SUNDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 5, @Eastern Kentucky 4
@Morehead State 10, Murray State 9
@Belmont 6, Southeast Missouri 2
@Austin Peay 8, Arkansas-Little Rock 4
TENNESSEE TECH 5, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
RICHMOND, Ky. - Zach Stephens went 3-for-3 and Seth Lucio pitched 5.1 innings in relief for his second win of the season as the Tennessee Tech baseball team (8-6, 2-1) took down the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-7, 1-2), 5-4, to win its fourth series of the 2013 season.
Only one EKU batter managed multiple hits in the contest. Kenny Hostrander managed two hits for one RBI. Brent Cobb, who pitched six innings for the Colonels picked up his third loss of the season after giving up four runs, three of which were earned.
Tech received production from all over the lineup as four different players recorded RBI against the Colonels. Lead-off man Zach Zarzour, Stephens, Brandon Thomasson, and Daniel Miles all drove in runs as the four players combined for seven of the Golden Eagles' eight hits in the contest.
Eastern Kentucky started things off on the day, grabbing a run in the bottom of the first inning. The Colonels seemed to still be rolling off the adrenaline from the prior contest when they scored 18 runs. Tech quickly changed the atmosphere of the game, however, as Jacob Honea struck out two straight batters to end another scoring threat in the first.
The Golden Eagles quckly picked up their starting pitcher, nabbing two runs of their own in the top of the second off an RBI single by Miles and fielding error by the Colonels' third baseman.
The team struck again in the fourth inning, using a sacrifice fly by Zarzour and single by Stephens to double Tech's run total and extend the lead to 4-1. The runs turned out to be key as EKU scored twice in the fourth inning as well, cutting the lead to just one run.
Lucio entered the contest in the bottom of the fourth in relief and never looked back. He gave up just two hits and one run over the final 5.1 innings, striking out a season-high five batters.
In the ninth inning with Zarzour on second, Eastern Kentucky decided it had seen enough of Stephens for the day, intentionally walking the slugger, who was 3-for-3 with a walk already at that point, to set up a force at third base. Thomasson did not take kindly to the sentiment, lacing an RBI double down the left field line to give the Golden Eagles the eventual game-winning run.
Lucio pitched himself out of a jam in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win for the Golden Eagles and improve their OVC record to 2-1 on the young season.
MOREHEAD STATE 10, MURRAY STATE 9
MASON, Ohio - The Morehead State baseball team won in walk-off fashion for the second straight game, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth to post a 10-9 victory over Murray State on Sunday afternoon at Prasco Park. The win was capped off by a game-winning sacrifice fly from junior left fielder Nick Duff.
The win marked the first three-game series win of the season for the Eagles, who improved to 7-9 overall and 2-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Thoroughbreds fell to 6-9 on the year and 1-2 in the OVC.
The Thoroughbreds jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, driving in all three on a pair of doubles. The Eagles answered in the bottom of the third when freshman first baseman Alan Mocahbee crushed a three-run homer over the left-field wall to tie it up at three.
In the top of the fifth, Murray State collected three straight doubles with two outs to make the score 5-3. Morehead State answered in its next at-bat, scoring three to take a 6-5 lead. Sophomore first baseman Kane Sweeney smacked a triple to center field to drive in two before senior shortstop Chase Greenwell drove Sweeney in with a single to left field.
The Thoroughbreds took the lead back in the top of the eighth, 7-6, driving in the tying run with a double down the left-field line, before taking the lead on a bases-loaded single. They tacked on two more in the top of the ninth, to extend the lead to 9-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Senior center fielder Taylor Pickens singled down the left-field line to score freshman designated hitter Taylor Sears in the bottom of the ninth. Then, with the bases loaded and one out, Mocahbee's walk forced in another run. Greenwell followed with an infield single, scoring Pickens, which brought up Duff for the final play of the game.
Morehead State senior righty Matt Duncan picked up his first win of the season out of the bullpen, getting the final two outs of the game. Murray State right-hander Will Handlin took the loss, giving up four hits and four earned runs in his 2.2 innings.
