SATURDAY'S SCORES
@SIUE 10-5, UT Martin 1-3
@Austin Peay 6, Morehead State 5
@Murray State 6, Southeast Missouri 4
Belmont 10, @Jacksonville State 6
@Western Carolina 6,
Tennessee Tech 1
Eastern Kentucky, @Eastern Illinois (postponed)
SIUE 10-5, UT MARTIN 1-3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball swept a doubleheader from UT Martin Saturday, winning 10-1 and 5-3 at Simmons Baseball Complex.
The wins mark the first OVC series win for the Cougars since March 8-9 when they swept Eastern Illinois in Edwardsville. SIUE improved to 12-29 overall and 9-17 in the OVC. UT Martin fell to 10-32, 3-20.
A trio of freshmen shut down the Skyhawks in the opener Saturday. Caleb Wilkerson, P.J. Schuster, and Zach Malach combined to allow just five hits and strike out 10 UT Martin hitters. Wilkerson (1-4) started and earned his first win as a Cougar. The freshman tossed six innings allowing a run on five hits. He struck out five.
Schuster followed with two perfect innings in relief. He struck out four. Malach tossed a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout.
The Cougars scored a run in the first inning and never trailed. SIUE added two runs in the second, four more in the third inning, and three in the sixth.
Nick Lombardo was 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Skyler Geissinger was 3 for 5 with two driven in. Drew Johnson was 1 for 4 with a 2-run double. Joel Greatting was 2 for 4.
Dan Tobik (1-6) allowed all 10 runs in the opener to suffer the loss for the Skyhawks. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, walked six, and struck out five.
Sonny Mastromatteo was 2 for 4 and was the only UT Martin player with more than a hit.
Sam Hopkins and Jake Stauffenberg (3-3) combined to allow three runs on four hits in the second game. Hopkins allowed two runs on two hits over the first four innings. He struck out two. Stoecklin revealed that Hopkins was pitching despite battling strep throat.
Stauffenberg pitched the final five innings allowing a single unearned run. He struck out a career-high six UT Martin hitters. Stauffenberg has compiled 15 innings over his last three outings and sports a 1.80 ERA and 11 strikeouts.
SIUE scored all five runs in the fourth inning in game two. James Vazquez and Joel Greatting each picked up two run-hits in the inning. Travis Becherer added an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Vazquez finished the game 3 for 4. Greatting was 1 for 4. Johnson, Lombardo and Matt Highland each had two hits in the game for the Cougars, who finished with 13 hits in game two, and 24 combined for the day.
UT Martin starter Taylor Cox (0-5) suffered the game two loss. He allowed five runs on 13 hits. Grant Glasser was 1 for 5 with the only RBI for the Skyhawks.
AUSTIN PEAY 6, MOREHEAD STATE 5
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s baseball team scored the game’s first five runs and held on to secure a 6-5 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Morehead State, Saturday, at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (34-13, 15-7 OVC) got off to an auspicious start as right fielder Rolando Gautier led off the bottom of the first with a home run. However, the Govs were not able to capitalize on a pair of one out walks and settled for a 1-0 lead.
The Govs expanded their lead in the second with a four-run rally with two out. Center fielder Dylan Riner started the rally with a bunt single. Following a Gautier walk, second baseman Kevin Corey drove in a run with a single. Third baseman Jordan Hankins extended the rally with an infield single to load the bases.
First baseman Craig Massoni took advantage of the opportunity, singling up the middle and driving in a pair of runs, pushing the APSU lead to 4-0. Morehead State starter Noah Smallwood helped the Austin Peay cause with a wild pitch that allowed Hankins to score from third and the Govs lead 5-0 after two innings.
Austin Peay starter Zach Hall held Morehead State in check through four innings. He retired the first eight batters he faced before surrendering back-to-back two-out singles in the third. Hall would get out of that jam and retire the next four batters before hitting the first batter he faced in the fifth.
Morehead State (15-33, 9-14 OVC) would build off that miscue, putting another man aboard with a one out single. First baseman Kane Sweeney stepped to the plate and railed a two-run double just past a diving Cody Hudson in left field, cutting the APSU lead to 5-2.
The Govs would scratch out what proved to be a pivotal insurance run in the fifth. Hudson began the inning with a bunt single. He stole second and third base before scoring on catcher P.J. Torres squeeze bunt, a play Torres beat out at first base for a single.
Morehead State again turned to the home run to make things uncomfortable for Austin Peay. Hall would be made to pay for his own throwing error in the sixth when third baseman Alan Mocahbee hit a home run to left field, cutting the APSU lead to two runs. Sweeney would narrow the deficit to one run, 6-5, with a two-out solo home run in the seventh.
Hall would settle back in and retired the next three batters he faced before turning the ball over to closer Tyler Rogers. The Govs all-time saves leader cleaned up, retiring four of the five batters he faced to pick up his season’s 18th save.
Hall (5-2) picked up the win after allowing five runs on six hits over 7.2 innings. He did not allow a walk in the contest and struck out five Eagles batters.
Corey led the Govs 13-hit attack with a 3-for-4, one RBI effort. Hankins, Massoni and Riner each had two hits.
Smallwood (1-5) suffered the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits over six innings. Sweeney led Morehead State’s offense with a 3-for-4, three RBI outing and has seven hits in the series’ first two games.
