TUESDAY'S SCORES
Creighton 17,
@Southeast Missouri 2
@Murray State 7, Northern Illinois 1
@Furman 7,
Eastern Kentucky 3
@Belmont 9, Buffalo 2
@UT Martin 4, Lipscomb 3
@Austin Peay 6, Indiana State 5 (11)
@Evansville 7,
Eastern Illinois 5
@Samford 12,
Jacksonville State 2
@Tennessee Tech 13, Northern Kentucky 2
CREIGHTON 17, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri baseball team dropped a 17-2 mid-week contest to the Creighton Bluejays of the Missouri Valley Conference Tuesday afternoon at Capaha Field. The Redhawks fell to 9-9 on the season with the loss as the Jays improve to 7-3 on the season.
The Bluejays outhit the Redhawks 13-4 in the contest as the Redhawks made a season-high five errors.
Southeast got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning as Jason Blum scored on sacrifice fly off the bat of Dalton Hewitt to give Southeast a 1-0 lead.
The Jays answered back with five runs in the top of the second inning on three hits. All five of the Bluejays runs came with two outs in the inning.
Creighton added two runs in the third inning and one in the fourth on a Mike Gerber home run over the right field fence to take an 8-1 advantage.
Southeast added a run in the bottom fourth inning on an infield single off the bat of Blum. The Redhawks finished the inning with the bases loaded as they failed to cut into the Creighton lead.
The Jays added seven runs in the sixth inning as six consecutive hits highlighted the frame. Creighton added another pair of runs in the eighth inning on a home run as they took the contest 17-2.
Blum led the Redhawks going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Hewitt also added a hit for the Redhawks.
Junior Luke Shearrow (0-2) was tagged with the loss going 1.2 innings allowing three runs on two hits. Southeast used seven pitchers on the day.
Brett Swain (1-0) earned the win going two innings allowing one hit and one run.
Jake Peter led the Jays offensively going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI.
MURRAY STATE 7, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 1
MURRAY, Ky. - Freshman Cody Maerz tossed five innings of shutout baseball, and Mike Kozlowski drove in four runs as Murray State defeated Northern Illinois, 7-1, Tuesday afternoon at Reagan Field.
In only his second career start, Maerz (1-0) kept the Huskies off balance all day as he struck out a career-high seven. Entering his final inning of work in the fifth due to a pitch count, Maerz struck out all three hitters he faced.
Mike Kozlowski paced a 14-hit attack as he went 4-for-5 with three doubles and four RBIs. Brandon Eggenschwiler added three hits and drove in a run. All nine hitters in the lineup finished with at least one hit.
The Breds (7-9) got on the board in the first inning as Ty Stetson doubled just inside the bag at first to extend his hit streak to seven games. After moving to third on a groundout, Eggenschwiler plated Stetson with a single into left field.
MSU manufactured a run in the second as Ben Lott walked on four pitches and went to second on sacrifice bunt from Nick Paradossi. A Greg Guest single to left put runners on the corners, Stetson delivered an RBI groundout to second base.
The Breds extended the lead in the fourth as Paradossi delivered a solo home run to right field to lead off the inning. Guest and Taylor Mathews each drew walks, before coming around to score on a Kozlowski double off the base of the fence in right field.
The offense continued in the sixth as the top of the order helped push across another run.
NIU (2-13) finally got on the board in the seventh inning as a fielding error, single and hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Micah McCulloch drew a four-pitch walk to score the runner from third.
The Breds got the run back in eighth as Eggenschwiler singled to right center and went to second on the error by the center fielder. Kozlowski followed with an RBI double, his third of the day, to left center.
Sheldon Baxter tossed two innings of relief, allowing an unearned run, on one hit and two strikeouts. John Rafferty did not allow a hit in his two innings of work.
Bobby Kuntzendorf (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on five hits and five walks over 3.1 innings.
FURMAN 7, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team couldn’t overcome a five-run fourth inning in a 7-3 loss at Furman University on Tuesday.
The Colonels (4-8) trailed 1-0 when the Paladins put five on the board in the fourth. Alex Abrams led off the inning with a home run. Each of the following five batters reached base. Andrew MacLatchie, Will Muzika and Paul Nitto each had RBI singles.
Nitto extended his hitting streak to 25 games with his base hit.
EKU got on the board in the fifth. Austin Grisham began the inning with a single to left center. Three batters later Matt Phipps hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot over the center field fence.
Furman (13-4) added a run in the sixth on a solo home run by Muzika. Eastern scored a run in the ninth when Grisham scored on a double play ball.
Grisham finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Cameron Langfels (0-1) started for Eastern Kentucky. He allowed six runs on eight hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out two. Eric Nerl gave up one run on three hits in four innings of relief. He did not walk a batter and struck out four.
Muzika went 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs for Furman. Tyler Wood (2-0) earned the win after allowing two runs on five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out four.
BELMONT 9, BUFFALO 2
NASHVILLE - Behind two home runs, the Belmont Baseball (12-4, 2-1) powered past Buffalo on Tuesday afternoon, 9-2, at E.S. Rose Park.
This was the first time this season Belmont hit multi home runs in a game.
Buffalo got two across in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. In the bottom half, Buffalo starter Cory Folk issues three straight walks before Josh Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) reached on a fielder's choice to score the Bruins' first run.
Matt Beaty (Dresden, Tenn.) singled up the middle to score Drew Turner (Shelbyville, Tenn.) and Davis to put the Bruins on top, 3-2 after three innings.
In the fourth inning, the Bruins opened the game up as Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) hit a three-run home over the left field fence to give Belmont a 6-2 lead. That was Akers' fourth home run of the season.
Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) hit his first collegiate home run in the bottom of the sixth to extend Belmont's lead to 7-2.
Drew Ferguson (Knoxville, Tenn.) doubled to right field and Turner reached after being hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Davis stepped up the plate and fouled out to the Buffalo left fielder, but Ferguson was able to score. Jared Breen (Marietta, Ga.) grounded out to the Bulls' third baseman but Turner scored on the play, putting Belmont up 9-2
Jessie Snodgrass (Lebanon, Tenn.) took the mound in the seventh. Dan Ludwig (Naperville, Ill.) ended his day after six innings on the hill. He allowed nine hits, two runs, walked two and struck out three. Snodgrass saw two innings of relief striking out two.
Scott Moses (Englewood, Tenn.) closed the game and struck out the first batter he faced.
UT MARTIN 4, LIPSCOMB 3
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team crawled back from an early deficit with four unanswered runs, then held on late for a 4-3 victory over Lipscomb at Skyhawk Field today.
The Skyhawks (7-9) allowed two runs in the first inning but after that, four UT Martin pitchers conceded just one unearned run for the rest of the game. At the forefront of the pitching attack was junior starter John Houston, who earned his first victory of the season after allowing only five hits while notching career-highs in innings pitched (six) and strikeouts (six).
Junior relievers John Skubina, Chris Ross and Stu Jones combined to allow just two hits and one walk in the final three innings. Skubina and Ross each posted their third scoreless outing of the season, while Jones worked the ninth for his fourth save in 2013.
At the plate, seniors Grant Glasser and Matt Haynes led UT Martin with two-hit days, while Phil Sorensen scored a pair of runs. Haynes, Byron Johann and Nico Zych each drove in a run while Brent Morris and Ben Brewer both scored a run for the Skyhawks, who outhit Lipscomb by an 8-7 margin.
A two-out bloop single just past the outreached glove of Sonny Mastromatteo gave the Bisons an early 2-0 lead. Houston would then buckle down and mainly cruise from there, erasing Lipscomb scoring threats in the second (inning-ending groundout) and third frames (inning-ending double play).
UT Martin got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Brewer drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a Johann double over the Lipscomb right fielder’s head.
After a nine-pitch fifth inning by Houston, the Skyhawks tied the game at 2-all in the bottom of the fourth. Sorensen and Morris walked to lead off the inning and each advanced 90 feet on a Zych sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Haynes turned on a single through the left side that resulted in a 2-2 tie.
Yet another inning-ending double play in the top of the sixth swung the momentum in the Skyhawks’ favor. Sorensen crushed a leadoff single off the right field wall and advanced to second after a Morris walk. Back-to-back wild pitches scored Sorensen and made the score 3-2 and Zych (the next batter) brought home Morris with an RBI groundout up the middle.
