SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 7, Austin Peay 6
@Eastern Kentucky 17, Eastern Illinois 11
@Belmont 10, Jacksonville State 3
Murray State 11, @Southeast Missouri 6
SIUE 13, @UT Martin 8
@Tennessee Tech 15, Lipscomb 2
MOREHEAD STATE 7, AUSTIN PEAY 6
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Junior right fielder Brandon Rawe went 3-for-4 with three home runs on Sunday afternoon at Allen Field, and the Morehead State baseball team used a 7-6 victory to post its first series win over Ohio Valley Conference opponent Austin Peay since 2009.
The Eagles, who have won seven of their last eight at home, improve to 25-22 overall, 13-11 in OVC action and 11-7 at Allen Field. The Governors, who began the weekend with nine straight victories in the series, fall to 19-30 overall, 11-13 in league play and 6-14 on the road.
MSU continues to destroy its overall victories (16-40) and home wins total (5-9) from a year ago. The Eagles improve to 11-3 in one-run affairs this season and notch their seventh win when trailing after six innings. The three-game weekend series was also decided by just one run.
Rawe became the first Eagle to launch three roundtrippers in a game since April 17, 2010. He belted a solo homer in the first, two-run dinger in the third and game-winning solo shot in the eighth. The three-hole hitter is now batting .417 on the year with 10 long balls and 39 RBI.
Morehead State junior catcher Chris Robinson posted three hits, while first baseman Kane Sweeney, senior designated hitter Bobby Burns and junior shortstop Robby Spencer collected two apiece. The Eagles registered 15 base knocks in the contest, including eight for extra bases.
Austin Peay jumped out to a 5-1 lead with two runs in the first and three more in the second. The Governors held a 6-5 upper hand at stretch time, but MSU rallied for two late runs on Spencer's seventh-inning rocket off the third baseman and Rawe's eighth-inning game winner.
Senior southpaw Noah Smallwood, sophomore right-hander Tyler Keele and sophomore right-hander Craig Pearcy combined to allow just one run and five hits in 7.2 innings out of the Morehead State bullpen. The Eagle relievers struck out 13 of the 32 batters they faced.
Pearcy, who tossed the eighth and ninth frames, improved to 4-2 with the win. Senior right-hander Ryan Quick, who yielded Rawe's final long ball on his first pitch, dropped to 2-6 with the loss.
The teams combined to use 12 pitchers in the series finale. The three-game set also saw a total of 37 pitching appearances as nearly every eligible hurler on both sides worked off the mound.
MSU suffered three-game sweeps at the hands of APSU in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Eagles had not taken a series from the Governors since a doubleheader sweep at home on April 11, 2009.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 17, EASTERN ILLINOIS 11
RICHMOND, Ky. - Bryan Soloman’s late 3-run home run secured a 17-11 victory for Eastern Kentucky over Eastern Illinois in the series finale on Sunday.
The Panthers (16-30-1, 10-13-1 OVC) drew within three with two runs in the top of the seventh. Soloman stepped to the plate with two on, and two out, in the bottom of the inning and sent a 1-1 pitch sailing over the wall in right field. His 13th home run of the season pushed the EKU (22-25, 11-13 OVC) lead to six.
It was also Soloman’s 10th home run in the last 17 games. He extended his hitting streak to 17 straight by finishing the day 3-for-6 with a run and seven RBIs. Fellow senior Sean Hagen was 4-for-5 with a run and two RBIs. The top four batters in the Eastern Kentucky order drove in 14 of the 17 runs.
Caleb Howell had a 6-for-6 day and scored three times for Eastern Illinois. Brant Valach had two hits in five at bats and drove in three runs.
The Colonels never trailed, but the Panthers never folded. EKU took a 3-0 lead after the first inning. TJ Alas hit a two-run home run after a lead-off double by Kyle Nowlin. EIU drew within one in the top of the second before Eastern Kentucky platted four in the bottom half to build a 7-2 lead.
