SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 9, Southeast Missouri 5
Eastern Kentucky 6, @SIUE 5
@Jacksonville State 8, Tennessee Tech 7 (13 innings)
Belmont 12, @Austin Peay 8
Morehead State 8, @UT Martin 6
@Samford 10,
Murray State 3
EASTERN ILLINOIS 9, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois freshman outfielder Joseph Duncan reached over the fence in left center to bring back what would have been a three-run home run for Southeast Missouri in the top of the seventh. EIU then used that momentum to score five runs in the bottom of the seventh during a 9-5 win on Saturday afternoon at Coaches Stadium. The two teams will play the deciding game in the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
SEMO looked to extend its 5-4 lead in the seventh inning as Ryan Rippee hit a ball to deep left center that Duncan climbed the fence to pull back in for the final out of the inning. The Redhawks had two base runners on when Rippee hit his blast.
EIU used that momentum in the bottom of the frame as they loaded the bases with one out following an infield error. Caleb Howell made the Redhawks pay with a two-run double down the left field line that gave the Panthers a 6-5 lead. Howell was 3-for-5 as he now needs two hits to tie Ryan Campbell for the EIU career hits record.
EIU added three more runs in the seventh as SEMO used four pitchers in the inning. Travis Hayes (5-4) took the loss despite allowing only four earned runs. Demetre Taylor had a sacrifice fly, Howell scored on a wild pitch and Marshawn Taylor was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to plate the final three EIU runs. Demetre Taylor was 2-for-3 while Marshawn Taylor had three RBI for the game.
Chase Thurston (1-0) pitched the final three innings in relief to pick up the win.
SEMO opened the games with runs in the first and second against EIU starter Jake Johansmeier. Garrett Gandolfo had an RBI in the first and Scott Mitchell connected for an RBI single in the second.
EIU tied the game in the second with an unearned run and an RBI by Marshawn Taylor.
Each team plated a run in the fourth with Mitchell driving home SEMO’s run and Marshawn Taylor providing EIU’s RBI. Mitchell was 2-for-3 with three RBI for SEMO.
The Redhawks took a two run lead in the sixth with a sacrifice fly by Mitchell and RBI single by Branden Boggetto. EIU cut the lead to one in the seventh with a Demetre Taylor single.
Brant Valach and Bobby Wenthe both added two hits for EIU. Gandolfo, Boggetto and Dalton Hewitt had two hits for SEMO.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, SIUE 5
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Doug Teegarden’s home run and Taylor Blair’s bases loaded walk in the seventh inning gave the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team a lead it would never relinquish in a 6-5 victory at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Saturday.
The Colonels (11-19, 5-8 OVC) were down 4-3 when Teegarden led off the seventh inning with his second home run of the season. With two outs and a full count, Blair drew a bases loaded walk to push EKU in front 5-4.
Blair added a key RBI single in the top of the ninth to make it a two-run margin. Chase Green cut that deficit in half for the Cougars (11-16, 11-6 OVC) with a two-out RBI single to left in the bottom half of the inning. The tying run wouldn’t get any closer than first base as Keaton Wright grounded out to Teegarden to end the game.
Much like he did in the first game of the series on Friday, Kyle Nowlin got Eastern Kentucky on the board with a home run in the first inning. This time he hit a two-run shot, his 11th of the season. Shea Sullivan added a RBI ground out later in the inning for a 3-0 lead.
Alec Saikal’s bases loaded two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning gave SIU Edwardsville its first lead of the game, 4-3.
Alex Hamilton (2-3) earned the win after allowing four runs on eight hits in six innings of work. He walked two and struck out four. Teegarden finished 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Blair went 2-for-4 with two runs driven in.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, TENNESSEE TECH 7 (13)
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - After dropping three Ohio Valley Conference games in late inning situations, the Jacksonville State baseball team snapped that streak after a walk-off single by Tyler Gamble as the Gamecocks evened the series with Tennessee Tech, 8-7, in a 13-inning marathon on Saturday at Rudy Abbott Field.
JSU, who fell in a pair of walk-off losses last Saturday at Murray State and dropped a 10-8 decision late on Friday, snapped a five-game losing skid in the first extra inning contest of the 2015 season. Jax State moved to 18-14 on the season and back to .500 in OVC play at 7-7. Tech, who eyed a series win after taking the opening contest, dropped to 14-19 overall and 7-10 against conference foes. The rubber game of the three-game OVC series between the Gamecocks and Golden Eagles is set for 1 p.m. at Rudy Abbott Field. The 13-inning affair was the longest game for JSU since a 17-inning contest in 2014 against Kennesaw State.
JSU got off to a rough start after giving up five runs in the opening frame. A fielding miscue opened the door for the big inning by Tech against JSU starter Tony Urban. After an RBI single by Dylan Bosheers for the first run, Tech belted back-to-back doubles to score four more runs in the inning with two outs.
Tech starter Evan Fraliex was handed a five-run lead to work with, but JSU touched him for a run in the first inning. Junior Gavin Golsan led off the frame with a double down the left field line and scored on Daniel Clayton's single. Urban settled in after a rough first inning before running in to more trouble in the Tech fourth.
