SATURDAY'S SCORES
@#14 Louisiana-Lafayette 1-13,
Eastern Illinois 0-0
@Belmont 2-3, Bowling Green 1-8
@Jacksonville State 5, Northwestern State 4
@UAB 3,
UT Martin 2
Southeast Missouri 7, @Oral Roberts 5
@#34 Wichita State 7,
SIUE 3
@South Alabama 6,
#36 Tennessee Tech 3
George Mason 14,
Morehead State 4 (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Iowa 11-15,
@Austin Peay 5-13
@Alabama State 8,
Eastern Kentucky 2
Illinois State,
@Murray State (cancelled)
#14 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 1-13, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0-0
LAFAYETTE, La. - The Panther baseball team was shut out in both games of its doubleheader at No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday afternoon. EIU dropped game one, 1-0, before falling 13-0 in game two.
The four-game series with the Ragin' Cajuns concludes on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. EIU dropped to 1-2 on the year while Louisiana-Lafayette improved to 2-1.
Despite a solid pitching performance from Matt Borens, the Panthers dropped the first game of the doubleheader with the Ragin' Cajuns, 1-0.
Borens (0-1) only allowed four hits and one run in six innings of action. He threw seven strikeouts and issued one walk in the loss. Jaden Widdersheim pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Borens and only surrendered one hit with two walks and one strikeout.
The lone run of the game came on a two-out, solo home run by Jace Conrad in the third inning to give Louisiana-Lafayette a 1-0 lead.
The Ragin' Cajuns had two more hits (5-3) than EIU and left three fewer (8-5) runners on base in the contest. EIU had two errors in the loss while Louisiana-Lafayette did not have any miscues.
Cameron Berra, Caleb Howell and Jacob Reese all had one hit for the Panthers while four different Ragin' Cajuns had one hit.
Carson Baranik (1-0) earned the win for Louisiana-Lafayette, throwing eight strikeouts in 7.1 scoreless innings of work. Ryan Wilson posted his first save of the season as the senior pitcher threw one strikeout and allowed one hit in the final inning of play.
In game two of the doubleheader Louisiana-Lafayette scored in all but three innings as they used a balanced offense to defeat the Panthers 13-0.
Conrad hit a two-out, RBI single in the third inning to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 1-0 lead before they added an unearned run in the next frame on a fielding error to make the score 2-0. Louisiana-Lafayette scored five runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to make the score 12-0 before adding an insurance run in the eighth inning on a Kyle Clement sacrifice fly.
Louisiana-Lafayette had nine more hits (11-2) than EIU and left eight more runners on base (12-4). EIU had three more errors (3-0) than the Ragin' Cajuns.
Tyler Schweigert and Trey Russell recorded the only hits for the Panthers. Michael Strentz led four Louisiana-Lafayette players with multiple hits in the game as the junior catcher went 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs and a RBI.
Christian Slazinik (0-1) took the loss for EIU, surrendering six runs (four earned) and four hits in four innings of work. He also threw five strikeouts and issued three walks.
Greg Milhorn (1-0) earned the win for Louisiana-Lafayette, allowing two hits in six scoreless innings of action. He had three strikeouts with one walk.
BELMONT 2-3, BOWLING GREEN 1-8
NASHVILLE - Belmont split a home doubleheader with Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon.
In game one Belmont (1-1) capitalized on two Bowling Green errors in the sixth, to win the season opener 2-1.
The Falcons got on the board first with Andrew Kubuski's two-out double to score T.J. Losby. Belmont responded in the sixth. Junior Alec Diamond scored first for the Bruins off a Falcon error. Freshman Nick Egli singled up the middle to score junior Drew Ferguson and put the Bruins ahead, 2-1.
Junior Austin Coley went six innings on the mound giving up four hits and striking out three. Junior Greg Brody earned his first collegiate save as he closed the game, going one inning and giving up just one hit.
In the second game of the day Belmont fell to Bowling Green.
Bowling Green struck first in the fourth and added two more runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. The Bruins got on the board in the bottom of the fifth as Tyler Walsh scored after Drew Ferguson drew a bases loaded walk.
