SUNDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 5, @SIUE 4
Southeast Missouri 7, @Belmont 0
@Jacksonville State 6, UT Martin 4
Eastern Kentucky 8, @Tennessee Tech 5
@Murray State 10-9, Morehead State 4-5
@Austin Peay 12, Milwaukee 7
EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, SIUE 4
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Panther baseball team defeated SIU Edwardsville, 5-4, in the Ohio Valley Conference series finale between the two schools on Sunday afternoon at the Simmons Baseball Complex.
EIU improves to 3-12 overall and 1-2 in OVC play while the Cougars drop to 4-9 overall and 2-1 in OVC action.
SIUE took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out, solo home run to left field by Devin Caldwell. The Panthers responded in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-1 advantage, scoring three runs on a two-out double to right field by Tyler Schweigert.
Cameron Berra hit a RBI double to left field in the third inning to make the score 4-1 before the Panthers added another run in the fifth inning on a Demetre Taylor RBI double. SIUE cut its deficit to one (5-4) in the eighth inning on a three-run homer by Skyler Geissinger.
Jaden Widdersheim (1-0) posted the win for EIU, striking out eight batters and only allowing four hits in 5.2 innings of scoreless relief. Troy Barton posted the save, striking out one in 1.2 scoreless innings.
Jake Stauffenberg (0-2) took the loss for SIUE, allowing six hits and five runs in five innings of action. Keaton Wright went 2-for-3 to lead the Cougar offense while Geissinger added three RBI.
Taylor went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs and a RBI to pace the Panther offense. Mitch Gasbarro added two runs and a hit while Schweigert added three RBI.
SIUE had two more hits (8-6) than EIU and left four more runners on base (7-3). Neither team committed an error in the contest.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7, BELMONT 0
NASHVILLE - Southeast Missouri baseball shutout Belmont (6-9, 0-3 OVC) Sunday afternoon, 7-0, to earn a three-game series sweep over the Bruins in the opening weekend of Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks end the weekend 9-6 overall, 3-0 in OVC play.
For the third time on the weekend, the Redhawks were firing on all cylinders as the offense, pitching, and defense were all on point in the sweep. The offense outhit the Bruins 11-3; the pitching staff combined for a shutout and allowed only three hits and combined for nine strikeouts; and the defense made stellar plays once again.
The Redhawk bats wasted no time getting hot in the contest as the first inning proved the difference maker in the contest.
Jason Blum led off the game for Southeast with a triple down the right field line. Cole Bieser followed with a chopper over the head of the pitcher, easily scoring Blum, that the second baseman airmailed into the Redhawks' dugout to put Bieser on second. Belmont committed another error, allowing Andy Lennington to reach and Bieser to advance to third. Cole Ferguson scored Bieser on a sacrifice fly to right. Lennington advanced to third on a groundout then scored on an infield single from Derek Gibson. After Gibson took second on a wild pitch, he scored on an infield single from Dalton Hewitt, putting Southeast up 4-0 after the first inning.
The Redhawk offense remained quiet until the sixth inning when Ferguson reached on Belmont's third error of the game and came around to score on Gibson's second RBI hit of the day to extend the Redhawk lead to 5-0.
Gibson proved unstoppable in the contest as he contributed to his already stellar day in the seventh inning with a two-RBI double down the left field line, putting the Redhawks out by a bunch, 7-0.
Gibson would finish the game 3-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. Gibson hit for .636 on the weekend with seven hits, a double, triple, and six RBI with four runs of his own. He also boasted a .909 slugging percentage with .692 on-base percentage.
Andy Lack was terrific Sunday both at the plate and in the field. He batted 2-for-4 with a couple stellar plays at short.
Redhawks starter Travis Hayes (2-0) made his first start in a Redhawk uniform and was very crisp through 6.0 innings. Hayes allowed only two hits, struck out five, and walked four. Alex Winkelman pitched 3.0 relief innings, combining with Hayes for Southeast's second shutout of the season. Winkelman allowed only a single hit, struck out four, and walked none.
For the Bruins, three separate hitters combined for their three hits. On the mound, starter Patrick McGrath (1-2) worked six innings, giving up five runs (only one earned), on seven hits.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 6, UT MARTIN 4
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Ryan Sebra had three hits and drove in a pair of runs to lead Jacksonville State to a 6-4 come-from-behind win over UT Martin as the Gamecocks swept the Ohio Valley Conference series on Sunday afternoon.
