FRIDAY'S SCORES
Southeast Missouri 21, @Eastern Illinois 1
@Austin Peay 7, Belmont 4
@SIUE 4, Eastern Kentucky 3
Tennessee Tech 10, @Jacksonville State 8
Morehead State 9, @UT Martin 5
@Samford 17,
Murray State 2
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 21, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Southeast Missouri baseball won game one of its three-game series at Eastern Illinois Friday, 21-1. It is Southeast's largest margin of victory this season. The Redhawks hit five home runs and had a season-high 23 hits in the contest.
Southeast Missouri improves to 20-13 on the season and 12-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play, holding sole possession of first place in the league. Eastern Illinois falls to 2-25, 1-12 OVC.
The Redhawks offense was hot as each starter had at least a hit and scored at least a run. Trevor Ezell and Ryan Rippee each had four hits while Ezell scored five runs and reached base seven times. Garrett Gandolfo blasted two home runs and drove in six RBI.
Redhawk starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi pitched seven scoreless innings and improved to 5-1 on the season. He gave up EIU's lone run with two out in the eighth inning. He struck out five hitters Friday.
The Redhawk offense started firing immediately in the first inning. Ezell led off with a double that split the right-center followed by Jason Blum reaching on an error by the third baseman. Both runners scored when Gandolfo blasted his fourth home run of the season to left field, putting Southeast out in front 3-0 before an out was recorded in the game. Andy Lennington singled and later scored on the second Panther error of the inning. The Redhawks sent eight men to the plate in the inning and led 4-0 after one half inning of play.
Ezell blasted Southeast's second home run of the game with Clayton Evans on base in the second to extend the lead to 6-0 after two innings.
Southeast put up a six spot in the third inning thanks to an RBI double by Branden Boggetto, a two-RBI double by Evans, and back-to-back home runs by Gandolfo and Lennington capping the six-run inning for Southeast, extending the Redhawk lead to 12-0.
A sacrifice fly by Scott Mitchell scored Dalton Hewitt in the sixth to make it 13-0. A four-run seventh inning extended the Redhawk lead to 17-0. Rippee, Blum, and Mitchell all had RBI hits in the inning. Gandolfo drove in his sixth run of the game in the eighth inning to bring the score to 18-0.
Three-straight two-out singles by Eastern Illinois in the eighth put the Panthers on the board, 18-1.
In his first at bat of the day, Alex Burridge blasted his first career home run in the ninth inning. Burridge's home run was a three-run jack to left field, extending the Southeast lead 21-1.
Six total Redhawk hitters had multi-hit days while six had multi-RBI days. Jacob Lawrence pitched an inning in relief in the ninth to close the game for Southeast.
Matt Wivinis (1-6) recorded the loss for EIU. He gave up 12 runs in five innings.
AUSTIN PEAY 7, BELMONT 4
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Starting pitcher Alex Robles posted his second complete game outing of the season, leading Austin Peay State University’s baseball team to a 7-4 victory against Belmont, Friday night, in the opening game of their Ohio Valley Conference series at Raymond C. Hand Park.
For the second straight year, Robles (3-2) threw a complete game against Belmont, following up his one-hit shutout last season with Friday’s effort. The sophomore right-hander held Belmont to two runs in the first seven innings before surrendering single runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Robles retired the first seven batters he faced and only an error in the third inning broke the streak. He ultimately struck out 11 of the first 12 batters he faced before allowing a one-out single in the fourth, ultimately leading to the game’s first two runs.
Austin Peay (18-12, 10-6 OVC) responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. Right fielder Josh Wilson hit a two-out double down the right-field line to drive in two runs and tie the game.
Two-out runs were the night’s theme as the Govs struck for two runs again with two outs in the fifth. Second baseman Garrett Copeland did the damage with a two-run home run to left center, giving Austin Peay a 4-2 lead.
Austin Peay would strike for three runs in the seventh, again all with two out. Third baseman Logan Gray had a RBI single, Robles was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and catcher Ridge Smith had a RBI infield single, extending the APSU lead to 7-2.
