SUNDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 30, @Morehead State 14
Tennessee Tech 12, @Austin Peay 4
@Eastern Illinois 16, Murray State 6
Belmont 11, @UT Martin 2
Southeast Missouri 13, @SIUE 11
EASTERN KENTUCKY 30, MOREHEAD STATE 14
MOREHEAD, Ky. - One day after hitting four home runs and scoring 18 runs, the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team took it up a notch on Sunday. The Colonels hit eight home runs and had eight doubles in a 30-14 victory at Morehead State.
EKU (9-19, 5-7) outscored the Eagles (9-22, 4-11) 53-24 while sweeping the three-game series. The Colonels have now won four straight games.
Eastern totaled 33 hits with 12 Colonels registering at least one and nine driving in at least one run. Shaun Ball and Kyle Nowlin each hit two home runs. Doug Teegarden, Sean Hagen, Bryan Soloman and Demetrius Moorer had one apiece.
Nowlin went 5-for-6 with five runs scored and three RBIs. Alex Hughes was 4-for-4 with five runs scored. Teegarden drove in seven runners while going 3-for-7 with three runs scored. Ball finished 3-for-7 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Grisham went 3-for-6 with five RBIs and four runs scored.
The Colonels scored in each of the first three innings to take a 9-0 lead. Ball followed a walk by Soloman with a 2-run homer in the first. Ball and Nowlin each had 2-run shots in the 4-run third inning. Teegarden had a bases clearing double in a 4-run fifth inning that put the visitors on top 13-2.
Morehead State platted six in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the sixth to close the gap to 15-11, but that is as close as the Eagles would get. Eastern Kentucky scored seven in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Nowlin hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot, Grisham had a 2-run double and Teegarden smacked a 2-run homer in the big inning.
Shane Grimm (3-3) started for EKU and earned the win despite allowing eight runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out four. Matt Anderson (0-4) suffered the loss after giving up nine runs on nine hits in two-plus innings.
Taylor Pickens, Brandon Rawe and Bobby Burns each had three hits and each drove in three runs for Morehead State.
TENNESSEE TECH 12, AUSTIN PEAY 4
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - For the second straight game, the bats were awake and dealing for the Tennessee Tech baseball team. The Golden Eagles won its ninth straight series of the season Sunday afternoon, defeating Austin Peay 12-4 and grabbing sole possession of second place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Golden Eagle bats used an overall team effort on the day, outhitting one of the OVC's most potent offenses for the second consecutive day. Tech lit up the Governors' pitching staff, collecting 15 hits and 12 runs.
Three Tech players smacked home runs in the contest. Junior Daniel Miles clubbed his fourth long ball in two games, going back-to-back with designated hitter Brandon Thomasson in the second inning. Junior slugger Zach Stephens hammered a two-run shot in the fifth inning. It marked both Thomasson's and Stephens' eighth moon shots of the season, tying both players for the league lead. Miles recorded his seventh four-bagger of the year, ranking him second in the OVC.
Craig Massoni led the Austin Peay offense for the second game in a row, collecting three hits and driving in three runs. Ryan Quick was dealt his second loss of the season, giving up five earned runs in 2.1 innings of work.
The Tech offense got things going first in the contest, using back-to-back homer from Thomasson and Miles to take an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Governors answered quickly, evening up the score with two runs in the bottom of the second.
Then the Golden Eagles really went to work. In the top of the third, junior Zach Zarzour led off the inning with single to center field. Austin Wulf followed suit, singling to left field. Stephens walked in the next at-bat to load the bases. After a quick out, Miles reached base on a fielder's choice, driving in Zarzour. An error by the APSU third baseman allowed both Wulf and Stephens to score as well, while Miles advanced all the way to third base.
Dylan Bosheers came up next, drilling a single to right center field and driving in Daniel Miles to wrap up the scoring for the Golden Eagles in the third inning. Austin Peay added one more run in the bottom of the third, but the damage had been done by that point, as Tech took a 6-3 lead heading to the fourth inning.
Stephens roped a double down the right field line in the fourth inning, allowing for an RBI single by Thomasson in the next at-bat.
Then the fifth inning came. The Golden Eagle picked up four more runs in the top of fifth, using a James Abraham single to get things started. The senior promptly stole two bases, setting up Austin Wulf for an RBI double after two quick outs. Stephens stepped in next, continuing the Tech scoring effort with a two-run bomb to left field. Bosheers once again wrapped up the scoring in the inning, driving an RBI double to left field to give the Golden Eagles an 11-3 advantage.
Austin Peay and Tech would both add one more run apiece in the contest, allowing the Golden Eagles to collect its 12th OVC win of the season.
Senior righty Nick Price picked up his fifth win of the season, throwing 3.1 innings of relief. He scattered five hits and struck out five batters to close out the contest.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 16, MURRAY STATE 6
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Panther baseball team completed the Ohio Valley Conference series sweep of Murray State on Sunday afternoon with a 16-6 victory at Coaches Stadium. EIU scored 37 total runs throughout the weekend series.
The Panthers (10-18, 3-8 OVC) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, scoring three runs in both the first and second innings. All told, EIU put runs on the scoreboard in all but two innings of play.
