SUNDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 6, @Eastern Illinois 4
@Murray State 7, Belmont 5
@Tennessee Tech 21, Southeast Missouri 10
@Jacksonville State 5, Eastern Kentucky 0
@Austin Peay 10, UT Martin 2
@Northwestern 4,
SIUE 1
MOREHEAD STATE 6, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Junior leftfielder Nick Newell's pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth inning Sunday broke a tie, and the Morehead State baseball team hung on for a 6-4 victory in game three of an Ohio Valley Conference series at Eastern Illinois.
The Eagles halted a six-game losing skid to the Panthers, improving to 26-24 overall and 14-13 in the league with one series remaining before the league tournament. EIU dipped to 18-31-1 overall and 12-14-1 in the conference action.
MSU got out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh as relief pitcher Craig Pearcy coaxed an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Newell came off the bench and laced a two-run double down the left line on a 2-2 count to score junior second baseman Tyler Bigler and senior third baseman Jeff Birkofer.
Pearcy, who also leads the team with eight saves, gave up just one hit in three innings to improve to 5-2. He relieved senior right-hander Dan Hyatt, who also only allowed one hit in 1.2 innings.
EIU reliever Troy Barton was tagged with the loss to fall to 1-2.
MSU fell behind 2-0 after three frames, but senior designated hitter Bobby Burns knotted the contest 2-2 with his second home run of the year in the fourth.
In the fifth, junior catcher Chris Robinson delivered an RBI single, while junior right fielder Brandon Rawe drove in his team-best 41st run via a ground out. The Panthers answered with a sacrifice fly and RBI single to even the game again, 4-4, in the bottom of the fifth.
Robinson paced MSU's 12-hit attack with a 3-for-5 performance. Burns extended his current team-best hitting streak to 13 games and recorded his 16th multi-hit game this season. Junior shortstop Robby Spencer collected two hits, giving him multi-hit efforts now in nine of his last 10 games. Birkofer added a pair of hits too.
MSU pitchers, including junior starter Luke Schneider, only surrendered seven Panther hits. Third baseman Brant Valach was 2-for-4.
MURRAY STATE 7, BELMONT 5
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a tie game and propel the Breds to a 7-5 victory over Belmont on Senior Day at Reagan Field.
With the score tied at four going into the eighth, Michael Hargrove started the inning with a single through the left side. After a balk moved pinch runner Pokey Harris to second, pinch hitter Clay Fuson squared around to bunt. The Bruins had the wheel play on and Fuson pulled the bat back and hit the ball to where the shortstop would have been playing to put runners on the corners. Derek Yoder then hit a chopper over the head of the third baseman to give MSU the lead. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners up a base, and senior Ty Stetson came through with a two-run single to right field.
The Bruins (22-28-1, 11-15-1 OVC) tried to mount a comeback in the ninth as they got back-to-back singles with one out. A groundout off the bat of Nick Egli scored one run, but senior Tyler Saltsman shut the door there with a flyout to left to end the game.
BEL jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage by scoring a pair of unearned runs in the third inning.
The Breds (20-28, 12-15 OVC) came right back in the home-half of the inning with a four spot. Taylor Mathews singled and Stetson walked to star the inning. Kollin Dowdy then tripled in both runners, before scoring himself on a Tyler Lawrence single to center. Dalton West added the fourth run of the inning with a double to left field.
The Bruins battled back to tie the game as they got a solo home run in the fourth, and then scored on a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Cody Maerz (2-6) earned the victory as he gave up just one run on three hits over four innings. Saltsman picked up his second save by retiring both hitters he faced.
Lawrence led the 13-hit attack by going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of walks. Mathews added two hits, while Stetson and Dowdy each drove in two runs.
TENNESSEE TECH 21, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 10
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Twenty-one runs. There was just no other way that seemed fitting enough for the Tennessee Tech baseball team to end its 2014 home season Sunday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles tallied a season-high on the scoreboard on 20 hits to defeat Southeast Missouri, 21-10.