Belmont (16-14, 8-4 OVC) also scored all its runs with two outs. Designated hitter Nick Egli and third baseman Tyler Walsh hit back-to-back RBI singles for an early 2-0 lead. First baseman Matt Beaty drove in the Bruins eighth-inning run with a single and one inning later it was pinch hitter Dom Veltri who drove in a run with a single in the ninth.
Robles (3-2) scattered seven hits over nine innings but more importantly did not walk any of the 26 batters he faced. He struck out a season-high eight batters.
Copeland and Wilson each had two RBI to pace the Govs. Left fielder Cayce Bredlau and first baseman Dre Gleason each had two hits in APSU’s nine-hit outing.
Belmont starter Dan Ludwig (3-3) suffered the loss after allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits in seven innings, but did strike out 10 batters.
First baseman Matt Beaty had Belmont’s lone multihit outing, going 2-for-4 with a RBI.
SIUE 4, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball took game one of a three-game series against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on a walk-off passed ball, winning the game 4-3.
The Cougars move to 11-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 11-15 overall.
Eastern Kentucky falls to 4-8 in the OVC and 10-19 overall.
Brett Thomas earned the win for the Cougars, pitching three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, and striking out three.
Kyle Nowlin struck first for the Colonels on a home run in the first inning. Malach then loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, but was able to end the inning with just one run against him.
It didn't take long for the Cougars to even the score, landing a run in the bottom of the first. After a double from Chase Green, Alex Saikal scored him with a single.
Keaton Wright put the Cougars ahead on a home run in the third, his third homer of the year.
Eastern Kentucky came back in the fourth to tie the game again. After issuing a two-out walk, Doug Teegarden doubled to score Kenny Hostrander .
Mike Miller took over for Malach in the fifth after Malach gave up two earned runs, five hits, three walks, and struck out three. Miller pitched two innings and gave up one run for the Cougars in the sixth on a home run from Ben Fisher.
The Cougars again evened the score at three after a double Skyler Geissinger and an RBI single from Dustin Woodcock.
Brett Thomas took over for Miller in the seventh. Miller gave up one run on one hit and struck out one.
Nick Lombardo lead the bottom of the ninth with a walk, while Chase Green put down a sacrifice bunt to move him over. Wright also reached on a walk. Jacob Stewart moved both runners over with a groundout to the shortstop. Colonel pitcher Cameron Langfels dealt a pitch that the catch couldn't handle, resulting in a Cougar run and earning them the victory.
TENNESSEE TECH 10, JACKSONVILLE STATE 8
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - A battle between two of the top pitchers in the Ohio Valley Conference turned in to a slugfest on Friday night as Tennessee Tech scored a pair of runs in the ninth to down Jacksonville State 10-8 in the opening game of a key OVC series at Rudy Abbott Field.
The Tech come-from-behind win was the third consecutive conference loss in which the Gamecocks dropped in the final inning. Last weekend, JSU fell victim to a pair of walk-off setbacks at Murray State. The loss drops Jax State to 17-14 overall and 6-7 in OVC play. The win improved Tech to 14-18 on the season and 7-9 against conference foes.
JSU's Zachary Fowler and TTU's Chris Chism, both entered the night with five wins each and two of the league's top Friday night starters. Both right handers struggled early and did not figure in to a decision. The Golden Eagles touched Fowler for a run in the first inning, but Fowler settled in after the Gamecock offense plated a pair of runs in the first and the second. The Daphne, Alabama-native ran in to some trouble in the third after an error opened the door for Tech to take a 5-4 lead on Ryan Flick's three-run home run to right center.
The Gamecocks responded in the bottom half of the third to regain the lead after Paul Angel tripled to center to score Ryan Sebra. Elliot McCummings followed with a single to send Angel home. The Sebra, Angel tandem combined for six of JSU's 15 hits, which is the most by the club in a conference contest this season. Sebra, from Ormond Beach, Florida has hit safely in all 13 games and has multiple hits in 12 of the 13 OVC games.