Walsh's double to right field in the bottom of the sixth tied the game, 3-3, scoring Spencer Petett and Matthew Kinney.
T.J. Losby's RBI single put Bowling Green ahead 4-3 in the seventh. The Falcons scored three runs in the eighth and added one more in the ninth.
Chase Cunningham earned his first start with the Bruins and went 4.1 innings. Dan Ludwig suffered the loss after coming in for three innings of relief, giving up three earned runs.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 5, NORTHWESTERN STATE 4
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Griff Gordon had three hits, including a home run, to lead Jacksonville State to a 5-4 win over Northwestern State as the Gamecocks won for the second straight day over the Demons.
JSU's Casey Antley (1-0) scattered four hits and allowed one run to earn his first win of the season, while Travis Stout picked up his second straight save. Duvic Hunter (0-1) got stuck with the loss for the Demons after giving up two runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Jax State took an early lead after Gordon slugged his first home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning with a solo shot over the right field fence to give JSU a 1-0 lead.
Northwestern State took a 2-1 lead in the third inning after Regan Kaufman scored on a Gamecock throwing error and Cort Brinson was credited with a RBI after being hit by a pitch with bases loaded.
The Demons extended the lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning on a RBI single by Kaufman, but Jax State battled back to tie the game in the home half of the inning.
Gordon led off with a single and scored all the way from first after Paschal Petrongolo doubled to right center. Andrew Bishop followed with a two-out single to right to score Petrongolo and tie the game at 3-3.
Northwestern scored a run in the fifth on a RBI double by Caleb Dugas, and JSU answered with a run in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single by Gordon.
Jax State took the lead for good in the sixth inning after Bishop scored on Galvin Golsan's infield grounder for a 6-5 lead. Bishop and Petrongolo each finished with two hits to go along with Gordon's three hits to lead the Gamecocks.
Bradley Raulston pitched a hitless seventh and eighth innings, before Stout retired the final three outs to earn his 19th career save.
UAB 3, UT MARTIN 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team was a mere two outs away from its first victory of the 2014 season but the UAB Blazers rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth to post a 3-2 win at Regions Field.
For the second consecutive day, the Skyhawks received an exceptional performance out of their starting pitcher. Junior Dalton Potts was masterful this afternoon, shutting out the Blazers for seven innings while conceding just four hits and one walk. The 6-0, 185-pound left-hander registered a career-high nine strikeouts and departed the game with a 2-0 lead.
The loss was charged to Stu Jones (1.1 innings, three runs allowed) while John Houston (0.1 innings, one hit, one walk allowed) also made his season debut today.
Fletcher Johnson and Phil Sorensen each had two hits to lead the Skyhawks, who outhit UAB by an 8-7 margin. Johnson and Isaac Carrel each drove in a run while Kenny King and Zack Malone both scored a run for UT Martin.
Cory Eller picked up the mound victory after tossing 1.1 perfect innings for UAB. Chase Davis was the hero for the Blazers in the bottom of the ninth, as his walkoff single plated Tyler Mims for the gamewinning run.
After UAB’s leadoff man was hit by a pitch, Potts settled down and retired the next seven batters until a one-out single in the third. However, that runner was erased on the next pitch, as Davis lined into a double play from Nico Zych to Sorensen.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawks got on the scoreboard for the first time in the series in the top of the second. King was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Sorensen followed with a single. Both runners moved up 90 feet after a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt off the bat of Zych. Carrel then tallied an RBI with a sacrifice fly out to right field that brought in King.
For a while, it seemed as if UT Martin’s one run would hold up. Potts kept the Blazers off the scoreboard after hitting a batter in the fourth and also posted another shutout frame after his catcher Mikey Nantze threw out a would-be basestealer to erase a leadoff single in the fifth.
The Skyhawks had three batters reach base safely in the sixth but could not build upon their 1-0 advantage. Potts then posted another zero on the scoreboard after pitching around a leadoff single in the sixth.