The Gamecocks won their third straight game to improve to 9-5 overall and 3-0 in the OVC. UTM dropped to 1-13 overall and 0-3 in the league.
Connor Metcalf (1-0) picked up his first win after tossing four scoreless innings in relief, recording six strikeouts and allowing just two hits. Travis Stout recorded the final four outs to earn his fifth save of the season and the 22nd save of his career.
Jax State took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Andrew Bishop scored on a sacrifice fly, but the Skyhawks answered in the third inning to take their first lead of the series.
Max Balter led off with a single and scored after Nico Zych followed with a one-out single up the middle to tie the game at 1-1. Kenny King then gave UTM the lead with a RBI single through the right side and Taylor Douglass gave UTM a 3-1 lead with a RBI infield single.
Jax State cut the lead to 3-2 in the home half of the third after Griff Gordon scored on Sebra's RBI single to left field.
The Gamecocks took the lead for good in the fifth inning as Tyler Gamble drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at 3-3, then Sebra scored on a Stephen Bartlett sacrifice fly and Gavin Golsan followed with a RBI single to give JSU a 5-3 lead.
Jax State added a run in the sixth inning when Sebra drove in his second run of the day with a single to right field for a 6-3 lead.
UTM scored the final run of the game in eighth inning on a RBI double by Jake Deason for the final margin. Zych, Douglas and Deason each had two hits for the Skyhawks.
Sebra led the Gamecocks with three hits, while Golsan finished with two hits in the game.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 8, TENNESSEE TECH 5
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Freshman Caleb Johnson tossed 6-plus strong innings to lead the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team to an 8-5 win over preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Tennessee Tech in the series finale on Sunday.
Johnson (1-0), making his second collegiate start, turned in his first career quality start. He allowed one run on five hits in six and two-thirds innings. Johnson walked one and struck out one.
The Colonels (5-9, 1-2 OVC) pulled away in the fourth inning. Ben Fisher began the inning with an RBI single up the middle. Kenny Hostrander followed with an RBI single down the right field line. With the bases loaded and one out, Shea Sullivan made it 5-0 with a run scoring double to left center. A ground ball by Kyle Nowlin was enough to drive in the fourth run of the inning.
Sullivan added an RBI single in the sixth. An RBI single in the eighth by Sean Hagen gave Eastern an 8-1 lead. The Golden Eagles scored twice in the bottom of the eighth and the bottom of the ninth to close the gap to three. Zach Stephens hit a two-run home run in the eighth.
EKU had 15 hits in the game. Nowlin finished 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI. Sullivan, Hagen, Luke Wurzelbacher and Fisher had two hits each.
Stephens finished 1-for-5 with a run and two RBIs for Tech (13-3, 2-1 OVC). John Gora (1-1) started for the Golden Eagles but made through just one and one-third innings. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked two and struck out one.
Cody Creamer got the final out in the ninth to pick up his third save of the season.
MURRAY STATE 10-9, MOREHEAD STATE 4-5
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State drew six-straight walks in the fifth inning that helped push across six runs and break open a close game as the Breds completed the doubleheader sweep with a 9-5 victory over Morehead State Sunday afternoon. The team won the first game 10-4.
In game one the Eagles got on the board in the first inning as a one-out throwing error put a runner on second. Two batters later, Brandon Rawe delivered an RBI single to right field. Nick Newell added to the lead with a solo home down the right-field in the third inning.
The Breds tied the game in the home-half of the third with the help of a pair of Eagles errors. Ty Stetson drew a walk to start the inning. Matt McGowan followed by reaching on a fielding error, but the play was compounded when the second baseman threw the ball away to put runners on second and third. Anthony Bayus followed with a sacrifice fly to center field before a wild pitch pushed across the second run.
The fourth inning looked to be a big inning for the Eagles as two singles and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with no outs. Bayus made a highlight-reel diving catch in the gap in right center to limit Jimmy Wright to sacrifice fly. Cameron Finch then followed with a flip home on a squeeze play to get down a runner at the plate.
The fifth inning saw the Breds take their first lead of the game. Stetson drew a one-out walk and went to third on a hit-and-run off the bat of McGowan. Bayus drove in Stetson with a single off the glove of the pitcher and Luke Daugherty plated the second run with a groundout to second.
The Breds extended the lead in the sixth as Clay Kelly delivered an RBI single through the left side and Taylor Mathews delivered a sacrifice fly to center field.
