FRIDAY'S SCORES
Bowling Green 13-4,
Eastern Kentucky 10-5 (Emerson, Ga.)
Murray State 8, Dayton 2 (Emerson, Ga.)
@Auburn 6,
Jacksonville State 4
Northern Illinois 4,
@Tennessee Tech 2
Bradley 6,
Southeast Missouri 3 (New Orleans, La.)
Notre Dame 6,
Belmont 4 (Macon, Ga.)
BOWLING GREEN 13-4, EASTERN KENTUCKY 10-5
EMERSON, Ga. - Four hitless innings by two relievers helped Eastern Kentucky escape with a 5-4 win over Bowling Green in game two of Friday’s doubleheader at the LakePoint Sports complex in Emerson, Georgia. BGSU won the first game 13-10.
Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning of game two, EKU pushed across a pair of runs to take the lead. TJ Alas singled through the right side to score Kenny Hostrander and tie the game. Later in the inning Shea Sullivan scored on a balk to put the Colonels (4-5) on top.
Relievers Matt Lynch and Aaron Ochsenbein took over from there. Lynch pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He walked three batters, but struck out two. Ochsenbein closed out the game for his first career save. Over the final three innings the freshman right-hander did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out four.
Luke McGee (2-0) started for Eastern Kentucky and gave up four runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits in five innings of work. He walked one and struck out six. Hostrander finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Trey Keegan went 2-for-3 with two walks, a run and an RBI for Bowling Green (2-3).
Bowling Green jumped out to a big lead early in game one, scoring 10 runs in the first three innings. The Colonels trailed 13-1 before attempting a late inning comeback. EKU platted eight runs in the bottom of the eight to get within three. Hostrander had a two-run double in Eastern’s big inning.
Newcomer Mandy Alvarez went 5-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Alas had three hits in four at bats and scored three times. Logan Hershenow (0-3) started for EKU and allowed 10 runs, six of which were earned, on 13 hits in five and two thirds innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Brian Bien led the Bowling Green attack with a 4-for-5 day. He scored three times and drove in two. Randy Righter went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored.
MURRAY STATE 8, DAYTON 2
EMERSON, Ga. - Brock Downey allowed just one hit over 7.1 innings of work and struck-out a season-high 11 batters and the Murray State offense scored in 6-of-8 innings and collected 10 hits as the Racers took game one of its series against Dayton Friday night, 8-2 in Emerson, Ga.
Downey didn’t allow a hit in the contest until the leadoff man of the eighth inning, as the no-hitter was broken up on a dribbler in front of the mound that the Flyers’ (1-6) Robbie Doring was able to beat out for a hit. UD collected just two hits in the game.
Anthony Bayus, Tyler Lawrence and Taylor Mathews all collected a pair of hits for the Racers (3-5). Bayus drove-in a season-best three runners in the win while Matthew Johnson collected two RBIs. Mathews scored three times in the victory while both Nick Moore and Derek Yoder scored twice.
Lawrence got the scoring going early for Murray as he singled down to the third base side to score Mathews in the first inning. A Bayus single through the right side scored Mathews for the second time in the third while a Johnson sacrifice bunt scored Moore in the fourth.
In the fifth, a Yoder single to center field scored Yoder to put the Racers up 4-0. MSU broke the game open with a three-run sixth inning that got started with a Johnson solo home run to left field to put Murray State up 5-0. Bayus doubled to right field later in the inning to score Yoder and Mathews and the Racers took a 7-0 lead. A Matt McGowan RBI single in the seventh to score Moore rounded-out the scoring for MSU.
The Flyers were able to get on the board with a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning. UD also committed seven errors in the ball game. Paul Miller and Tanner Edge pitched 1.2 innings of relief for the Racers in the victory. Miller didn’t allow a hit in his appearance while Edge struck-out two batters.
AUBURN 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4
AUBURN, Ala. - Cody Nulph and Blake Logan each had two hits and drove in two runs as Auburn claimed a 6-4 win over Jacksonville State in Friday's opening game of a three-game series on the Plains.
However, the game however did not end without controversy in the ninth inning. It appeared Jax State scored three runs with two outs to take a 7-6 lead after Taylor Hawthorne hit a ball to deep center field that Auburn centerfielder Anfernee Grier made a diving attempt to catch. Grier then jumped up and relayed the ball back to the infield after the last run crossed the plate.
There was not a signal of a catch by any of the three umpires before Auburn coach Sunny Galloway came running onto the field to question the call. The three umpires met for more than three minutes before first base umpire Jeremy Dupree ruled that Grier had indeed made the catch for the third out of the inning to end the game.
Auburn rallied to take a 6-2 lead into the ninth inning and seemed to be cruising after recording the first two outs of the inning on a pair of strikeouts before the Gamecocks came fighting back.
Tyler Gamble then followed with a two-out solo homerun to left field to cut the lead to 6-3. Ryan Sebra then reached on an infield error and Hayden White drew a walk before Clayton Daniel had a RBI single up the middle to score Sebra and cut the lead to 6-4.
After an Auburn pitching change, Elliot McCummings walked to load the bases and Hawthorne hit the 2-2 pitch to deep center field that caused the controversy.
Auburn's Will Thompson (1-0) picked up the win, while JSU's Joe McGuire (0-1) got stuck with the loss for the Gamecocks.
Jax State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning after Gavin Golsan scored on a bases loaded walk to Gamble.
The Gamecocks extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning after Clayton Daniel led off with a double and McCummings followed with a RBI single down the left field line to score Daniel and extend JSU's lead.