UT Martin pushed its lead out to 2-0 with a clutch hit in the top of the seventh. Malone smacked a one-out double to left field and would later advance to third on a passed ball. With two outs, Johnson singled to shortstop, bringing in Malone to give the Skyhawks a two-run cushion.
Potts began the seventh with a strikeout and recorded a popout to first base and a flyout to right field to keep the score at 2-0 after seven full frames.
The Skyhawks had a chance to break the game open in the top of the eighth, loading the bases with two outs. However, Eller escaped the jam with an inning-ending strikeout.
In the bottom of the eighth, Jones erased a leadoff walk with a 4-6-3 double play on the next pitch. He then allowed a single before retiring UAB’s most dangerous hitter in Ryan Prinzing.
Jones got the first out on one pitch in the ninth before the Blazers followed with a double and back-to-back batters who were hit by pitches. Houston then came out of the bullpen and the Blazers scored their first run on a four-pitch walk. Houston then induced a ground ball to third base but UAB tied the game at 2-all. With runners on second and third, Davis then poked a 1-1 pitch into right field for the game-winning hit.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7, ORAL ROBERTS 5
TULSA, Okla. - Down 5-3 going to the eighth, an interesting series of events in the inning propelled Southeast Missouri (2-0) past the Oral Roberts (0-2) Golden Eagles in game two of the series, 7-5. The inning was highlighted by a game-winning, three-run home run by Branden Boggetto.
Unlike an eventful first inning in game one of the series, both teams went down in order in the opening stanza of game two.
In his first at-bat in a Redhawk uniform, catcher Cole Ferguson legged out a lead-off triple to get the Redhawks in scoring position in the second inning. Dalton Hewitt threaded an RBI single right up the middle to take a 1-0 lead.
The Redhawk bats came alive again in the fourth when Andy Lennington and Dalton Hewitt hit back-to-back singles with one out. In his first start this season, Boggetto roped one to right field to drive in Lennginton and extend the lead to 2-0.
In his first game back after sitting out during the 2013 season, Christian Hull had a no-hitter in the books through the third inning but it all came to an end with a single swing of the bat when Matt Brandy hit a lead-off home run over the left field wall in the fourth. A double, a walk, and a wild pitch later, Brandon Healy drove a two-RBI single up the middle to give the Golden Eagles their first lead of the series. Jon Davis singled up the middle to extend the sudden lead to 4-2. Hull was pulled from the game as Travis Hayes was brought in during a bases-loaded situation with two out. Brandy picked up his second RBI of the inning when he drew a bases-loaded walk and put the Golden Eagles up 5-2 after four complete innings.
With two out in the sixth, Hewitt roped a double to center field and was quickly brought home on an RBI single off the bat of Derek Gibson, narrowing the Golden Eagle lead to 5-3.
Southeast was right back in the game after a series of interesting events in the top of the eighth inning. Ferguson started the inning with a single to center field; John Logan Zink was brought in to pinch run. Lennington reached on an error followed by botched sac bunt by Hewitt, who reached on an error by the catcher's overthrow to third, allowing Zink to score. With one out and two on, Boggetto hit a towering three-run home run over the left field wall to give Southeast a 7-5 lead. The Golden Eagles got out of the inning as Cole Bieser was tagged out on a 2-5-3-4-3 pick-off on a failed double steal by the Redhawks.
As the ninth inning started and Garret Stockton took the mound for Southeast, the Golden Eagles were able to get two lead-off runners on with no one out. Stockton was able to pitch his way out of the sticky situation and earn the Redhawks' first save of the season, preserving the 7-5 win and earning the series win for Southeast Missouri.
Hewitt finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. The hero, Boggetto, had two hits in four at-bats with four total RBI on the day. Ferguson also finished 2-for-4 in his Redhawk debut.
Brandy and Healy closed the day both with two hits for ORU.
Skylar Cobb (1-0) earned his first victory while Wilson (0-1) suffered the loss for ORU. As mentioned, Stockton picked up the save. Cobb pitched 0.2 innings and was the pitcher of record when Southeast took the lead in the eighth inning.
