SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Austin Peay 10, Belmont 9
Southeast Missouri 5, @Eastern Illinois 0
@SIUE 10, Eastern Kentucky 3
Tennessee Tech 9, @Jacksonville State 4
Morehead State 17, @UT Martin 7
@Samford 14,
Murray State 6
AUSTIN PEAY 10, BELMONT 9
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Reliever John Sparks threw four scoreless innings, allowing Austin Peay State University's baseball team to complete a come-from-behind 10-9 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Belmont, Sunday afternoon at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (19-13, 11-7 OVC) could not keeping visiting Belmont off the scoreboard in the first four innings. The Govs trailed 9-4 in the top of the fourth before reliever Zach Walton entered the game and retired the only batter he faced to end the frame.
Sparks (3-0) entered to start the fifth inning and held Belmont to two hits over the next four scoreless innings en route to the win. The Bruins could only manage two-out hits in both the sixth and seventh innings, but could not advance either runner past second base. Closer A.J. Gaura pitched a scoreless ninth to record his season's fifth save.
The Governors offense scored in six of its eight innings, and after falling behind 9-4 slowly plugged away. First baseman Dre Gleason's two run home run to left field in the bottom of the fourth started the effort, trimming the deficit to 9-6.
Gleason cut the deficit by a run one inning later with a bases loaded walk and the Govs were within two runs. They got both of those runs and tied the game in the sixth inning thanks to left fielder Cayce Bredlau's RBI double and right fielder Josh Wilson's two-out RBI single.
Shortstop Garrett Copeland broke the tie with a leadoff home run in the eighth inning – his third home run in the last four games. That lone run would hold up thanks to the Austin Peay bullpen.
Belmont (18-15, 9-5) scored all nine of its runs in the first four innings. Third baseman Tyler Walsh's two-run single opened the game's scoring in the top of the first. First baseman Matt Beaty hit his ninth home run to supply a pair of runs in the three-run second inning.
Austin Peay starter Caleb Powell went just 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits, but did not factor into the decision.
Belmont reliever Matthew Kinney (1-4) suffered the loss after allowing Copeland's leadoff home run – his only run allowed in 1.1 innings of work. Bruins starter Tyler Vaughn allowed seven runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings.
Bredlau finished the day 2-for-3 with three RBI, including a two-run home run in the first inning. Gleason also was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Third baseman Logan Gray hit his season's 10th home run as part of a 3-for-5 outing.
Beaty and Walsh each had two hits and two RBI to lead the Belmont offense.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Alex Winkelman pitched a complete game shutout of Eastern Illinois Sunday, 5-0. Southeast scored all five runs in the first two innings as each team would be shutout the final seven innings.
With the win, Southeast clinches their sixth Ohio Valley Conference series of the season and keeps hold of first place in the league. Southeast is now 21-14 on the season and 13-5 in league play. Eastern Illinois is now 3-26, 2-13 OVC.
Winkelman moves to 1-2 on the season after picking up his first win of 2015. He allowed six hits in nine innings, struck out four Panther hitters, and walked only one. This is Winkelman's first complete game shutout of his career.
For the third game in the series, Southeast scored on the Panthers in the first inning. Trevor Ezell walked to lead off the game and Garrett Gandolfo singled to right with one out. Ezell scored on a base hit up the middle by Andy Lennington. Dalton Hewitt laid down a bunt for a hit that the first baseman tossed into the first base dugout, allowing all runners to advance and Gandolfo to score. Ryan Rippee punched one up the middle to plate Lennington and Hewitt, giving Southeast a 4-0 lead in the opening frame.
Brendon Neel smashed a leadoff home run to left in the second inning to extend the early lead of 5-0.
Both teams would be shutout for the final seven innings as the 5-0 score would stand till the end.
Southeast narrowly outhit EIU 7-6. The Panthers committed two errors in the game. Seven different hitters combined for Southeast's seven hits.
Brant Valach went 3-for-4 for Eastern Illinois.
Garrison Stenger (1-7) recorded the loss. He pitched only two innings, allowing all five runs on five hits. Andy Fisher and Luke Dietz combined to shutout out Southeast the final seven innings.
SIUE 10, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE used quality pitching, timely hitting, and flawless defense to defeat Eastern Kentucky 10-3 Sunday in the finale of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Simmons Baseball Complex.
The Cougars won two of three in the series and improved to 12-6 in the OVC and 12-16 overall. SIUE remains just a game behind Southeast Missouri (13-5) for first place in the league. Eastern Kentucky dropped to 5-9 in the OVC and 11-20 overall.
Chase Green put the Cougars up 1-0 early, belting his third home run of the year in the first inning.
EKU tied the game in the second inning against SIUE starter Jarrett Bednar. The Colonels scored a run on two hits, a walk, and a hit batter.
Denton Reed and Nick Lombardo each drove in runs in the third inning to push the Cougars advantage to 3-1.
