TUESDAY'S SCORES
Toledo 8,
@Eastern Kentucky 4
@#19 Alabama 6,
Jacksonville State 1
UT Martin 4, @Lipscomb 0
TOLEDO 8, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky fell to Toledo, 8-4, in a non-conference game at Turkey Hughes Field on Tuesday.
The Rockets (19-27) took advantage of an error to plate two unearned runs in a 3-run second inning. An RBI single by Lucas Sokol got the visitors on the board. The third run of the inning was forced in when Jake Krupar was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Toledo added three more unearned runs in the third to double its lead. Deion Tansel capped it with an RBI single.
The Colonels (22-26) scored in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by freshman Logan Starnes. Luke Wurzelbacher’s double and Sean Hagen’s pinch hit sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 8-3 in the bottom of the seventh.
Eastern’s Bryan Soloman had two hits in four at bats to extend his hitting streak to 18 straight games.
John Martillotta (1-0) picked up the win after allowing just three hits in four scoreless innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out one. Martillotta also went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored three runs.
Chris Cervantes (0-2) suffered the loss. He allowed five runs but only one was earned. The sophomore walked one and struck out two in two and one-third innings.
#19 ALABAMA 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Jacksonville State's attempted to knock off its second-straight Southeastern Conference foe fell short Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium as No. 19 Alabama downed the Gamecocks 6-1 in the final non-conference road contest of the 2014 season.
The loss drops Jax State to 26-21 on the season, while the Crimson Tide moved to 31-18 overall and snapping a three-game losing streak in the process after Florida swept UA this past weekend. The Gamecocks have now dropped the last ten meetings to their in-state nemesis. JSU will have another shot at snapping the losing skid to UA as it will host the Crimson Tide next Tuesday at Rudy Abbott Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
UA used the long ball in two of the first four frames to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Bama's Casey Hughston started the scoring with a solo shot to right center in the second inning off of JSU starter Adam Polk. UA's Ben Moore plated a run on a sacrifice fly to left before Klye Overstreet blasted a two-run shot to left in the frame to give Bama a 4-0 cushion.
JSU's hurlers kept the deficit at 4-0 until the offense manufactured a run in the visitor's half of the seventh. Steven Bartlett and Andrew Bishop started the frame with back-to-back singles before Gavin Golsan plated Bartlett with an RBI ground out to third.
The Crimson Tide expanded the lead in their next at bat as Mikey White tripled to right, plating Daniel Cucjen. Georgie Salem drove in the final run of the night with a single to right field. White finished the contest 3-for-4 with a pair of extra base hits and scoring twice in the contest. Salem was a perfect 3-for-3 and an RBI to pace the UA offense.
Senior Griff Gordon and Andrew Bishop led the JSU offense with a multiple hit games. The Crimson Tide pitching staff scattered seven JSU hits. UA starter Nick Eicholtz (3-1) was credited with the win on the bump, while Polk (4-3) suffered the loss.
UT MARTIN 4, LIPSCOMB 0
NASHVILLE - Nico Zych drove in three runs and the University of Tennessee at Martin pitching staff tossed its first shutout of the season in a convincing 4-0 Skyhawk victory over in-state rival Lipscomb this evening at Ken Dugan Field.
Batting out of the No. 9 hole tonight, Zych reached base three times on a pair of singles and a walk. As a result, the junior out of Monee, Ill. collected a season-high three RBI’s to go along with his fourth multi-hit performance in 2014.
Isaac Carrel started at designated hitter tonight and scored a pair of runs, while Jake Deason (run scored), Chase Young (run scored) and Phil Sorensen (RBI) also stood out offensively for UT Martin (8-36), who has won four of its last seven games.
Alex Boshers (1-2) helped the Skyhawks post their first shutout since a 1-0 win over IPFW on Feb. 24, 2013. Pitching in his hometown, Boshers went seven strong innings (a season-high), allowing just six singles with three strikeouts against zero walks. Stu Jones effectively worked the eighth inning and John Houston shut the door with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth.
In addition to its first shutout in 88 games, the Skyhawk pitching staff did not concede an extra-base hit for the second time this season (previously done at UAB in the season-opener on Feb. 14) and did not issue a walk for the fourth time this season (other instances at Jacksonville State on March 7, vs. Murray State on March 15 and vs. Missouri State on April 25).
Lipscomb (27-22) led off the bottom of the first with a single but five pitches later, Boshers was out of the inning thanks to a double play and flyout to right.
After a one-out single in the second, Boshers entered a groove – as he retired six straight Lipscomb batters. Boshers’ dominant stretch allowed the Skyhawks to take a lead in the top of the fifth.
Carrel and Deason each singled to begin the fifth and were moved into scoring position when Mikey Nantze perfectly executed a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher. Zych then jumped on the first pitch he saw for a single up the middle to give the Skyhawks a 2-0 advantage.
Those two runs would prove to be enough for Boshers, who pitched around a one-out single in the fifth and avoided trouble once again in the sixth by stranding a pair of Bison runners on the basepaths.
The Skyhawks added an insurance run in each of the next two innings. Carrel was hit by a pitch to lead off the seventh and advanced to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Deason. Zych then stepped to the plate and lined a two-out single to center to plate Carrel and make the score 3-0.
Boshers then polished off his evening with a lights-out seventh, racking up a pair of strikeouts and inducing a groundout to shortstop in a perfect frame.
Young doubled to lead off the eighth and two outs later, Sorensen turned on the first pitch he saw for an RBI single through the right side.
Lipscomb was able to tally a one-out single in the eighth but Jones erased any kind of potential threat with a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Houston then induced a groundout and followed with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth to clinch the victory for UT Martin.