The victory seemed fitting as the Tech squad celebrated Senior Day, honoring eight members of the team and their families. Each senior played his role in the contest from the first pitch to the last.
Despite winning by a huge 11-run margin, the game was actually a close, back-and-forth battle through the first seven innings, featuring four lead changes along the way. And then the eighth inning occurred.
The Golden Eagles sent 16 batters to the plate in the frame, tying a single-season high for runs in a single inning with 10. More impressive was the fact that nine of those run came with two outs in the inning. It took three Redhawk pitchers to close the frame as Tech racked up seven hits and drew five walks.
Senior right fielder Brandon Thomasson proved to be a true Senior Day slugger, hammering two home runs and double as part of a 5-for-7 day the plate. He drove in a game-high five runs while jumping his season home run total to 20, just one away from the national leader A.J. Reed of Kentucky.
Thomasson scored four times on his way to becoming the first Golden Eagle this season to record five hits in a game. His 20 home runs are the most by a Tech player since the bat change before the 2011 season.
Leadoff man Zach Zarzour, a senior from Ooltewah, Tenn., really set the tone for the game, drawing a five-pitch walk to immediately give Tech a runner after giving up a run in the top of the first. On the day the second baseman tallied two hits in four at bats, scoring four times and driving in a run while drawing three walks. He also led the Golden Eagles with five assists in the field.
Following Zarzour in the lineup was fellow senior Zach Stephens. The slugger came through right off the bat, crushing a two-run bomb to left center field to give Tech an early 2-1 lead. It marked the 15th of the year for the first baseman, who finished 1-for-5 with two runs scored and two walks.
Another senior was next to damage in the lineup, as third baseman Daniel Miles quietly produced a solid performance for the Tech squad. Miles scored one run while driving in two more on two hits in four at bats. He also drew two of Tech's 11 walks on the day and made several great defensive plays at the hot corner.
Senior catcher Jordan Parris made good use of his at bats, scoring four runs as part of a 1-for-3 day at the dish. The backstop walked twice while also getting hit by a pitch.
All three senior pitcher saw action in the contest as well. Cookeville native Ross Spurgeon tossed one and two thirds innings of relief, allowing three hits and three runs while striking out two batters. Stanton Taylor followed with one and third on the hill, giving up just two hits and one run. Right-hander Garrett Baugh took care of the final out of the contest, needing just three pitches to force Redhawk pinch hitter Branden Boggetto to fly out to end the game.
Junior shortstop Dylan Bosheers had a tremendous outing, gathering four hits in five at bats. He was also hit by a pitch and scored a run while driving in two. Jake Rowland managed to reach base four times despite not managing a hit on the day. He drew two walks and was hit twice.
Designated hitter Jordan Hopkins had a solid day at the plate, going 3-for-6 with a bases-clearing, three-run double in the eighth that all but cemented the Golden Eagle victory. Redshirt freshman Hunter Hudson gave the Tech crowd a good sign of the future in his first collegiate start, going 3-for-6 with a mammoth solo home run to left field and three total RBI.
Left-handed reliever John Gora earned his second win of the season, tossing two innings of relief while surrendering just one hits and striking out one.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 5, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - - Casey Antley had six strikeouts and allowed just four hits to lead Jacksonville State to a 5-0 win over Eastern Kentucky as the Gamecocks swept the Ohio Valley Conference series on Sunday.
The Gamecocks improve to 29-21 overall and 17-10 in the league, and with the win on Sunday, the Gamecocks earned their 11th straight appearance in the OVC Baseball Tournament on May 21-25 in Jackson, Tenn. Jax State has advanced to the tournament every year since joining the league in 2004.
Antley (2-4) threw 88 pitches in seven solid innings on the mound to earn the win for the Gamecocks. Brent Cobb (3-6) gave up all five runs to suffer the loss for the Colonels.
The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead in the third inning after Michael Bishop led off with a double and scored on Ryan Sebra's RBI single to center field to give JSU the early lead.