#34 WICHITA STATE 7, SIUE 3
WICHITA, Kan. - SIUE baseball matched No. 34 Wichita State with seven hits apiece, but fell 7-3 Saturday in the second game of a three-game series.
Wichita State took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when SIUE starter Jake Stauffenberg surrendered a two-run home run to Shockers first baseman Casey Gillaspie. Garrett Bayliff added another two-run shot in the fifth inning against reliever Mike Miller to make it 4-0.
Gillaspie and Bayliff each finished 2 for 3 to lead the Shockers. Bayliff scored three runs.
Stauffenberg (0-1) took the loss. He allowed the two runs on three hits. He did not walk a batter and he struck out four. Miller allowed five runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Skyler Geissinger and Alec Saikal had back-to-back RBIs to get SIUE on the board in the sixth inning. Geissinger doubled to score Nick Lombardo, who had reached on an error to start the inning. Chase Green, who had singled, went to third. Green scored on a groundout by Saikal.
Mikel Mucha extended the Wichita State lead to 5-2 with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the inning. Much was 2 for 4 with the RBI.
Both teams scored again in the seventh inning. Geissinger drove in his second run of the day with a groundout. Micah Green and Chase Simpson had RBIs for the Shockers for the 7-3 final score.
Lombardo, Geissinger and Keaton Wright each had two hits to lead the Cougars. Lombrdo added two runs for the Cougars.
Wichita State starter A.J. Ladwig (1-0) earned the win, allowing just two runs on five hits. He struck out six. Ray Ashford tossed the final 2 1/3 innings to earn his first save of the year for the Shockers. He struck out four.
SOUTH ALABAMA 6, #36 TENNESSEE TECH 3
MOBILE, Ala. - Baseball is a game where anything can happen. The Tennessee Tech baseball team learned that Saturday afternoon as the South Alabama Jaguars clawed back for a come-from-behind stunner.
The Golden Eagles looked well on their way to a series-clinching win, leading from the top of the second clear to the bottom of the eighth. But the Jaguars refused to give in on their home field, striking for five runs in the bottom half of the inning on their way to a 6-3 victory over the Tech squad.
Junior starter David Hess tossed a gem on the day, fanning eight batters in six innings of work. He allowed just five hits, one walk, and one earned run in the contest.
The Golden Eagles supported the right-hander, scoring once in each of the second and fourth innings. With the bases loaded in the top of the second, Jake Rowland drove in Daniel Miles on a fielder's choice, giving Tech an early 1-0 advantage.
The Tech bats struck again in the top of the fourth, using a sac bunt from catcher Jordan Parris to drive in shortstop Dylan Bosheers to double the lead to 2-0. Bosheers led off with a double and advanced over on a passed ball. He finished the day 2-for-4 from the plate, adding a walk while scoring two runs.
South Alabama snuck across a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, using a sac fly to cut the Tech advantage in half. The Golden Eagles answered in the top of the eighth.
Bosheers led off the inning with a walk, advancing on a sac bunt by Rowland. The junior then stole third base before scoring off an RBI single to right field by second baseman Zach Zarzour. With just nine outs to go, the Golden Eagles led the Jaguars 3-1.
And then South Alabama struck. The Jaguars collected five runs on four hits, rallying for the 6-3 home victory. USA reliever Tripp Hobbs picked up his first career win with 3.0 innings of work.
In his first game back from Tommy John surgery, senior reliever Stanton Taylor was dealt the loss for the Tech squad.
GEORGE MASON 14, MOREHEAD STATE 4
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The George Mason baseball team jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the fifth inning and never looked back, knocking off Morehead State 14-4 on Saturday afternoon in the 2014 season opener at King Field.
The Patriots only out-hit the Eagles 14-10 in the contest, but MSU stranded 12 runners on the base paths and committed three errors.
GMU senior lefty Jarod Gaynor picked up the win, giving up four hits over six scoreless innings. MSU sophomore right-hander Matt Anderson took the loss, allowing nine hits and seven earned runs in 4.2 innings.
Junior second baseman Tyler Bigler (2-for-5) and junior pinch hitter Blaine Tanner (2-for-2) were the only Eagles to register multiple hits in the contest.