With the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, Valach was hit by a pitch and Cameron Berra drew a walk to complete a three-run frame for Eastern Illinois and get the visitors within a single run, 9-8. Soloman’s two-run double keyed a five-run fourth for the Colonels and gave the home squad a 14-8 advantage.
EIU added one in the sixth and then closed the gap to three with two in the seventh. However, that is as close as the Panthers would get. Soloman put the game away in the bottom half of the seventh.
Logan Hershenow (2-2) picked up the win after tossing five and two thirds innings of relief. He allowed three runs on 10 hits, struck out three and did not walk a batter. EIU starter Joe Greenfield (5-5) lasted only one and one third innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits.
BELMONT 10, JACKSONVILLE STATE 3
NASHVILLE - Belmont powered past Jacksonville State Sunday afternoon at Rose Park. The Bruins avoided the sweep with their 10-3 victory.
Jacksonville struck first behind a solo home run from Griff Gordon.
Belmont responded in the second with back-to-back home runs from Brennan Washington and Drake Byrd to put the Bruins ahead 3-1. Alec Diamond crossed the plate in the third after a JSU error allowed Jamie Ritchie to reach first base.
In the fourth, Diamond singled through the left side to drive in Tyler Walsh extending Belmont's lead to 5-1. William Dodd continued the Bruin scoring with a two-run homer in the fifth.
The Bruins added three runs in the sixth to take a 10-1 lead.
Jacksonville State added one run in the seventh and one in the ninth.
Austin Coley earned his fourth win of the season after going six innings. The right-hander gave up one run, struck out seven and walked four. Dan Ludwig earned his first save of the season after logging three innings of work. Ludwig scattered four hits and struck out two.
Dodd led the Bruins with three hits while Washington and Nick Egli each had two. Washington drove in a team-best four runs.
MURRAY STATE 11, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Murray State scored eight runs in the fourth inning and held off a Southeast Missouri State rally to defeat the OVC-leading Redhawks, 11-6, in the series finale Sunday afternoon at Capaha Field.
The Breds (19-26, 11-13 OVC) wasted little time in getting on the board as Anthony Bayus hit an opposite-field home in the first inning. It marked the second-straight game he has homered.
The game turned in the fourth inning when the first nine Breds hitters of the inning reached. Kollin Dowdy ripped a double into the left-field corner to get things going. Two batters later, Michael Hargrove doubled off the top of wall in right center to score Dowdy. With the bases loaded, Derek Yoder and Matthew Johnson were hit by pitches to drive in runs. Taylor Mathews then ripped an 0-2 pitch into the left-field corner for a bases-clearing double. Ty Stetson drove in the seventh run with a single to right center and Tyler Lawrence closed out the scoring with a single through the left side, his second hit of the inning.
The Redhawks (31-16, 21-6 OVC) would begin their comeback in the fourth by pushing across a pair of runs. They would three more runs in the sixth to pull within 9-5.
SEMO tried to continue their rally in the seventh off reliever Tyler Saltsman. They got a pair of two-out hits to put runners on second and third. Saltsman did not back down, striking out the league’s third-leading hitter on a backdoor slider.
The Breds used the momentum in the eighth as Lawrence ripped a two-out, two-run triple to right center. Stetson doubles to right center with one out, and Bayus followed with a walk.
Saltsman found himself in trouble again in the eighth by walking the first two hitters. He induced a one-hopper back to the mound, and started the unorthodox 1-5-3 double play. Saltsman ended his second-straight inning with a strikeout looking.
SEMO would add a run in the ninth on a bunt base hit with two outs, but a lazy fly ball to right ended the game.
Sheldon Baxter (2-5) started and earned the victory, allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits and three strikeouts over five innings. Saltsman earned the first save of the season by allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits and two strikeouts over four innings.
The Breds offense pounded out 13 hits for the second-straight game. Lawrence led the attack by going 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs. Mathews added two hits and drove in three runs.
Stetson finished 2-for-6 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. He now has 229 career hits, passing Tyler Pittman (228) for second on the all-time hits list at MSU. He now only trails Wes Cunningham and his 237 career hits.