That 4-2 score would hold up until the ninth, when Lipscomb pushed across an unearned run off a sacrifice fly. With two men on, Jones recorded the save by inducing an inning-ending groundout to Zych.
AUSTIN PEAY 6, INDIANA STATE 5 (11)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Sophomore center fielder Dylan Riner’s 11th-inning sacrifice fly brought home the game-winning run as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team won a 6-5 extra-inning contest against Indiana State, Tuesday night at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (14-2) won its sixth-straight outing and again had to come from behind. The Govs trailed 5-4 entering the ninth inning when left fielder Cody Hudson led off APSU’s half of the frame with a double. Scoring the tying run didn’t take long as shortstop Reed Harper followed with a single up the middle, allowing Hudson to score the tying run.
The Govs then had a golden opportunity to win the game in the 10th with two runners on with one out. However, first baseman Craig Massoni grounded to the shortstop who made a slow relay play to get the runner out at second. Massoni appeared to beat the play at first by an easy margin due to the slow play, but was ruled out, ending the inning.
Hudson, who has made a habit of making key plays during the Govs win streak, opened the 11th inning by reaching on an infield error. He then stole second as Harper squared to bunt and advanced to third when the throw by the catcher went into center field. Indiana State intentionally walked Harper and then catcher P.J. Torres to load the bases with no outs. Riner stepped to the plate with one out and hit a ball to deep center field where it was caught, but the throw home was not in time to catch Hudson with the winning run.
Austin Peay jumped out to the game’s first lead, scoring two runs in the second inning on RBI singles from Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schlatter, but would leave the bases loaded –the first three of 16 runners left on base by the Govs.
Indiana State (5-6) responded with a three-run fourth inning – first baseman Jeff Zahn delivering two runs with a bases loaded single in the frame. The Govs tied the game at 3-3 in their half of the inning and the team’s traded runs in the fifth inning, pushing the score to 4-4.
The Sycamores took advantage of an Austin Peay miscue in the seventh to take its final lead. Catcher Mike Fitzgerald opened the inning with a single and stole second base. He would move to third on a ground ball that was the inning’s second out. Right fielder Jacob Hayes struck out on a ball in the dirt, but the ball got past catcher P.J. Torres, allowing the batter to reach base and the run to score. The lead would last two innings before the Govs mounted yet another furious comeback.
Austin Peay closer Tyler Rogers (4-0) picked up the save after pitching a scoreless 11th inning, striking out one. Reliever Alex Belew made his first appearance since facing Georgia Tech in the 2011 NCAA Tournament and threw held Indiana State scoreless in the ninth and 10th innings.
Harper led Austin Peay with a 4-for-5, two RBI outing – posting the Govs first RBI and the game-tying RBI in the ninth. Riner was 3-for-5 with three infield hits and the game-winning sacrifice fly. Hudson was 1-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored.
Indiana State used eight pitchers in the contest, reliever Tyler Browning (0-1) suffering the loss after allowing one unearned run in 1.1 innings. Zahn led Indiana State with a 1-for-4, two RBI effort.
EVANSVILLE 7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team committed four errors in the first inning of play at Evansville on Tuesday night, falling 7-5 at Braun Stadium. The Panthers return to action on March 15-17 as they play host to Austin Peay.
The Purple Aces (5-9) took an early 4-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning, scoring four runs on two hits and four errors.
The Panthers (3-12) responded in the top of the next inning, scoring three runs on four hits to cut their deficit to one (4-3). Evansville added two more runs in the third inning to take a 6-3 lead before Tyler Schweigert hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to make the score 6-4.
Demetre Taylor scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning to get the Panthers within one (6-5), but the Purple Aces added an insurance run in the seventh inning on a Jonathan Ramon sacrifice fly, giving Evansville the 7-5 lead.
Schweigert led the Panthers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs. John Devito added two RBI and a hit while Taylor also scored two runs.
Evansville had one more hit (10-9) than EIU and committed two less errors (4-2). The Purple Aces also left three more runners on base (9-6) in the contest.
Jake Johansmeier (0-1) took the loss for EIU, surrendering two hits and four runs (zero earned) with one strikeout in one inning of action.
