WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Murray State 7, Mid-Continent 0
SIUE 6, @Indiana State 3
@Miami (Ohio) 6,
Eastern Kentucky 5
MURRAY STATE 7, MID-CONTINENT 0
MURRAY, Ky. - A trio of Murray State pitchers allowed just six hits in a 7-0 shutout over Mid-Continent Wednesday afternoon at Reagan Field. The game was delayed in the top of the fifth for 1:04 due to lightning.
Cody Maerz got the start and allowed four hits and fanned two over 4.1 innings. The lightning then came and forced the end of the day for the freshman. Andrew Bramley (1-2) took the mound after the delay and picked up right where Maerz left off. Bramley allowed just two hits and struck out four over 4.1 innings. Alex Gordon got the final out of the game as he came out of the bullpen and got caught a pop up on the only pitch he threw.
The Breds (11-33) got all the offense they would need in the third inning. Brandon Elliott started things with a single through the right side to extend his hit streak to 15 games. Ty Stetson followed by extending his hit streak to 10 games with a single to center field. A throwing error loaded the bases before Taylor Mathews beat out an infield single to third to score the run with two outs.
After the delay, MSU came out swinging and pushed across four runs in the fifth inning. Stetson beat out a single to short and went to second on a balk. Noah Zipko delivered an RBI single just inside the bag at third. A walk to Mathews and a hit by pitch to Dalton West loaded the bases. Ben Lott plated a run with a groundout to second, and Paul Ritzheimer drove in two runs with a single up the middle.
Stetson sparked another rally in the eighth as he was hit by a pitch to start the frame. Mike Kozlowski followed with an RBI triple to right center, and then scored on a groundout to short from Zipko.
Luke Deaton (3-6) took the loss for the Cougars after allowing one unearned run on fives hits over four innings.
Stetson paced the Breds offense by going 3-for-3 with three runs scored. He also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch, reaching safely in all five plate appearances. Ritzheimer added a pair of hits as eight of the nine hitters in the lineup collected a hit.
SIUE 6, INDIANA STATE 3
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Four Cougar pitchers combined to allow just three runs, while SIUE hitters banged out 11 hits en route to a 6-3 win at Indiana State Wednesday.
The win marked the seventh time in the last eight games that the Cougars have finished with at least 10 hits. The victory also snapped a six-game losing streak by the Cougars. Indiana State had won five straight before Wednesday.
Tony Schaeffer made his first start of the year and tossed three innings. He allowed just a single earned run, two total runs, on six hits. He struck out one.
Brooks McDowell (1-2) allowed a run over two innings and earned the win in relief. Jake Stauffenberg pitched two scoreless innings. Drew Staples pitched the eighth and the ninth innings, without allowing a run, to earn the first save of his SIUE career.
Indiana State (17-14) scored an unearned run in the first inning, before the Cougars answered in the top of the second inning.
Drew Johnson connected on the first home run of his college career with one out in the inning to tie the game. Jacob Stewart and Denton Reed each drew two-out walks before James Vazquez drilled a two-run double to left center field. Vazquez finished 2 for 5 with the two RBIs.
The Sycamores scored single runs in the third and fifth innings to tie the score, 3-3. Robby Ort drove in all three runs for Indiana State. He finished 3 for 5.
Michael Monaghan pinch hit with one out in the sixth inning and reached on an infield single.
Freshman Jacob Steward followed with an RBI-single to left field to put SIUE up 4-3. The RBI was the first of Stewart's career. Skyler Geissinger launched a two-out, two-run home run in the seventh to seal the win.
Geissinger finished 2 for 5 with the homer and two RBIs. He has a team-best 11-game hitting streak.
Stoecklin said he hoped a win like Wednesday's could provide some momentum for the Cougars.
MIAMI (OHIO) 6, EASTERN KENTUCKY 5
OXFORD, Ohio - Eastern Kentucky scored twice in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but fell 6-5 at Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday.
The Colonels (11-23) trailed by three heading into the ninth inning. Austin Grisham led off the inning with a single and then scored on a ball hit by Luke Wurzelbacher that was ruled a three-base error. Wurzelbacher came home on a ground ball by Sean Hagen to make it a 1-run game. Miami retired the next two batters to end the rally.
The RedHawks (16-18) swept the two-game, home-and-home series.
EKU got on the board first. Grisham led off the game with a double down the right field line and then moved to third on a stolen base. A ground ball to short was enough to make it a 1-0 game. However, Miami answered in the bottom half of the inning when Matt Honchel scored on a fly ball to right field.
The RedHawks took the lead in the bottom of the third on Kevin Bower’s RBI single through the right side. This time Eastern answered. In the top of the fourth, Kyle Nowlin’s double to left field platted Bryan Soloman to tie the game 2-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, Alex Johnson put Miami back in the lead with an RBI double to right field. Ryan Elble followed with a sacrifice bunt to bring home another run for a 4-2 advantage. Shaun Ball shaved one run off the deficit with a 2-out, RBI single up the middle in the top of the fifth inning.
Miami stretched its lead to three, 6-3, in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Jake Romano singled to right center to drive in Johnson. Elble came home from third when the Colonels attempted to throw out Romano at second.
Romano finished 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. John Crummy went 3-for-3 with an RBI. In both games of the series, Crummy was 8-for-8 with four runs and seven RBIs.
Grisham had three hits in five at bats and scored twice. Nowlin went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Miami starter Cory Klenke (1-0) allowed two runs, one of which was earned, on four hits over four innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Junior college transfer Matt Lynch (0-3) made his first start as a Colonel. He allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.