Tech added two runs in the sixth to take a 7-6 lead after a pair of two-out RBI singles by David Allen and Dylan Bosheers. The Gamecocks equalized in their at bat with a sacrifice fly RBI by Hayden White.
JSU took an 8-7 lead over the Purple and Gold in the seventh as it took advantage of a misplayed ball in left field, scoring Ty Pierce. Pierce pinch ran for Paschal Petrongolo, who carded a three-hit night.
The JSU bullpen struggled to hold the advantage in the eighth and the ninth. Tech evened the contest in the eighth with an unearned run. Anthony El Chibani, who reached base via a fielding miscue in left, scored from second on Tyler Brazelton's single to right field.
JSU looked to take the lead with a pair of runners in scoring position in the eighth, but Travis Moths thwarted the threat with a strikeout. Moths earned the win (2-3) after pitched the eighth inning.
TTU took advantage of a leadoff walk off of freshman Grant Chandler. Josh Pankratz drove in the eventual winning run with a single to left. The Golden Eagles added an insurance run in the frame with an RBI single by Matt Cunningham. Cain Sloan closed out JSU in the ninth to earn his third save of the year. Chandler was saddled with the loss and dropped to 2-1 on the season.
MOREHEAD STATE 9, UT MARTIN 5
MARTIN, Tenn. - A trio of Morehead State batters had three-hit games, and sophomore pitcher Luke Humphreys struck out seven as the MSU baseball team opened an Ohio Valley Conference series at UT Martin with a 9-5 victory at Skyhawk Park Friday.
Morehead State equaled its longest winning streak since 2005 with its eighth consecutive victory. MSU is now 19-13 overall and 6-7 in the OVC with its 10th straight win over UTM. The Skyhawks fell to 10-21 overall and 5-11 in the league.
The Eagles scored four times in the second frame, put across three in the sixth and added solo tallies in the fourth and fifth to build a 9-2 lead. Meanwhile, the right-handed Humphreys improved to a team-best 4-1 by allowing just five hits and two earned runs in six frames. Junior right-hander Tyler Keele came on in the eighth and recorded his third save of the season.
Morehead State, which ranks in the top five nationally in batting average, hits, doubles and slugging percentage, totaled 15 hits tonight. It's the eighth time in the last nine games with 10+ hits.
Senior right-fielder Brandon Rawe upped his hitting streak to a team-best 13 games with a two-hit night, while senior leftfielder Nick Newell, senior shortstop Robby Spencer and sophomore centerfielder Ryan Kent all extended their hitting sprees to 11 contests.
Spencer, senior first baseman Kane Sweeney and freshman second baseman Braxton Morris each collected three hits apiece. Newell clubbed his team-high 17th double of the season to drive in a pair in the sixth.
Morris plated the first run of the night with a second-inning single, and Kent added a two-run single that inning.
The home team crept back to within four on a solo home run by designated hitter Austin Taylor in the sixth and an RBI double by right-fielder Taylor Douglas in the seventh. Douglas was the lone UTM batter with double-digit hits.
UTM starter Alex Martin took the loss, surrendering 10 hits and five earned runs in five MSU at-bats.
SAMFORD 17, MURRAY STATE 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford’s Hunter Swilling hit three home runs and the Bulldogs had six homers as a team as SU defeated the Murray State baseball team 17-2 Friday in the series opener in Birmingham, Ala. The loss drops MSU to 14-20 on the season.
Pokey Harris collected one of the Racers’ four hits in the game, a two-run double down the left field line in the seventh inning to produce MSU’s only runs of the game. Brock Downey, Taylor Mathews and Nick Moore had the other three base hits for the Racers in the loss.
The Bulldogs (15-17) scored 10 of their 17 runs in the first three innings to jump out to an early and substantial lead in the game. The Racers used four pitchers in the contest with John Lollar taking the loss in the start, dropping him to 1-3 on the season.