FRIDAY'S SCORES
@SIUE 6, Eastern Illinois 4
@Tennessee Tech 11, Eastern Kentucky 1
Southeast Missouri 11, @Belmont 1
@Jacksonville State 10, UT Martin 5
Akron 10,
Austin Peay 0 (Columbia, Tenn.)
SIUE 6, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball banged out 10 hits, including three home runs, and Ryan Daniels tossed a career-best 8 1/3 innings Friday as the Cougars won their Ohio Valley Conference opener 6-4 over Eastern Illinois at Simmons Baseball Complex.
Daniels allowed three runs, all earned, on seven EIU hits. He walked just one and struck out six to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Eastern Illinois, now 2-13 overall and 0-1 in the OVC, opened the scoring against Daniels in the first inning. Caleb Howell doubled with two outs, and then scored on an RBI-single by Demetre Taylor.
The Cougars, who improved to 3-8 overall and 1-0 in the OVC, took the lead for good in the second inning against EIU starter Matt Borens. Skyler Geissinger opened the scoring with a one-out home run to left, his first home run of the year. Alec Saikal reached on an error and Brian Sipe singled before Jacob Stewart found the right-center field gap with a double to plate both runners. Nick Lombardo capped the scoring with a single to score Stewart from second base to put SIUE ahead 4-1.
Devin Caldwell led off the third inning with his second home run of the year. Lombardo followed suit with two outs in the fourth inning, with his first home run of the year to make it 6-1 SIUE.
Lombardo, Caldwell, and Geissinger each had two hits for the Cougars. Lombardo and Stewart each had a pair of RBIs.
Borens (0-2) allowed 6 runs, four earned, on 10 hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Borens began the game with an OVC-leading 0.47 earned run average.
Daniels settled in to hold the Panthers scoreless until the ninth inning. Howell led off the inning with an infield hit up the middle. Geissinger made a diving stop, but didn't have a play at first base. After Taylor popped up to second base, Montana Timmons connected on a two-run home run to left to make it 6-3.
P.J. Schuster relieved Daniels following the home run. Schuster surrendered back-to-back hits which plated the fourth EIU run, before retiring Panthers' catcher Jacob Reese on a flyout to left field and pinch hitter Matt Dunavant on a pop up to second base to earn his second save of the year.
TENNESSEE TECH 11, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The true sign of an ace is the ability to make adjustments on the fly without missing a beat on the mound. Junior David Hess took on that role in a big way Friday afternoon, leading the Tennessee Tech baseball team (12-2, 1-0) to a dominating, 11-1 victory over Eastern Kentucky (4-8, 0-1) in the team's Ohio Valley Conference opener.
A right-hander from Tullahoma, Tenn., Hess collected his third win of the season while scattering five hits and allowing no earned runs on the day. More impressively, however, was the way he handled himself as the game went on.
Hess was literally perfect through the first three innings, surrendering no hits and no walks while keeping the Golden Eagles in it early with game scoreless. But on a day where the EKU bats kept making contact, the typically dominant strikeout pitcher adjusted his approach to force the Colonels into pop-ups, fly balls, and groundouts.
In his first career Friday start, Hess recorded four strikeouts, three under his normal pace. But because of his veteran and savvy approach, the Tech defense was able to turn four double plays on the day and nearly shut-out an otherwise normally potent offense.
The spectacular pitching performance was only half of the story. Senior sluggers Zach Stephens and Brandon Thomasson provided a huge spark at the plate, recording four RBI each and combining for six hits.
Tech got rolling in the fourth inning, starting with a single by Thomasson through the left side. Shortstop Dylan Bosheers extended his hitting streak to 11 games on the next pitch, smacking a double to left center field to drive in Tech's first run of the game. Designated hitter Jordan Hopkins followed, taking the next offering through the left side while driving in Bosheers.
The next inning was twice as good for the Tech squad as the Golden Eagles exploded for four more runs in the bottom of the fifth, using a three-run bomb off the bat of Stephens to all but extinguish any comeback dreams the Colonels may have had.
And the Golden Eagles weren't done. In the bottom of the sixth, Tech loaded the bases with just one out and Thomasson walked to the plate. It didn't take long for the right fielder to make the Eastern Kentucky pitchers pay, as the he unloaded for a bases-clearing double to left center field, driving the Tech lead up to 10-0.
The Colonels did manage to scrape one run across the board in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of the one Golden Eagle error on the day.
Stephens finished the day 3-for-4 at the dish, gathering a walk and scoring two runs on top of his four RBI. Thomasson also scored two runs and gathered three hits while matching his teammate's four RBI. Hopkins added two RBI on the day, recording three hits in four at bats.
Junior Justin Alexander finished off the final two innings of the game, allowing just one hit while striking out a batter and making quick work of the final offensive attack of the Colonels.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 11, BELMONT 1
NASHVILLE - Southeast Missouri baseball opened the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference season Friday with an 11-1 victory over Belmont (6-7, 0-1 OVC). Southeast improves to 7-6 on the season and 1-0 in OVC play.