Jax State added three more runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead after Gavin Golsan scored on an infield grounder and Stephen Bartlett scored on an EKU throwing error. Bishop then scored on a sacrifice fly as the Gamecocks built a 4-0 lead.
JSU added a run in the seventh inning after Mora-Loera scored on another infield grounder for the final margin.
Mora-Loera led the Gamecocks with three hits, while Michael Bishop, Ryan Sebra, Andrew Bishop, Bartlett and Golsan each finished with two hits to lead the Gamecocks' 14-hit attack. Ben Fisher led the Colonels with two hits.
AUSTIN PEAY 10, UT MARTIN 2
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Starting pitcher Jared Carkuff scattered 10 hits in seven scoreless innings as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team leveled its Ohio Valley Conference series at 1-1 with a 10-2 victory against UT Martin, Sunday night, at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Carkuff (3-2) surrendered six hits in the game’s first two innings, but did not allow a run. The Govs defense helped the Govs starter, in particular battery mate P.J. Torres, who caught a man stealing in the first inning and picked off a runner at second base in the second frame to help Carkuff’s cause.
Meanwhile, Austin Peay’s (20-31, 12-14 OVC) offense went to work and scored five times in those first two frames. Designated hitter Alex Robles had a RBI double, first baseman Dre Gleason added a RBI single and Torres chipped in a two-run double in APSU’s four-run first. In the second, shortstop Garrett Copeland and center fielder Cayce Bredlau hit back-to-back doubles to give APSU a 5-0 lead.
After the offensive outburst, Carkuff got some stellar help from the Govs defense. Bredlau made a diving catch in the right center gap to rob a potential base hit in the third. In the fourth, second baseman Logan Gray added to the highlight reel as he nabbed a hard line drive behind second base for an out. Two innings later, left fielder Ridge Smith made a diving catch in left on a ball tailing toward the line to prevent another base hit.
Those defensive plays were part of a stretch that saw Carkuff retire nine straight batters and 13 of 15 after he loaded the bases in the second until he allowed a single in the sixth. They helped him go a career-best seven innings while striking out a career-best six batters. Carkuff allowed just two walks – one in the fifth and another in the seventh – in his seven shutout innings.
UT Martin (9-37, 5-21 OVC) broke up the Govs shutout bid in the eighth when third baseman Zack Malone hit a two-run home run to left field off APSU reliever Levi Primasing. Those would be the only runs the Skyhawks could scratch out despite posting 13 hits – Malone’s home run the lone base hit on the night.
Austin Peay’s offense finished with 16 hits, including eight extra base hits (seven doubles and a triple). Bredlau led the Govs with a 3-for-5 outing with a double and his first triple mixed in. Torres and second baseman Logan Gray each had two RBI. All nine Govs starters recorded a hit in the contest and eight starters recorded at least one RBI.
UT Martin starter Dalton Potts (1-8) suffered the loss after allowing eight runs on 11 hits in five innings.
NORTHWESTERN 4, SIUE 1
EVANSTON, Ill. - Chase Green managed the only RBI of the day for SIUE as Northwestern defeated the baseball Cougars 4-1 in the finale of a three-game nonconference series at Rocky Miller Park.
The Wildcats (17-32) took a 2-0 lead after two innings. Luke Dauch hit a solo home run in the first inning. Josh Perlmutter added an RBI groundout in the second inning.
Green's RBI came on a third-inning single and scored Denton Reed to make it 2-1. Green was 1 for 4.
Perlmutter added a two-run home run in the fourth for the final margin. Perlmutter finished 2 for 4 with the three RBIs.
Mike Miller (1-5) allowed all four runs on eight hits over six innings of work. He struck out three and walked three. Zach Malach tossed two scoreless innings in relief. He struck out three.
SIUE (19-30) managed just five hits against a trio of Northwestern pitchers. Nick Friar (5-0) allowed the run on five hits over five innings.
For the game, the Cougars left 13 runners on base.