The Patriots scored one in the first and two in the fourth, before a three-run home run from senior second baseman Chris Cook capped a six-run fifth inning. They tacked on another five runs in the eighth inning on four hits and two errors.
MSU got on the board with two runs in the eighth on an error and passed ball. It tacked on two more in the ninth with RBI from junior catcher Chris Robinson and Tanner.
IOWA 11-15, AUSTIN PEAY 5-13
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s baseball team endured an error-filled day on the diamond and dropped its season-opening doubleheader, 11-5 and 15-13, to Iowa, Saturday at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (0-2) had six freshmen in its starting lineup for both contests and the inexperience showed, particularly on defense. The Govs were charged with eight errors in the opening contest before a five-error affair in the nightcap.
In both contests, Iowa (2-0) took advantage of the errors in spectacular fashion. In the opener, the Hawkeyes turned two APSU errors into a seven-run inning that broke open the contest. In the second game, the Govs committed three errors as part of a 10-run second inning, which included nine unearned runs.
Still, Austin Peay showed signs of its offensive potential. Trailing 10-2 in the nightcap, the Govs charged back with 10 unanswered runs. Senior designated hitter P.J. Torres had a three-run home run, which followed Iowa’s first error, in the third inning. He would add RBIs courtesy a fourth-inning walk and a fifth-inning triple. It was freshman catcher Ridge Smith’s two-run double in the fifth that gave APSU its first lead, 11-10, which was followed by Torres’ triple that gave APSU a 12-10 lead.
However, Iowa would score the game’s next five runs to regain a 15-12 edge. A pair of eighth-inning errors led to two key insurance runs for the Hawkeyes. Those runs proved crucial as the Govs would load the bases in the ninth and scored a run on a wild pitch. However, with the tying run at second, they could not get the hit they needed.
Smith went 5-for-8 in the doubleheader with three doubles and five RBI, including a 3-for-5, three RBI outing in the nightcap. Torres finished the day 5-for-9 with six RBI, including a 4-for-5, six RBI nightcap effort. Freshman outfielder Chase Hamilton went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the opener as part of a three-hit day.
Senior starter Zach Hall (0-1) suffered the loss in the opener after allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits over 3.1 innings. Game 2 starter Alex Robles went just 2.0 innings and allowed 10 runs (one earned). Reliever Caleb DeLee was tagged for the loss in the nightcap after allowing two runs.
Iowa’s Jake Yacinich led all hitters with a 7-for-9 performance, going 2-for-3 in the opener before posting a 3-for-4 outing in the nightcap. Blake Hickman had six RBI, including a grand slam in the opener. Taylor Zeutenhorst added three RBI courtesy a three-run home run in the day’s second game.
ALABAMA STATE 8, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - After falling behind 2-0, Eastern Kentucky tied the score in the seventh, but couldn’t hold off Alabama State in a 8-2 loss on Saturday.
With the Colonels (1-1) down 2-0, freshman Cole Warrenfeltz drew a walk to lead off the seventh inning. Kyle Nowlin followed with a single to left. With one out, Sean Hagen singled up the middle to plate Warrenfeltz. Nowlin scored later when Hagen was picked off first base.
Alabama State (1-1) had the answer in the bottom half of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Einar Muniz singled to right to break the tie and begin a six-run inning. After a sacrifice fly, Richard Gonzalez made it 6-2 with a double to left.
Newcomer Tanner Perkins started for the Colonels and turned in a quality start. He pitched six innings, allowed two runs on six hits, struck out four and did not walk a batter. Cameron Langfels suffered the loss after allowing five runs on four hits in one-third of an inning.
Joseph Camacho picked up the win for ASU. He scattered seven hits over seven innings, allowed two runs, walked two and struck out five.
Nowlin finished 3-for-5 with a run scored. Warrenfeltz went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Four Alabama State players finished with two hits and three had two RBIs. Edgardo Rivera went 2-for-4 and drove in two. Muniz had two hits in four at bats, scored once and drove in a pair.