SIUE 13, UT MARTIN 8
MARTIN, Tenn. - SIUE snapped an 8-8 tie with two runs in the seventh inning and went on to a 13-8 win over UT Martin in the finale of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series at Skyhawk Field.
The Cougars won two of three in the series and have won two consecutive OVC series. They are 14-13 in league play. The 14 wins are the most-ever OVC wins by the Cougars. SIUE is now 18-27 overall. UT Martin fell to 7-36 overall and 4-20 in the OVC.
Nick Lombardo doubled home the game-winning run and Denton Reed added an RBI single in the inning. Lombardo finished 2 for 4 with the RBI and three runs. The Cougars scored three times in the ninth for the 13-8 final.
Both teams scored five runs in the first inning and neither starter made it out of the second inning. The Cougars had just two hits in the first inning, but took advantage of five walks by UTM starter Alex Martin. Brian Sipe capped the inning with a two-run single for SIUE. Sipe finished 1 for 5.
Nantze had a two-run single for the Skyhawks in the home half of the first. SIUE starter Caleb Wilkerson allowed three hits, walked two, and hit two batters in the inning.
Jake Stauffenberg (3-5) pitched the final 3 1/3 innings for victory. He allowed a single hit and did not allow a run. He walked two and struck out three.
Stauffenberg worked out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth inning. After loading the bases to start the inning on two walks and a hit by pitch, Stauffenberg struck out first baseman Taylor Cox. Ben Upton then hit a short fly to first base and Nick Molina grounded back to Stauffenberg for the final out in the inning.
Alec Saikal led the Cougars at the plate. He was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Keaton Wright was 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs.
Reliever Chris Ross (1-5) took the loss. He allowed two runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Five UT Martin players had two RBIs in the loss. Skyhawk catcher Mikey Nantze was 2 for 4 with four RBIs.
TENNESSEE TECH 15, LIPSCOMB 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - On a day set aside to honor the members of the Tennessee Tech baseball team that forged the program's history, the Golden Eagles (36-13) provided the best outcome to do just that. Tech defeated in-state foe Lipscomb (27-21), 15-2, after recognizing over 20 former players and coaches prior to the contest as part of Legend's Day.
A relatively close contest to start, the Golden Eagles broke the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four times to take a five run lead. Three more runs in the sixth and a five-spot in the eighth more than ensured Tech of its 36th victory of the year.
A near-record performance from redshirt sophomore Jake Rowland led the Golden Eagles to the victory over their in-state rival. The center fielder crushed two home runs as part of a 3-for-5 day at the dish. He finished with seven RBI, a mark that would have broken the single-game Tech record if teammate Daniel Miles hadn't already beaten the mark with an eight-RBI contest earlier this season.
Shortstop Dylan Bosheers and first baseman Zach Stephens each had big days at the plate as well. Bosheers finished with two RBI with two hits over four trips to the plate. He also walked once while scoring a game-high three times. Stephens collected three hits in four at bats, garnering a free pass and scoring twice as well. He collected the lone double of the contest while driving in two.
Senior reliever Ross Spurgeon picked up his fourth victory of the season, tossing two and two thirds innings while allowing no hits and no runs. The right-hander struck out two and walked just one.
Freshman Kyle Keatts put together a solid performance in his first career weekend start, allowing just two runs in three and two thirds innings.
Lipscomb second baseman Mike Korte picked up both RBI for the Bisons, singling in two runners in the fourth to pull his team within a single run. Starter Denton Norman was dealt his fifth loss of the year after allowing six earned and seven total runs in four and two thirds innings.
Rowland kicked things off for the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the second, blasting a towering two-run shot to right center field on the first pitch he saw. He tacked on three more RBI with a single swing in the fifth, drilling a line drive that just cleared the fence in right field for his second long ball of the game.
That just didn't seem to be enough for the Decatur, Tenn. native, however, as Rowland squared up a pitch in the eighth with the bases loaded. A single through the right side drove in two more to give the young outfielder a career-high seven RBI for the day.