball was retrieved by Lions left fielder Ladd Rhodes to end the Skyhawks’ potential rally.
Southeastern Louisiana scored the unearned run in the sixth before Ross came in and retired five of his first six batters to begin a successful UT Martin debut.
The Skyhawks would get two baserunners aboard in the seventh but couldn’t manufacture a run. UT Martin also generated the tying runs in both the eighth and ninth innings before time ran out on the Skyhawk comeback.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7, NEW ORLEANS 4
NEW ORLEANS - The Southeast Missouri baseball team scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning on their way to a 7-4 win over New Orleans in the 2013 season opener on Friday evening at Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans, La.
Sophomore Dalton Hewitt drove in what proved to be the game winning run in the top of the ninth ining as interim head coach Steve Bieser earned his first win at the helm of the Redhawks.
Freshman Alex Winkelman earned the win in his first collegiate appearance going 2.1 innings with three strikeouts. Senior Bobby Hurst earned the save throwing a scoreless ninth as he recorded a pair of strikeouts.
Junior Derek Gibson finished the contest with a pair of hits in four at-bats including a home run and three RBI to lead Southeast offensively.
Sophomore Jason Blum opened the season with a texas league double down the right field line. Blum was driven in by Gibson later in the first inning on a groundball to short.
Andy Lennington followed Gibson with a triple off the right center field fence. Freshman Branden Boggetto drove in Lennington on a single down the left field line, in his first career at-bat to give the Redhawks a 2-0 lead.
The Privateers got on the board in the bottom of the second inning with back-to-back doubles to cut the Redhawks' lead to 2-1.
Gibson responded in the top of the third inning with a solo blast over the right field fence for Southeast's first round tripper of the season to make it 3-1.
UNO's Seth Laigast tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the fourth inning after recording a double earlier in the game.
New Orleans would load the bases after a pair of walks by Southeast starter Luke Shearrow in the bottom of the fifth inning as they threatened to take their first lead, but Tony Zerrusen relieved Shearrow and earned an inning ending double play to keep the contest tied at 3-3.
The Privateers took a 4-3 lead on an RBI single by Zach Liberto to center field as they took their first lead of the contest in the bottom of the seventh inning.
A pair of newcomers started a Southeast rally in the top of the ninth inning as Boggetto and Tyler Boxwell drew walks to open the frame. The two true freshman would score on Hewitt's double down the right field line as the Redhawks took a 5-4 lead.
The hit by Hewitt was the first by a Redhawk since Gibson's homer in the third inning.
Southeast added a run on a wild pitch followed by an RBI single from Gibson to give the Redhawks' a 7-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
Hurst pitched the final frame for the Redhawks earning the save, but it did not come easy as the Privateers loaded the bases. Hurst regained his composer late as he struck out the final two batters of the game to earn the save and the win for the Redhawks.
Garrett Manning was tagged with the loss for UNO going an inning allowing four earned runs on three walks and one hit.
Shearrow went 4.1 innings in his first start with the Redhawks with four strikeouts as he allowed six hits and three earned runs.
Catcher Brian Dixon was 3-for-5 for UNO to lead the Privateers offensively.