MURRAY STATE 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
MURRAY, Ky. - A wild ending to a great baseball game saw a throwing error score the winning run as Murray State scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with a 5-4 victory over Southeast Missouri Saturday afternoon at Reagan Field.
The Breds (20-27, 8-15 OVC) entered the inning trailing by one after SEMO scored a run in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch. Dylan Wheeler drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a Noah Zipko sacrifice bunt. Paul Ritzheimer then plated Wheeler from second with a line drive single to center field.
Ty Stetson continued the inning by drawing a walk, and Brandon Elliott was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Brandon Eggenschwiler followed with a fielder’s choice to first that retired Ritzheimer at the plate. But, a hustling Ritzheimer slid hard into the catcher and forced his throw to first base sail into right field and allow Stetson to score the winning run.
Wheeler seemed to be in the middle of the action all game long. He finished the day by going 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. He gave the Breds a 2-1 lead in the second inning as he singled and stole second, before scoring on a Ritzheimer single through the right side.
Wheeler then tied the game in the seventh as he followed Rick Linton’s leadoff double to right center with an RBI double to same spot of his own.
MSU manufactured the first run of the game in the first inning as Stetson was hit by his first of three pitches on the day to leadoff the game. An Elliott sacrifice bunt moved him to second and Eggenschwiler delivered an RBI single through the right side.
The Redhawks (21-27, 12-14 OVC) tied the game in the second, but they could have broken the game wide open. A single was followed by a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs. Starter Tim Vonder Haar struck out the next hitter, but the ball got away from the catcher and allowed a run to score. Vonder Haar got out of the inning without allowing any more runs by getting another strikeout and a pop up.
SEMO pushed across two more runs in the fourth inning with the aid of the sun. The loaded the bases with two outs for the top of their lineup. Vonder Haar got what looked like a routine fly ball to right field to end the inning, only to have the sun come out from behind the clouds and have the ball get lost in the sun.
Vonder Haar did not figure into the decision after he allowed three runs on five hits and three strikeouts over four innings. Cody Maerz came out of the bullpen and limited the Redhawks to just one run on five hits and three strikeouts over 4.1 innings. Sheldon Baxter (2-4) was credited with the win after he threw two-thirds of an inning.
Bobby Hurst (3-3) suffered the loss for SEMO as he allowed two runs, one earned, on one hit, two walks and a hit batter in one inning of work.
Ritzheimer had a solid day at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Stetson was officially 0-for-1 on the day, but did draw a walk and was hit by three pitches, and scored a pair of runs.
BELMONT 10, JACKSONVILLE STATE 6
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Belmont Baseball (32-13, 18-5) outlasted Jacksonville State, 10-6, on Saturday night in difficult playing conditions following a five hour rain delay.
The Bruins jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Drew Ferguson (Knoxville, Tenn.) led off the inning with a single up the middle and scored on a triple from Jared Breen (Marietta, Ga.). Drew Turner (Shelbyville, Tenn.) singled through the left side to score Breen. Josh Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) reached on a fielder's choice to score Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.).
Jacksonville State got on the board in the bottom of the second.
Turner led off the third with a single to center field and advanced on a double from Davis. The right fielder scored on a sacrifice fly from Jamie Ritchie (Buford, Ga.) to put Belmont ahead 4-1.
Behind a single from Paschal Petrongolo to right field in the bottom of the third, JSU scored a pair of runs to make it a one run ballgame.
The Gamecocks tied the game, 4-4, in the bottom of the fourth as Adam Miller hit an RBI single to right field.
In the bottom of the fifth, Jacksonville State took a 5-4 lead. Eddie Mora-Loera laid down a bunt single to put runners on the corners before Bishop grounded into a double play to give the Gamecocks a one-run lead.
The Bruins scored three in the top of the sixth to regain the lead at 7-5. Akers loaded the bases with one out as JSU reliever, Michael Mason, balked to walk in Ferguson, tying the game at 5-5. An error and a wild pitch allowed Belmont to take a two-run lead.
JSU responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning.
An RBI single from Ferguson scored Ritchie, who led off the seventh inning with a double to left field to put the Bruins ahead, 8-6.
With the bases loaded in the eighth, a sacrifice fly by Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) extended Belmont's lead by three. Alec Diamond (Kennesaw, Ga.) drew a bases loaded walk to score Davis and put the Bruins up, 10-6.
Breen ,Turner, and Ferguson each had three hits.
Jessie Snodgrass (Lebanon, Tenn.) took the hill in the top of the sixth. The right hander set the Belmont single season record for appearances as he made his 35th appearance of the season. He struck out a career high six in his 3.1 innings of relief.
WESTERN CAROLINA 6, TENNESSEE TECH 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - For just the second time this season, the Tennessee Tech baseball team was handed a series loss, falling to Western Carolina Saturday afternoon, 6-1. The Golden Eagles move to 33-14 on the season and will not return to the diamond until Friday, May 10.
The Catamounts contained the potent Golden Eagle offense to five hits and one run behind an impressive pitching performance by starter Jordan Smith. Smith tossed seven innings for Western Carolina, scattering five hits and not allowing an earned run while striking out six.
Western Carolina was led by catcher Adam Martin, who collected two RBI on the day.
Tech put up one run in the fifth inning, using an RBI double from Jordan Parris to prevent the Catamounts from handing the Golden Eagles just their second shutout of the season. Parris drove in James Abraham, who reached base on an error and finished the game with two hits.