FRIDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 5, @Eastern Kentucky 1
Southeast Missouri 1, @Belmont 0
@UT Martin 5, Jacksonville State 3
@SIUE 6, Eastern Illinois 0
@Austin Peay 4, Milwaukee 3 (10)
TENNESSEE TECH 5, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - Tristan Archer pitched a complete game and Daniel Miles homered in his second straight contest as the Tennessee Tech baseball team (7-5) opened up Ohio Valley Conference play with a 5-1 road victory at Eastern Kentucky (3-6).
The win came behind Archer's best pitching performance of the season as the senior threw 8.2 shutout innings before finally surrendering a run with one out to go. He struck out a season-high 10 batters while allowing just six hits.
Just four EKU batters registered hits in the contest, with pinch hitter John Wilson picking up the lone Colonel RBI off a two-out double in the ninth inning.
All indications from the beginning of the game pointed toward a pitching duel, as Archer and EKU's Anthony Bazzani combined for four scoreless inning and just one hit to open play.
The Golden Eagle grabbed the winning run in the top of the fifth inning as catcher Jordan Parris roped an RBI double down the left field line, driving in Dylan Bosheers. Parris finished the day with three hits in four at-bats, two RBI, and a run scored.
Tech picked up another run in the sixth inning, using a James Abraham single to drive in Austin Wulf. They scored twice more in the seventh as Miles led off the inning with a solo home run to give the Golden Eagles a 3-0 lead. Stephens then collected an RBI on a fielder's choice to bump up the score to 4-0.
One more run in the eighth inning provided more than enough room for Archer to finish off the game as the senior showed great poise to finish off the Colonels.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1, BELMONT 0
NASHVILLE - The Southeast Missouri baseball team recorded their first shutout since March 30, 2011 (Mid-Continent 2-0) in 1-0 win over Belmont on Friday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn. in the Ohio Valley Conference opener. The Redhawks also picked up their first OVC shutout since defeating Eastern Illinois 10-0 on May 22, 2010.
Sophomore Will Spitzfaden (2-1) earned the win going seven plus innings allowing three hits. Senior Bobby Hurst picked up his third save of the season throwing a scoreless ninth inning.
Southeast recorded three hits in the contest against Preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year Chase Brookshire as he went nine innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts.
The Redhawks scored the only run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Matt Tellor opened the offensive frame with a single and would later advance on a stolen base. Freshman Branden Boggetto drove in Tellor on an RBI double to left centerfield on a full count to give the Redhawks a 1-0 lead.
Spitzfaden and the Southeast Bullpen (Tony Zerrusen, Skylar Cobb and Hurst) did the rest as Southeast earned the win. The Southeast 'pen has been impressive on the season as they have sported an ERA of 2.17.
Southeast's Jason Blum added a double on the day as it was the first extra base hit given up by Brookshire on the season.
Belmont designated hitter Josh Davis recorded a game-high two hits as he finished the day 2-for-4.
UT MARTIN 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 3
MARTIN, Tenn. - Ben Brewer had three hits to lead UT Martin to a 5-3 win over Jacksonville State in the Ohio Valley Conference series opener for both teams on Friday afternoon.
Dan Tobik (1-1) scattered five hits and had four strikeouts while allowing just one run to earn the win for the Skyhawks, while Stu Jones picked up his third save of the year after recording the final four outs of the game. Casey Antley (3-1) gave up all five runs, just three earned, in 5 1/3 innings to suffer his first loss of the year for the Gamecocks.
The Skyhawks (6-7, 1-0 OVC) took an early lead after loading the bases in the second inning and Phil Sorensen scored after Matt Young grounded into a double play to give the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead. Antley got Matt Haynes to ground out to second to end the inning and get out of trouble.
Jax State (6-9, 0-1) tied the game in the top of the third inning after Chase Silvani led off with a double to right center and Michael Bishop followed with a double to left center to score Silvani and tie the game at 1-1. The Gamecocks also loaded the bases in the inning, but Tobik got a force out at the plate and then struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
UT Martin took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning after Kenny King scored on a Haynes sacrifice fly, and then Brewer had his second hit of the game with a RBI double in the right field corner for the Skyhawks.
UTM added to the lead in the fifth inning after Wade Collins reached on a one-out single and scored all the way from first when Sorensen doubled to left center, and then King followed with a RBI double to give the Skyhawks a 5-1 lead.