Sweeney (4-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Greenwell (2-for-4, 2 RBI) notched multi-hit performances for Morehead State.
BELMONT 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
NASHVILLE - Belmont Baseball (11-4, 2-1) won Sunday's rubber game with Southeast Missouri, 6-2. Sophomore Matt Beaty (Dresden, Tenn.) blasted his second home run of the season in the seventh to add an insurance run and preserve the victory.
This was Belmont's first Ohio Valley Conference series win. The Bruins joined the OVC in July.
Southeast Missouri loaded the bases in the first inning with two outs, but junior James Buckelew (Lawrenceville, Ga.) pitched out of the jam, striking out the Redhawks right fielder.
Drew Ferguson (Knoxville, Tenn.) drew a leadoff walk making it the 14th consecutive game he has reached base. Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) singled to right and Jared Breen (Marietta, Ga.) hit an RBI single to center to put the Bruins on the board first to lead, 1-0.
Breen singled to left to start the fourth, followed by a single from Matt Beaty (Dresden, Tenn.). Scott Moses (Englewood, Tenn.) extended his hit streak to three games, loading the bases with no outs bringing catcher Jamie Ritchie (Burford, Ga.) up to the plate. Ritchie blasted a three-run triple down the left field line, giving Belmont a 4-0 lead. A sacrifice fly from Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) plated Ritchie to extend the Bruins' lead 5-0.
SEMO scored their first run of the game off a double from their first baseman Matt Tellor in the fifth inning. A double down the left field line from Branden Baggetto scored one more for the Redhawks, cutting Belmont's lead to 5-2. Jessie Snodgrass (Lebanon, Tenn.) came on to relieve Buckelew and struck out the first batter he faced.
Buckelew went 4.1 innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs. The left hander struck out two.
Beaty blasted a solo shot out to right center to put the Bruins up, 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Snodgrass recorded 2.2 innings of relief as he set a career high of four strikeouts. He only gave up one hit and one walk. Josh Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) took the mound in the eighth to close the game. The right hander struck out two in his relief appearance.
Turner, Breen and Beaty each had two hits. Ritchie led the Bruins with three RBI.
AUSTIN PEAY 8, ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 4
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s baseball team finally built an early lead and made it stick, cruising to an 8-4 victory against UALR in the final game of the Riverview Inn Classic, Sunday, at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (13-2) won the first four games of its now five-game win streak by three runs or less, but came out Sunday and jumped out to a 6-1 lead after three innings and did not look back. The Govs would extend the lead to 8-1 after the middle innings before UALR added three late runs to narrow the deficit.
The Govs struck for the game’s first run on designated hitter Kyle Schlatter’s second-inning sacrifice fly. UALR quickly responded with second baseman Chris Burk’s RBI double in the third to tie the game.
Austin Peay broke the game open in the third. Left fielder Cody Hudson put the Govs ahead for good with an RBI single, followed immediately by shortstop Reed Harper’s RBI single. Yet it was catcher P.J. Torres’ home run to straight-away center field that gave the Govs a comfortable 6-1 lead.
Starter Zach Hall (2-0) took advantage of the early offensive output, allowing just the one run over six innings for the win. He ran into a patch of trouble in the seventh, surrendering a two-run home run, but recovered to end the inning with a strikeout. Hall would scatter eight hits over seven innings while walking one and striking out six.
Offensively, shortstop Reed Harper paced the Govs 12-hit attack with a 3-for-4, two RBI outing that also included a pair of stolen bases. Third baseman Kevin Corey went 3-for-3, including a his season’s first home run to lead off the sixth inning.
UALR (9-7) rapped out 11 hits, but left eight runners on base in the loss. Center fielder Bryson Thionnet adding that two-run seventh-inning home run and an RBI single in the ninth to finish 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Trojans starter Ethan Schlechte (2-1) suffered his season’s first loss after allowing six runs on eight hits over 3.1 innings.