The Redhawks were firing on all cylinders Friday evening as the offense, defense, and pitching were all on point in the contest.
The Redhawks were the designated home team as the series was originally scheduled to take place in Cape Girardeau but was moved due to undesirable field conditions.
Southeast stepped out with a 2-0 lead in the first inning. With bases loaded, Derek Gibson grounded into a double play but got a run across to put Southeast on the board. With Cole Bieser on third, Matt Tellor followed it up with an RBI single up the middle to go ahead 2-0.
Belmont scored their lone run in the top of the second inning on an RBI double by Tyler Walsh.
The Redhawks took the run back in the bottom of the inning when Scott Mitchell scored on an RBI single from Bieser; 3-1 Redhawks.
Southeast put another two runs on the board in the fifth inning, first on a bases-loaded groundout by Tellor then by a Mitchell RBI to put Southeast up 5-1.
The Redhawks kept the offense going late into the game as they scored three runs in each the seventh and eighth innings. Andy Lack came in to pinch hit in the seventh and posted three RBI in just two at-bats in the late innings, heavily contributing to the conference-opening victory.
In the field Friday evening, Andy Lennington, Clayton Evans, Bieser, and Mitchell all made terrific plays in the game to steal hits, and most likely runs, away from the Bruins.
Mitchell and Lennington both had three hits Friday evening with Dalton Hewitt adding two as Southeast outhit Belmont 13-5. Tellor and Mitchell also had two RBI in the contest.
On the mound, Tyler Iago (3-1) looked sharp in his fourth start, going 6.0 innings. Iago struck out two batters, walked only one, but hit four batters. Christian Hull pitched 3.0 hitless innings in relief. Hull struck out five batters but also walked five.
Belmont's starter and ace, Austin Coley (1-1), suffered the loss after pitching 4.0 innings. Coley gave up five runs on six hits while also striking out three Redhawk batters.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 10, UT MARTIN 5
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - - Griff Gordon had three hits and drove in three runs, while Taylor Shields had eight strikeouts to lead Jacksonville State to a 10-5 win over UT Martin as the Gamecocks won their OVC opener on Friday evening.
Shields (3-1) had a career-high eight strikeouts and scattered five hits and no earned runs in six solid innings on the mound to earn the win. Alex Boshers (0-2) gave up 12 hits and eight runs in just four innings to suffer the loss for the Skyhawks.
The Gamecocks (7-5, 1-0 OVC) jumped out to an early lead after Gordon and Andrew Bishop each drove in a run, and Ryan Sebra scored on a throwing error for a 3-0 lead.
UTM (1-11, 0-1) scored an unearned run in the second inning, before Jax State answered with two more runs in the home half of the second after Stephen Bartlett scored on a sacrifice fly, and Gordon drove in another run for a 5-1 lead.
The Gamecocks added to the lead with a run in the third and fourth innings, before scoring two more in the fifth to build a 9-1 lead.
The Skyhawks scored four runs on three hits and took advantage of two walks and two hit by pitch to cut the lead to 9-5, but could get no closer. JSU added a run in the eighth on a UTM throwing error for the final margin.
All nine starters recorded a hit for the Gamecocks, led by three from Gordon, two each from Paschal Petrongolo, Ryan Sebra, Gavin Golsan and Bartlett, as JSU finished with 15 hits in the game. Chase Young had three hits to lead the Skyhawks.
AKRON 10, AUSTIN PEAY 0
COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s baseball team remained winless away from Raymond C. Hand Park as it dropped a 10-0 decision to Akron, Friday, at Hall Field on the Columbia State Community College campus.
Austin Peay (4-8) suffered its first shutout since May 2012 as the offense was limited to seven hits. The Govs had the leadoff man aboard in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but could not capitalize. APSU finished the game batting just 1-for-11 with runners on base.
Akron (5-5) jumped out quickly and didn’t look back. Right fielder Joey Havrilak hit a two-run home run in the first inning. The Zips added solo runs in the third and fifth frames before center fielder Devan Ahart added a two-run home run in the sixth. Akron would plate three runs in the eighth thanks to an Austin Peay error and tacked on its 10th run in the ninth.
Govs starter Ryan Quick (1-2) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and two walks in 3.1 innings.
Second baseman Alex Robles led the Govs offense with a 3-for-4 outing, posting singles in the first, sixth and eighth innings. He had the Govs lone multi-hit outing.
Akron starter John Valek picked up the win with six shutout innings, striking out five. Evan Jensen, Masashi Sakamoto and Myles McVeigh each added a scoreless inning of relief to complete the shutout.
Ahart led the Zips with a 3-for-5, three RBI outing. Havrilak and first baseman Brady Stewart each went 2-for-5 with two RBI.