Jax State cut into the lead in the top of the eighth inning after Cal Lambert drew a two-out walk and Andrew Bishop hit his first home run of the season over the left field wall to make the score 5-3, but the Gamecocks could get no closer.
Eddie Mora-Loera led the Gamecocks with a pair of hits, while Sorensen and King each had two hits to go along with Brewer's three hits to lead the Skyhawks.
SIUE 6, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Travis Felax pitched eight scoreless innings of action to lead the SIUE baseball team over Eastern Illinois, 6-0, on Friday afternoon at the Simmons Baseball Complex. EIU drops to 3-9 on the year and 0-1 in Ohio Valley Conference action.
Felax (2-1), the current OVC Pitcher of the Week, also had four strikeouts while allowing nine hits. The Cougars improve to 3-7 on the year and 1-0 in conference play.
EIU had back-to-back hits to start the top of the ninth inning before Brooks McDowell relieved Felax and retired the final three Panther batters.
SIUE scored six runs through the first five innings of play to build a 6-0 advantage over the Panthers. Joel Greatting gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single to right field.
EIU had two more hits (9-7) than SIUE, but committed one more error (2-1). Both squads also left nine runners on base.
Nathan Sopena, Brant Valach and Treysen Vavra all went 2-for-4 at the plate to pace the Panther offense. Caleb Howell also extended his hit streak to 10 games in the loss.
Matt Borens (0-2) took the loss for EIU, surrendering six runs (five earned) in 4.2 innings of play. He also allowed four hits while issuing four walks.
AUSTIN PEAY 4, MILWAUKEE 3 (10)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Left fielder Cody Hudson put down a perfect bunt as third baseman Kevin Corey raced home and scored to give Austin Peay State University’s baseball team a 4-3 victory in 10 innings against Milwaukee, Friday afternoon, in the Riverview Inn Classic at Raymond C. Hand Park.
The suicide squeeze gave the Govs their third straight come-from behind victory and their first extra-inning victory. The Govs improved to 11-2 overall – the best 13-game start in program history.
Milwaukee (3-8) gave Austin Peay all it could handle in the first nine innings. The Panthers scored the game’s first run on center fielder Luke Meeteer’s RBI infield single in the second. After the Govs took a 2-1 lead, Milwaukee struck back with a pair of leadoff home runs – third baseman Nick Unes hit one in the fifth inning to tie the game and catcher Will Fadness’ sixth-inning blast put UWM ahead.
Austin Peay found Milwaukee starter Jake Long to be the stingy sort as they scratched out just a pair of runs on six hits through his seven-plus inning outing. Catcher P.J. Torres tied the game at 1-1 with his second-inning RBI single. Two innings later, the Govs took advantage of a Milwaukee error – Corey pushing home a run with a sacrifice bunt in the third to give APSU a 2-1 lead.
Long would retired 13 of the next 16 batters he would face after giving up the lead, allowing Milwaukee to gain the lead. However, the Govs opened the eighth with back-to-back singles, finally chasing Long from the mound. Milwaukee reliever Jake Tuttle would walk second baseman Jordan Hankins to load the bases. The Panthers then turned to shortstop Alex Erdmann who took the mound and posted back-to-back strikes outs before inducing a fielder’s choice to end the APSU threat.
Austin Peay manufactured the tying run in the ninth. Torres led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Brett Carlson. Designated hitter Tommy Hager promptly moved the runner to second with a sacrifice bunt. Center fielder Dylan Riner made the work pay off with a single through the right side that allowed Carlson to score, pushing the game to extra innings.
Reliever Tyler Rogers entered the game in the 10th and worked out of a jam thanks to an inning-ending double play. Corey began the Govs half of the inning by beating out a throw at first for an infield single. First baseman Craig Massoni moved Corey to third with a one-out single to shallow right, setting up the game-winning suicide squeeze.
Austin Peay starter Luke Ridenhour went nine innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. Rogers (2-0) picked up the win after tossing the scoreless 10th.
Hudson, who hit a walk-off home run Monday against Michigan State, finished the night 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI. Corey also was 2-for-4 with a RBI and Torres was 2-for-3 with a RBI. Riner had the Govs other RBI as part of a 1-for-3 effort.
Milwaukee reliever Tyler Thicke (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing one run on three hits in the 10th. Starter Jake Long was left with no decision despite allowing only two runs on six hits through seven-plus innings.
Right fielder Derek Peake, second baseman Michael Porcaro and Unes each had two hits to pace the Panthers offense.