JSU starter Zachary Fowler tossed a solid 5 1/3 innings on the mound, allowing just four hits and five strikeouts, but did not get a decision.
Auburn scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take its first lead of the night. Nulph had a RBI double to center and Logan drove in two more runs with a double to left field to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Auburn added three insurance runs in the eighth inning. Nulph led off with a solo home run, while Grier and Ebert each drove in a run to give the Tigers a 6-2 lead heading into the ninth inning.
Daniel and McCummings each had two hits to lead the Gamecocks, while Gamble led the team with two RBI.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 4, TENNESSEE TECH 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech baseball team just couldn't solve the pitching staff of the Northern Illinois baseball team Friday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles fell to the Huskies in the first match-up of a three-game series, 4-2.
Northern Illinois jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, plating an unearned run in the top of the first and collecting a second in the top of the third.
The normally stout Tech offense was held hitless through the first six innings of the contest by southpaw Ben Neumann. The Golden Eagles did manage to draw three walks and manage four total base runners off of Neumann before he was replaced to start the seventh inning.
Senior catcher Jordan Hopkins wasted no time making the decision seem like a bad one, hammering the first pitch offered by reliever Donovin Sims clear over the Quillen Field sign in left field. The home run marked the first of the year by the backstop and cut the Huskies' lead in half.
The Huskies answered in the top of the eighth, collecting two more runs to extend their lead to 4-1. Tech did manage to squeeze one more run out of the NIU pitching staff, loading the bases on three walks. A wild pitch allowed the Golden Eagles to trim the deficit to just 4-2, but NIU closer Andrew Frankenreider shut the door for the final four outs to claim victory for the visitors.
Golden Eagle starter John Gora took the tough-luck loss on the day, despite allowing just one earned run over six innings of work. The left-handed senior allowed just six hits and a walk while striking out three batters.
Hopkins led the Golden Eagles offensively, collecting the team's only hit of the day with his seventh-inning tater. The senior also drew three walks to finish the day 1-for-1 with an RBI and run scored.
BRADLEY 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
NEW ORLEANS - The Southeast Missouri baseball team fell in game one of the series against the Bradley Braves Friday by a score of 6-3.
Southeast falls to 3-5 on the season while Bradley climbs to 6-1.
Bradley jumped on the board quick in the first inning. After drawing a walk to lead off the game, Chris Godinez stole second and scored on a single up the middle by Spencer Gaa to put Bradley up 1-0.
Both offenses remained dormant until the top half of the fifth inning. After a fielder's choice put Isaac Smith on first, an error on a dropped tag by Branden Boggetto allowed him to take second. Smith immediately scored on an RBI single by Gaa to make it 2-0 Bradley.
Bradley really opened the lead in the seventh inning with three runs. Joey Lucchesi allowed a run before he was pulled from the game in favor of Greg Mosel, who inherited runners on the corners. Both runners scored, both charged to Lucchesi, to make it 5-0 after seven innings.
The only noise from the Redhawks came on a monster three-run home run off the bat of Ryan Rippee in the bottom of the seventh. Rippee's blast plated Andy Lennington and Dalton Hewitt. The Redhawks were right back in the hunt, 5-3.
The Braves added an insurance run in the ninth inning with a first-pitch home run by Evan Gruener to make it 6-3.
The Redhawks would go down in order in the ninth to end the game.
Alex Winkelman (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing two runs, one earned, in six innings of work. Winkelman fanned seven hitters and walked three. Wesley Pyles pitched one and a third innings of hitless, scoreless baseball in relief Friday. He struck out the first two hitters he faced.
Elliot Ashbeck (3-0) was the winner for the Braves on the mound. He worked six and a third innings, allowed three runs on five hits, struck out six, and walked none.
Offensively, the Redhawks had five hits, four of which coming from each of Southeast's first four hitters in the lineup.
The Braves had 10 hits in the contest. Gaa went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Zach Fairchild and Gruener each contributed two hits.
NOTRE DAME 6, BELMONT 4
MACON, Ga. - Despite a small rally in the bottom of the ninth, the Fighting Irish defeated the Bruins 6-4. The Belmont Baseball team now 2-3 lost to Notre Dame who now have a 7 game winning streak.
Aaron Quillen (Kingsport, Tenn.) started on the mound for the Bruins and receives the loss despite his strong appearance on the mound. In 7 innings pitched, with the first three innings scoreless, Quillen struck out 11 of the 29 batters faced and tied for a team high in strikeouts. Quillen walked only one batter and gave up 4 runs on 5 hits.
The Bruins took an early lead on the board in the bottom of the second. Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) reached first on a walk. Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) hit an RBI triple to center field to score Egli. Drake Byrd (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) with a sacrifice fly to right scored washington, helping the Bruins to a 2-0 lead over the Fighting Irish.
The Bruins held on to their 2-0 lead till the 4th inning when the Irish led off with a single to right field. Ryan Bull stepped up to the plate and homered to right field tying the game 2-2 with the Bruins. The Irish then took the lead in the 7th with a triple and advancements on errors.
There was no action again for the Bruins till the 9th inning with our top of the order up to bat. Alec Diamond (Kennesaw, Ga) led off with a infield single. Senior Matt Beaty stepped up to the plate with one out and hit a double to left field. Diamond and Beaty now in scoring position. Still with only one out Tyler Fullerton (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) steps up to the plate and hits a double down the right field line to plate Diamond. Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind) grounds out to first but gains an RBI for plating Beaty. William Dodd (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) with a line out to right field ends the game for the Bruins.