JSU's offense ignited in the second as it would score six runs after two outs were in the frame. Junior Elliot McCummings started the hit barrage off with a double to right center and after a Hayden White walk, Golsan had his second of four hits on the day to score McCummings. A Daniel two-run double, followed by a Paschal Petrongolo RBI single, chased Fraliex. Gamble greeted Austin Tolle with an RBI single to close out the inning.
JSU's Graham Officer had one of his best outings of the year in relief of Urban. He recorded six strikeouts in just 3.1 innings of work. Tech trimmed the 7-5 JSU lead down to a run after an RBI by Jake Farr. The Golden Eagles equalized in the sixth with an unearned run off of Officer.
From the sixth until the 13th neither offense could scratch across the go-ahead run. Jaz State went to closer Travis Stout in the eighth to preserve the contest. Stout had his longest outing of the season as he tossed 5.0 innings and struck out five Golden Eagles. Grant Chandler pitched the top half of the 13th to earn the win after a tough luck setback on Friday. TTU's Cain Sloan, who earned a save on Friday, suffered the loss.
The Gamecocks turned in a season-high 18 hits, while the JSU pitching staff fanned a season-high 15.
Golsan and McCummings shared team-high honors with four hits each, while Gamble had three hits, including the game winner. Golsan started the 13th with a double to left field and scored the winning run. Senior Ryan Sebra extended his OVC hitting streak to 14 games after a leadoff double in the 12th.
BELMONT 12, AUSTIN PEAY 8
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont defeated Austin Peay 12-8 in game two of the three game series on Saturday.
Starting on the mound was Aaron Quillen who pitched five full innings and struck out seven.
Freshman Kyle Conger went 2 for 4 at the plate driving in three runs and one RBI. Matt Beaty also went 2 for 4 at the plate driving in a single run and recording a single RBI.
Austin Peay took an early lead on the Bruins in the second plating three runs. The Bruins returned the deed in the top of the third.
Quillen received the win on the mound and improves his record to 4-2. The Bruins improve their overall record to 18-14 and and 9-4 in conference play.
MOREHEAD STATE 8, UT MARTIN 6
MARTIN, Tenn. - Highlighted by a three-run homer from senior first baseman Kane Sweeney, the Morehead State baseball team tied a program record with its ninth straight victory Saturday. The Eagles defeated UT Martin, 8-6, at Skyhawk Park.
Morehead State, which also won nine straight in 1985 and 1991, improved to 20-13 overall and 7-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference. It also marked the 11th straight victory over UT Martin since 2012. The Skyhawks slipped to 10-22 overall and 5-12 in the league.
Junior pitcher Craig Pearcy collected his first win of the season, starting the game and going into the seventh. He was charged with six runs, but got through the middle innings unscathed, sitting down nine straight batters. Junior right-hander Aaron Goe struck out a pair in the ninth for his first career save.
Sweeney, who was 3-for-5 at the plate, nailed his team-high sixth round-tripper in the third to drive in freshman second baseman Braxton Morris and sophomore centerfielder Ryan Kent. Morris was 3-for-4 today and is now 6-for-7 in the series. Kent upped his hitting streak to 12 with a double.
Senior shortstop Robby Spencer, senior leftfielder Nick Newell and senior rightfielder Brandon Rawe each produced two hits. Rawe's hitting streak was extended to a team-high 14 games, while Spencer and Newell have reached base on hits in 12 straight now.
Following Sweeney's homer, UTM rightfielder Taylor Douglas connected on a three-run bomb of his own in the third to push the hosts ahead 4-3. But, the Eagles answered with one in the fourth and four in the fifth.
Carter Smith was pinned with the loss, allowing all eight runs in 41 innings. Jackson Zarubin did not allow a run in the final 4.2 frames.
SAMFORD 10, MURRAY STATE 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Murray State baseball team scored a run in three of the first four innings Saturday at Samford, but it was not enough as the Racers fell to the Bulldogs 10-3 in game two of the series down in Birmingham, Ala.
The Racers (14-21) got on the board right away in the first inning with a Tyler Lawrence RBI single into center to bring home Matthew Johnson. It marked the 12th time this season that the Racers have scored in the first inning and dropped them to 5-7 in such games. MSU went up 2-0 in the third inning with a Johnson RBI single up the gut to score Derek Yoder.
After Samford (16-17) cut the Murray State lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the third inning on a balk, the Racers went back up by a pair of runs with a Taylor Mathews sacrifice fly RBI in the fourth to score Lawrence. However, SU responded to tie the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning and then took the lead for good with two runs in the fifth.
A five-run seventh inning for the Bulldogs busted the game wide open as Samford held the Racers to just one hit in the final five innings of the contest. SU collected 11 hits overall while MSU had just five as a team. Johnson and Lawrence compiled four of the five hits in the loss.
Brad Boegel took the loss in the start on the bump for Murray State. Boegel pitched five innings and allowed five runs, three of them earned, on seven hits and struck-out four batters. Brock Downey and Andrew Bramley pitched three innings of relief in the loss for the Racers.