After the Eagles got a run in the top of the eighth, the Breds responding with four runs in the home-half of the inning. MSU loaded the bases on two hit by pitches and a bunt single. McGowan and Bayus delivered back-to-back RBI singles through the left side. A balk scored the third run before Luke Daugherty delivered an RBI single to right field.
Cameron Finch (1-1) earned the victory after allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits over seven innings. Cody Maerz (1) picked up the save, allowing one run on three hits over two innings. Matt Anderson (0-3) was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs, two earned, on four hits and nine strikeouts over five innings.
Bayus led the offense with two hits and three RBIs. McGowan added two hits and scored three runs. Stetson drew a pair of walks and moved into second on the all-time career list with 121.
In game two, holding a 1-0 lead heading into the fifth, the Breds (7-5, 2-0 OVC) had a runner on first with two outs. That is when the fun began as the next six hitters all drew walks. Michael Hargrove, Dalton West, Matthew Johnson and Taylor Mathews all walked with the bases loaded.
The biggest blow came when Ty Stetson drove in two runs with a single up the middle. For Stetson, the base hit was the 200th of his career.
The Eagles (5-8, 0-2 OVC) were able to push across three runs in the eighth inning, but the Breds came right back in the home-half of the inning by scoring two runs of their own. A pair of singles from Luke Daugherty and Lawrence helped put runners on second and third. Hargrove drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center field. Johnson drove in the second run with a single to left center.
Brock Downey (3-0) continued his strong season by tossing seven shutout innings, allowing six hits and striking out six. The outing came on the heels of six shutout innings of two-hit baseball against North Dakota State last weekend.
Luke Schneider (0-1) took the loss after giving up one runs on four hits and three walks over 3.2 innings.
Lawrence paced the offense by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Johnson drove in three runs. Hargrove had a productive game despite no official at-bats. He went 0-for-0 with four walks, sacrifice fly and two RBIs.
AUSTIN PEAY 12, MILWAUKEE 7
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Shortstop Logan Gray hit a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team posted a 12-7 come-from-behind victory against Milwaukee, Sunday, at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (6-8) had to battle back from deficits twice in the contest, first a 6-0 deficit and then a 7-6 deficit.
The Govs rallied back from the early 6-0 deficit thanks to Milwaukee’s pitching staff surrendering eight walks in the third and fourth innings combined. Austin Peay received six walks in a four-run third inning, scoring on a wild pitch, a walk and plating two runs when Gray reached on an infield error.
Austin Peay tied the game in the fourth as they received two walks and a hit batsman to start the inning. The Govs scored one run when a double steal forced a throwing error to allow left fielder Cayce Bredlau to score. The game-tying run came courtesy catcher Ridge Smith’s RBI single. However, the Govs could not continue the rally as a line-drive double play and flyout ended the frame.
Milwaukee (3-8), which scored six runs on five hits and two APSU errors in the second inning off Govs starter Levi Primasing, eked out a run to regain the lead in the fifth. Left fielder Ryan Solberg hit a two-out double then stole third base. He scampered home on shortstop Tell Taylor’s sacrifice fly to give UWM a 7-6 lead.
That lead held until the Govs half of the sixth. The Govs loaded the bases with one out as right fielder Rolando Gautier, third baseman Alex Robles and Smith reached on a single, walk and a single, respectively. Following a strikeout, Gray drove a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right center for his first career grand slam, giving APSU a 10-7 lead it would not relinquish.
APSU reliever Caleb DeLee (1-1) picked up the win after holding Milwaukee scoreless in 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Primasing allowed six runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks in two innings. The Govs bullpen saw five pitchers combine to allow one run over the following six innings.
Gray finished the day 1-for-5 with five RBI at the plate. Smith had the Govs lone multi-hit outing, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBI. Austin Peay recorded 12 runs on eight hits – its first five runs came without the benefit of a base hit – as they waited out a season-best 11 walks against a season- low three strikeouts.
Milwaukee reliever Tyler Thicke (0-3) suffered the loss after allowing the grand slam and its four runs over his three-inning outing. UWM starter Adam Ruess did not factor into the decision after allowing four runs on five walks and no hits in 2.1 innings.
Unes and Taylor each had two RBI to pace Milwaukee’s offense. Ryan Solberg went 3-for-5 with two runs scored as the Panthers finished with 11 hits.