SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Jacksonville State 7, SIUE 6
@Tennessee Tech 5, Morehead State 2
Northern Illinois 8,
@Belmont 2
Austin Peay at Eastern Illinois (cancelled)
JACKSONVILLE STATE 7, SIUE 6
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State erased a two-run deficit with three runs in the eighth to complete the sweep of SIU Edwardsville with a 7-6 win on Sunday at Rudy Abbott Field.
The Gamecocks moved to 5-1 in Ohio Valley Conference games and 11-10 overall, while the Cougars of SIUE fell to 5-10 on the season and 3-3 in the league.
The three-game sweep is the first since Jax State took all three game from Morehead State in the final regular season series in 2011.
Jax State, trailing 6-4 after a two-run home run by SIUE's Devin Caldwell in the top of the eighth that broke up a 4-4 tie, started its half of the inning with three consecutive singles and got within a run after Gavin Golsan drew a walk off of SIUE reliever Tony Schaeffer. Paschal Petrongolo's fly ball to left field that was misplayed by Matt Seevers plated Griff Gordon and Adam Miller to give JSU the 7-6 lead.
Sophomore Travis Stout, who completed the eighth inning, finished off the Cougars in the ninth to earn his first win of the season. Schaeffer was saddled with the loss after taking over for starter, P.J. Schuster, who went seven innings and allowed four runs on five hits.
Schuster was handed an early 2-0 lead after SIUE scored a twice in its first at bat off of JSU starter, Adam Polk. The Gamecocks sliced the deficit in their first plate appearance. Adam Miller doubled to center and scored on Gordon's single.
Miller, Gordon and Michael Bishop all had multiple hits in the contest. Bishop gave JSU a brief 4-3 lead in the fifth after a two-run home run to left field. It was his second home run of the year. SIUE evened the score in the sixth with an unearned run and it remained knotted until Caldwell's blast in the eighth.
After Polk tossed the first five innings, freshman Graham Officer kept SIUE at bay with three strike outs in his 2.2 innings of work on the mound.
TENNESSEE TECH 5, MOREHEAD STATE 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Despite out-hitting Tennessee Tech, 9-5, the Morehead State baseball team was unable to avoid the series sweep, falling in game three, 5-2.
The loss marked the first time this season MSU (7-12, 2-4 OVC) has been swept in a three-game series. TTU moves to 13-6 on the year, with a 5-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play with the win.
Morehead State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when sophomore designated hitter Chris Robinson drove in senior left fielder Taylor Pickens with an RBI single to right field.
TTU manufactured a two-out, two-run rally in the bottom of the second to take its first lead of the game, 2-1.
MSU answered with a run of its own in the top of the third when senior shortstop Chase Greenwell drove in Pickens with an RBI sacrifice fly to tie up the game at 2-2.
The Golden Eagles re-took the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the fourth when junior first baseman Zach Stephens picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly to right field. They extended their lead to three runs in the bottom of the seventh on three singles, and closed out the scoring for the contest.
Pickens was efficient at the plate from the lead-off spot, drawing three walks as well as a single. Robinson picked up three hits and an RBI in the contest, while Greenwell added two hits from the clean-up spot.
Morehead State freshman right-hander Tyler Keele (2-1) picked up his first loss of the season, only allowing two hits, but giving out eight walks and two earned runs in 3.1 innings. TTU righty Jacob Honea moved to 1-1 on the year, allowing only two runs in 6.1 innings, with 10 strikeouts.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 8, BELMONT 2
NASHVILLE - Belmont Baseball (13-6) fell to Northern Illinois, 8-2, Sunday at Rose Park.
Scott Moses (Englewood, Tenn.) laid down a sacrifice bunt and advanced on an error by the Huskies's second baseman, scoring Matt Beaty (Dresden, Tenn.) to put Belmont on the board, 1-0 in the bottom of the second. Alec Diamond (Kennesaw, Ga.) grounded out to the short stop to score Jared Breen and put the Bruins on top 2-0.
In the top of the fourth, the Huskies got on the board, 2-1, when NIU starter Alex Klonowski crossed the plate behind a singled from Brian Sisler.
James Buckelew (Lawrenceville, Ga.) got the start for the Bruins and went 5.2 innings, giving up three hits and giving up one Huskies run. The left hander struck out two.
The Huskies loaded the bases in the top of the sixth and pinch hitter Brandon Mallader doubled to left to begin the scoring for the Huskies. Connor Duckhorn followed with a single to left scoring NIU's third run of the inning to take a 4-2 lead.
In Jessie Snodgrass' (Lebanon, Tenn.) relief appearance he gave up five hits. NIU's Jeff Zimmerman hit an RBI single to score an NIU run and put the Huskies up 5-2 after seven innings.
Moses took the mound in the top of the ninth. After Tommy Hook singled, the Huskies' Klonowski attempted to lay down a squeeze play but a throwing error on a pickoff by Jamie Ritchie (Burford, Ga.) at first allowed Hook to score. Zimmerman hit a one run triple out to right center. He proceeded to score off a wild pitch putting the Huskies up 8-2.