SAMFORD 12, JACKSONVILLE STATE 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - C.K. Irby and Phillip Ervin each had three hits to lead Samford to a 12-2 win over Jacksonville State at Joe L. Griffin Stadium in college baseball Tuesday evening.
Cole Limbaugh (1-0) scattered three hits and had three strikeouts in three innings on the mound to earn his first win of the season for the Bulldogs. Kurt Lipscomb (0-4) gave up six runs and five hits in just 1 1/3 innings to suffer the loss for the Gamecocks.
Jax State (8-10) jumped out to an early lead after Griff Gordon reached on a two-out single and moved to second on a wild pitch before Coty Blanchard singled to left field to score Gordon and give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Bulldogs (10-7) answered with a pair of runs in the home half of the first on a RIB single by Ervin and a sacrifice fly by Caleb Bryson, and Samford added four more runs in the second inning to build a 6-1 lead.
Samford added a run in the third when Richard Greene drove in a run and then pushed the lead to 8-1 in the fourth inning when Irby hit a solo home run to left field.
The Gamecocks plated a run in the sixth inning after Gordon was hit by a pitch and moved the second on another Samford wild pitch. Blanchard then singled again to left field to score Gordon to cut the lead to 8-2, but the Bulldogs added a run in the seventh and three in the eighth for the final margin.
Gordon, Blanchard and Stephen Bartlett each had a pair of hits to lead the Gamecocks, while Zeth Stone, Patrick McGavin and Green each had two hits to join Irby and Ervin's three hits to lead the Bulldogs.
TENNESSEE TECH 13, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Even a 40-minute power outage couldn't keep the Tennessee Tech baseball team (9-6, 2-1) from winning its ninth game of the season as the Golden Eagles overcame the delay to erupt for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and down Northern Kentucky (2-13, 0-0), 13-2, Tuesday evening.
Clutch hitting and hot bats emerged as the theme during the contest, as nine different Golden Eagles recorded at least one RBI.
While the Golden Eagles already owned a 5-2 lead heading to the eighth inning, the story of the contest came soley from the explosive attack of the Tech bats in the bottom half. Junior Zach Stephens actually began the inning by grounding out to the first baseman. Designated hitter Brandon Thomasson came to the plate and drilled a single through the left side.
Daniel Miles followed with a single to second base, advancing to second on an errant throw by the second baseman.Thomasson advanced to third as the inning began to turn ugly for the Norse. The next batter, James Abraham, reached first on an error by the NKU second baseman, driving in Thomasson and allowing himself and Miles to advance one base each.
Northern Kentucky intentionally walked Michael Morris to try and set up a double play opportunity, but Dylan Bosheers would have none of it as the sophomore singled through the left side to drive in Miles and keep the bases loaded. After a Jordan Parris fly ball to center field, Tevis Sherfield pinch hit for lead-off man Zach Zarzour.
Sherfield proceeded to earn a nine-pitch at-bat, finally walking and bringing in another Tech run. Center fielder Austin Wulf cleared the bases with a massive two-out double down the right field line. Stephens redeemed himself, coming to the plate for a second time in the inning and roping a single to center field, driving in Wulf for his lone RBI on the night.
Thomasson doubled in the next at-bat, driving in Stephens and finally forcing NKU to make a pitching change. Zephan Guyear pinch-hit for Miles and was forced into a fly-out to right field to end the insane inning for the Golden Eagles.
Norse center fielder Josh Myers and first baseman Brad Clement gathered their team's RBI on the night, combining for three of NKU's seven hits.
Despite the score, Northern Kentucky gave up just five earned runs in the contest. Mike Derby was dealt with his first loss of the season, surrendering two earned runs on just three hits.
Several Tech players were huge in the win, specifically Wulf, Thomasson, and Miles on the offensive side and all three Golden Eagle pitchers. Wulf went 3-for-6 in the contest, driving in three runs while scoring once. Thomasson continued his massive year, recording four hits in six tries, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Miles went an impressive 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a walk.
Earning his second win of the season was junior righty Garrett Baugh, who managed five innings for Tech, allowing just one earned runs on five hits while striking out three. Stanton Taylor came in for three innings of relief, surrendering just one hit and no walks while setting down four NKU batters on strikes. Zane Morton relieved Taylor for the final three outs, giving up just one hit.