EIU had eight more hits (19-11) than Murray State and left four more runners on base (10-6). The Thoroughbreds (12-19, 6-9 OVC) had one error on the day while the Panthers did not have any miscues.
Six Panthers had two or more hits in the contest, led by Treysen Vavra who went 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Nick Priessman went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run and Cameron Berra went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. Mitch Gasbarro and Caleb Howell each scored two runs and had two hits.
Matt Borens (1-4) earned his first win of the season, striking out seven batters in 6.1 innings of action. The sophomore pitcher allowed nine hits and six runs on the day. Ben Kennedy and Jaden Widdersheim combined to only allow two hits in 2.2 scoreless innings of relief.
The Thoroughbreds used six pitchers on the day with starter Cody Maerz (1-1) taking the loss. He allowed seven hits and six runs (five earned) in 1.1 innings of work.
Mike Kozlowski went 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace Murray State at the plate. Brandon Elliott went 2-for-5 with two runs while Paul Ritzheimer added two runs and two hits.
BELMONT 11, UT MARTIN 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - Behind a five-run sixth inning and a pair of home runs, Belmont Baseball (23-7, 10-2) defeated UT Martin, 11-2. The Bruins won the series, 2-1.
Drew Turner (Shelbyville, Tenn.) hit a two-run home run over the fence in left center to put the Bruins up 2-0 in the fourth inning.
Belmont extended their lead, 4-0 behind a two-run homer from Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) in the top of the sixth. That was the first baseman's third home run of the series and eighth of the season. Alec Diamond (Kennesaw, Ga.) hit a line drive to right center allowing Turner to score to put BU up 5-0.
A pair of RBI singles from Jamie Ritchie (Burford, Ga.) and Drew Ferguson (Knoxville, Tenn.) continued to extend the Bruins lead in the sixth to 7-0.
The Skyhawks loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh. A single from Grant Glasser allowed two runs to cross the plate.
James Buckelew (Lawrenceville, Ga.) matched his season long outing with 6.2 innings of work. The left hander also matched a career best of five strikeouts.
Scott Moses (Englewood, Tenn.) came on to relieve Buckelew in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and pitched out of the jam, holding the Skyhawks to just two runs.
A pair of runs scored in the eighth to extend Belmont's lead to 9-2.
In the ninth, two more runs scored for the Bruins, putting Belmont ahead 11-2.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 13, SIUE 11
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri erased a 7-1 deficit after two innings on their way to a 13-11 comeback win over SIUE Sunday afternoon in Edwardsville, Ill. Junior Matt Tellor hit two home runs including what proved to be the game winner as the Redhawks took the weekend series against the Cougars.
The Redhawks improve to 17-16 overall and 9-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference as SIUE drops to 8-18 overall and 6-9 in the OVC.
Each team combined for 28 hits as each team recorded 14 on the day. The Cougars and Redhawks also combined for five home runs on the day and 13 extra base hits.
The Cougars struck first in the bottom of the first inning as Devin Caldwell hit a two-run home run to left field to give SIUE a 2-0 lead to open the contest.
The Redhawks battled back to cut the SIUE lead to 2-1 in the top of the second inning. Freshman Branden Boggetto drove in Ryan Barnes on an RBI double to right centerfield to open Southeast's scoring.
The Cougars added five runs on five hits in the bottom of the second inning to take a 7-1 lead. Four of the five runs in the frame came with two outs.
Southeast cut into the SIUE lead with a pair of runs on a failed pickoff attempt in the top of the third inning as Cole Bieser and Jason Blum scored on the play.
After SIUE extended their lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the third the Redhawks responded with three runs in the top of the fourth. Boggetto plated Barnes once again with a triple to open up the scoring.
The Redhawks also added runs on a bases loaded walk and a double play, but failed to tie the contest in the frame.
After exchanging runs the Redhawks took their first lead of the contest on a three-run homer to left centerfield by Matt Tellor to give the Redhawks a 10-9 lead. SIUE was quick to respond as Joel Greatting hit a solo home run to left field on the first pitch of the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 10-10.
Dalton Hewitt gave the Redhawks the lead at 11-10 in the top of the seventh inning scoring on an RBI single from Jason Blum as Hewitt laced his second consecutive double to get in scoring position.
In a mirror image of the sixth inning SIUE tied the game on a solo home run on the first pitch of the inning by James Vasquez.
Southeast took the lead back in the top of the eighth on a two-run shot over the left field fence by Tellor. The first baseman hit a foul ball the previous pitch that was just foul and over the fence.
Tony Zerrusen and Bobby Hurst shut the door on SIUE in the final two innings as Hurst earned his fifth save of the season. Michael Patman (1-0) got the win going two thirds of an inning.
Six Redhawks recorded multi-hit contests. Blum led the Redhawks with three hits reaching base five times on the day. Tellor added five RBI and two runs scored.
Boggetto added two extra base hits with two RBI and two runs scored.
Tony Schaeffer (1-2) got the loss throwing the final four innings allowing four runs.
Greatting led SIUE offensively going 3-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBI.