SATURDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 8-8, @SIUE 5-3
@Eastern Illinois 6, Tennessee Tech 4
Murray State 4, @Jacksonville State 1
Southeast Missouri 10, @Austin Peay 9 (12 innings)
Eastern Kentucky 18, @UT Martin 13
@#23 Indiana 11,
Morehead State 3
BELMONT 8-8, SIUE 5-3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Belmont swept a doubleheader at SIUE on Saturday, winning by scores of 8-5 and 8-3.
In game one SIUE had back-to-back doubles in the fourth inning to go ahead 2-0. The Belmont bats got hot in the sixth as the Bruins scored six runs to take a 6-2 lead. Drew Ferguson drew a leadoff walk and proceeded to steal second before advancing to third behind an Alec Diamond single. Matt Beaty drew a walk to load the bases, bringing up Jamie Ritchie. Ritchie's RBI fielder's choice allowed Ferguson to cross the plate and put Belmont on the board, 2-1.
William Dodd's RBI double tied the game and a two-run double from Matthew Kinney gave BU the lead. A two-run single from Ferguson put BU ahead 6-2.
Diamond's sacrifice fly in the eighth scored Drake Byrd to give the Bruins a 7-2 lead. A solo home run from Matthew Kinney in the ninth extended Belmont's lead to 8-2.
SIUE put together a rally in the bottom of the ninth as the Cougars plated three runs to cut Belmont's lead to 8-5.
James Buckelew went seven innings on the mound. The left-hander, who earned his fourth win of the season, allowed two runs and struck out five.
In game two a pair of two-out walks in the first allowed Matt Beaty to score the first run off a wild pitch from SIUE starter Evan Martens.
William Dodd hit a bases clearing double in the third to put the Bruins ahead 4-0. A single from Kinney scored Dodd to extend Belmont's lead 5-0.
In the fifth, Beaty hit a leadoff triple and scored on an SIUE error to make it 6-0. The Cougars responded with three runs in the bottom half sparked by a two-run homer from Jacob Stewart, cutting Belmont's lead to three.
Back-to-back home runs from Brennan Washington and Matthew Kinney in the seventh put the Bruins ahead 8-3.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, TENNESSEE TECH 4
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Panther baseball team evened the Ohio Valley Conference series with Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon with a 6-4 victory at Coaches Stadium.
EIU improves to 11-23 overall and 5-9 in conference play while the Golden Eagles drop to 27-10 on the year and 10-7 in OVC action. The Panthers evened the series at 1-1 after TTU captured the series opener on Friday night, 4-0.
The Panthers took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, scoring two runs on three hits. A Demetre Taylor RBI double down the left-field line scored the first run before Tyler Schweigert drove in the final run on a single to left field.
Zach Stephens got the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard in the third inning on a RBI single to left field before the Panthers added one run in the fourth inning to make the score 3-1. EIU added three runs on four hits and two errors in the next frame to push its lead to five (6-1).
TTU scored three runs over the sixth and seventh innings to cut its deficit to two (6-4). Panther closer Troy Barton entered the game with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to end the scoring threat. He struck out Jordan Hopkins with two runners on base to end the inning.
Jake Johansmeier (2-3) posted the win for EIU as the sophomore pitcher threw three strikeouts and surrendered eight hits and four runs in 6.1 innings of action. Barton posted his fourth save of the year as he recorded three strikeouts while only allowing one hit in 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.
EIU had one more hit (10-9) than TTU and left three fewer runners on base (10-7). Both teams committed two errors in the contest.
Schweigert led the Panther offense, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and two RBI. Taylor went 2-for-4 with two runs and a RBI while Mitch Gasbarro added two hits and one run.
Daniel Miles went 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI for the Golden Eagles while Stephens finished the day going 2-for-5 with a run and a RBI.
Chris Chism (4-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing six runs (four earned) in 4.1 innings of action.
MURRAY STATE 4, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Brock Downey allowed one run in the first inning, and then shut the door on Jacksonville State in pitching Murray State to a 4-1 victory Saturday afternoon at Rudy Abbott Field.
Downey (6-1) tossed his third complete game of the season. He held JSU to just six hits and struck out seven without walking a hitter. He lowered his season ERA to 2.02.
JSU (20-14, 10-4 OVC) got on the board in the first inning after putting runners on the corners on a pair of hits. With two outs, the runner broke from first and got caught in a rundown. The throw home to get the runner from third was low, allowing the runner to score.
The Breds (15-17, 9-8 OVC) came right back in the second inning and pushed four runs across. Michael Hargrove started the inning with a single through the right side. Rick Linton walked with one out and Taylor Mathews loaded the bases with a single to right field. Ty Stetson tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right field. Matt McGowan battled at the plate, and on the 9th pitch of the at-bat, ripped a two-run double into the gap in left center. Anthony Bayus then followed with an RBI single to right field.
Downey took over the game from that point on, not allowing a runner past first base after the first inning. He gave up a single to start the second inning, but got the next hitter swinging and end the inning with a double play. He faced the minimum in the second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Zachary Fowler (4-3) took the loss for JSU after giving up four runs on 10 hits over 6.1 innings.
Mathews led the offensive attack by going 3-for-4 with a run scored and a pair of stolen bases. Bayus and Hargrove each added two hits.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 10, AUSTIN PEAY 9 (12)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Tempers flared and emotions ran high during game two of Southeast Missouri's series with the Austin Peay (14-21, 6-8 OVC) Governors Saturday. The Redhawks led 9-5 going to the bottom of the ninth but Ausitn Peay rallied to tie the game, forcing extra innings. The Redhawks crossed home in the twelfth inning and held on to win a wild one, 10-9.
Southeast Missouri climbs to 23-11 and 14-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play. With the Redhawks' win today and Jacksonville Stats's loss, the Redhawks regain a 2.5 game lead on the Gamecocks in the league standings.
The game began with both teams getting a runner on third in the first inning but neither team could capitalize on the situation.
Back-to-back walks to begin the second inning followed by a one out hit batsman loaded the bases for Jason Blum. Blum got an RBI the hard way when he too was hit by a pitch, forcing in the first run of the game. Scott Mitchell grounded in to a 4-6-3 double play to bring the inning to a close but Southeast led 1-0 going to the bottom of the second.
The Govs took a 4-1 lead in the second inning. It began with a leadoff home run by Dre Gleason. Logan Gray walked, stole second, and scored on a single to go ahead of the Redhawks. After a walk, two one-out singles plated a run each. Like game one, the Redhawks starter would not see more than one and a third innings as Ryan Lenaburg was replaced by Alex Siddle with one out in the second inning. Siddle retired the eighth and ninth batters of the inning to stop the early bleeding.
In the third, Derek Gibson drew a one out walk, advanced to second on an Andy Lennington single, tagged on a flyout, and scored the Redhawks' second run on a wild pitch.
Austin Peay scored again on a groundout in the fourth inning to widen the lead to 5-2.
Southeast pulled within one of the Govs in the fifth inning. Mitchell drew a leadoff walk followed by a double off the bat of Matt Tellor. Mitchell scored on a sacrifice fly by Gibson to pull within one run of the Govs, 5-4.
The Redhawks started some two-out noise in the seventh inning as Gibson and Lennington both hit two-out singles. The runners advanced a base on a failed pickoff attempt that went in to centerfield. With Dalton Hewitt at the plate, he swung at strike three that got away from the catcher. On the throw to first, the first baseman dropped the ball and the umpire called Hewitt out, ending the inning, and forcing Gibson's run not to count.
First, Christian Hull retired the side in the bottom of the inning. The top of the eighth began with a single and a walk. Cole Bieser then laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases with no out. Blum grounded in to a 6-4-3 double play but the tying run, pinch runner John Logan Zink, did score. The go-ahead run scored on a terrible pickoff move that the pitcher, Alex Belew, softly airmailed over the first baseman, scoring Branden Boggetto, giving the Redhawks a 6-5 lead.
Southeast scored some very important runs in the top of the ninth inning, with a little help of the Gov defense. With two out, Clayton Evans tripled to right center. ZInk hit a routine roller to short, which the shortstop threw away, allowing Evans to score. Another error by the shortstop off the bat of Boggetto put runners on first and second. Bieser then hit a flare just high enough in to left center to score both runs and extend the lead to 9-5.
However, the Govs were not going down without a fight in the ninth inning. APSU loaded the bases on an error, a single, and a walk with no out. A hit batsman drove in a run followed by an RBI single. Two bases loaded walks dished out by Hull tied the game.
The game was forced in to enter extra innings.
In the 12th inning, Blum was hit by a pitch with one out. Alex Burridge bunted Blum to second. Tellor drove a double through the right side to score Blum and take a 10-9 lead in the twelfth inning.
The Redhawks held the Govs scorelss in the bottom of the inning to secure the extra inning victory.
Austin Peay outhit the Redhawks 15-11 in the game. The Governors committed five total errors in the game while Southeast committed one, which came in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Tellor and Lennington each had three hits while Bieser had two of his own. Bieser also finished with two RBI.
Greg Mosel earned the win and improves to 2-2 on the season. Mosel worked the final three innings in the game, all of which were scoreless, allowing only two hits. Siddle worked three and two thirds innings, giving up only one run on four hits.
For the Govs, Rolando Gautier finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Cayce Bredlau finished 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Ryan Quick (2-3) recorded the loss Saturday. Quick pitched two and a third innings giving up the winning run in the twelfth inning.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 18, UT MARTIN 13
MARTIN, Tenn. - All nine starters had at least one hit and senior Bryan Soloman hit two home runs as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team cruised to an 18-13 win at Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.
EKU scored at least one run in each of the first five innings and totaled 22 hits. Eight of the nine players that started also had at least one RBI.
With the win, the Colonels (17-18, 7-7 OVC) clinched their second conference series victory of the season in five tries.
A pair of RBI doubles by Sean Hagen and Bryan Soloman staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Eight batters came to the plate in the inning and EKU left the bases loaded. Eastern added four more in the second, three of which came home off Soloman’s sixth home run of the season. The Colonels left the bases loaded for a second straight inning.
Eastern Kentucky put the game away with six runs in the third. Luke Wurzelbacher finished off the big inning with a two-run double down the left field line. Taylor Blair, Kenny Hostrander and TJ Alas had RBI singles in the inning.
Soloman hit his second home run of the game in the fourth. This time he sent a solo shot over the wall in right center. He finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five driven in. Alas hit his first homer of the season in the seventh, a solo shot over the wall in right field. He had three hits in five at bats, scored once and drove in two.
Brent Cobb (3-4) started for the Colonels and turned in his third quality start in his last four trips to the mound. The senior allowed five hits and two runs in six innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.
Eastern freshman Kyle Kramer went 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI after replacing Soloman as the designated hitter.
The Skyhawks (3-29, 2-15 OVC) put two runs on the board in the fifth on Chase Young’s two-run single up the middle. UT Martin added six more in the seventh, three in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Young finished 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs. Dalton Potts (0-6) started for UTM. He allowed six runs on seven hits in one and two-thirds innings. He walked three and struck out three.
#23 INDIANA 11, MOREHEAD STATE 3
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 23 Indiana baseball team exploded for eight runs in the second inning and recorded 15 hits en route to an 11-3 victory over Morehead State before a crowd of 3,101 on Saturday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field.
The Hoosiers, who lead the Big Ten Conference with an 8-1 record, improve to 21-10 overall and 8-1 at home with their ninth straight win. The Eagles, who own a 7-8 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference, slip to 16-18 on the season and 11-9 on the road.
Indiana sent 12 men to the plate in the second. The Hoosiers collected seven hits in the frame and took advantage of two Morehead State errors. Junior center fielder Tim O'Conner tied the game with a two-run single before an error let the go-ahead run score.
Indiana went scoreless in the third through sixth innings, but added one insurance run in the seventh and two in the eighth. Five Hoosiers tallied two bases knocks apiece, while three others posted two RBI each. IU put a runner on base in six of its eight at-bats.
Indiana registered 15 hits, including four doubles. The Eagles managed 12 base knocks, including three two-baggers. Morehead State junior shortstop Robby Spencer and junior left fielder Nick Newell shared game-high honors with three hits apiece.
Morehead State held a 3-0 advantage after its second at-bat, but the Hoosiers finished the contest with 11 unanswered runs. Junior catcher Chris Robinson, who notched two hits for the Eagles, has now reached base safely in 18 consecutive games.
Sophomore right-hander Christian Morris, who yielded three runs and seven hits in 5.2 innings, earned the win. Sophomore right-hander Matt Anderson, who allowed five earned runs and nine hits in four innings, was pinned with the loss. Freshman right-hander Thomas Belcher worked 3.1 scoreless innings for the save.