The Colonels managed another run in the fourth thanks to three consecutive two-out hits.
Bednar earned his first win of the year after settling in to toss a season-high six innings. He gave up the two runs on seven hits and struck out five.
The Cougars bats provided the run support to allow Bednar to throw a season-high 107 pitches. SIUE scored five times in the fourth inning to open up an 8-2 lead. Parker Guinn opened the inning with a double off the left field fence. Skyler Geissinger followed with his second home run of the year. Dustin Woodcock was then hit by a pitch and MarioTursi down the left field line to drive him in. Reed and Lombardo were each hit by a pitch to load the bases. Green then grounded into a fielder's choice to drive in Tursi. An EKU error on the same played allowed Reed to score.
Geissinger led the Cougars at the plate. He was 3 for 4 with a single, double, and the home run. He drive in two and scored twice.
Lombardo, Green, Guinn, and Tursi each had three hits for the Cougars, who collected 14 hits for the game.
Ryan Daniels pitched the last three innings of the game to earn his first career save. Making his first relief appearance since his freshman season in 2011, Daniels gave up a solo home run in the seventh but settled into strike out three.
EKU starter Matt Lynch lasted just three innings. He fell to 1-1 with the loss. The Colonels used five pitchers total for the afternoon. Doug Teegarden, Ben Fisher, and Blake Sides each had two hits to lead the Colonels.
TENNESSEE TECH 9, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State could not carry over the momentum gained from a 13-inning walk-off win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday as the Golden Eagles jumped on the Gamecocks early en route to a 9-4 win on Sunday to take the series at Rudy Abbott Field.
The Gamecocks, 18-15 overall and 7-8 in the OVC, dropped their second consecutive league series and the second league series lost at home this season. Tech bounced back from an 8-7 defeat on Saturday to improve to 15-19 on the season and 8-10 against the OVC.
Sunday's rubber game mirrored the start of Saturday's marathon as Tech jumped on Jax State pitching early. The Golden Eagles, who scored five runs in the first inning on Saturday, did the exact same thing on Sunday against JSU starter Jake Walsh. Walsh, who fell to 1-1 on the season, was roughed up in the first inning as he was touched for five runs on six hits. The Tech five-run first was highlighted by the first four Golden Eagles reaching base before an out was recorded. TTU's Chase Chambers had the key hit in the inning with an RBI double. An infield single by Josh Pankratz and a hit by Anthony El Chibani drove in the final two runs of the inning.
After staked to a 5-0 lead, Tech's Jacob Honea allowed the Gamecocks to creep back in to the contest with two runs in the third and found more trouble in the fifth before being lifted. Three consecutive JSU hits contributed to the two runs in the second for the Gamecocks. A one-out single by Hayden White started the string of hits as Gavin Golsan and Clayton Daniel followed his lead with base hits. Daniel's single to right plated White for JSU's first run. Junior Paschal Petrongolo lifted a deep fly ball to left center to score Golsan.
Golsan, Daniel and White led the offensive attack as the trip combined for six of the Gamecocks' 10 hits.
After the fast start by Tech, the Purple and Gold were quiet until the fifth as it would add two more runs off of Walsh. Chambers collected another double and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field for the sixth run and the seventh run was an unearned run.
Jax State answered in the bottom half of the inning as White scored his second run of the day on another RBI single by Daniel. Senior Ryan Sebra tallied an RBI in the inning with a single to left field. With his fifth-inning hit, Sebra has now hit safely in all 15 OVC games.
Tech added a pair of single insurance runs in the eighth and ninth to preserve the road win in Jacksonville.
MOREHEAD STATE 17, UT MARTIN 7
MARTIN, Tenn. - On the strength of four home runs Sunday, the Morehead State baseball team established a program-record with its 10th straight win. The Eagles handed host UT Martin a 17-7 defeat at Skyhawk Park.
Morehead State, which has scored double-digit runs in eight of the 10 wins in the streak, improved to 21-13 overall, 8-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 12-0 against UTM in the last four seasons. The 1985 and 1991 teams previously held the school standard with nine consecutive wins. The Skyhawks, who have dropped seven of their last nine games, fell to 10-23 and 5-13 in the league.
The offense got round-trippers from senior designated hitter Chris Robinson (3-run), rightfielder Brandon Rawe and senior leftfielder Nick Newell (2-run) and senior shortstop Robby Spencer (solo). The Eagles, who plated multiple runs in four innings, led 8-3 after three frames and saw six runs cross the plate in the fifth.
Senior first baseman Kane Sweeney was 3-for-4 today with a team-high four RBI. He finished the weekend with a .642 batting average (9-for-14) and eight RBI.
The Eagles, who have generated 10+ hits in 10 of the last 11 games, totaled 17 in the series finale. Robinson and Spencer also had three hits, and Robinson and Newell recorded three RBI apiece. Rawe, who has only been held hitless once in the last 23 games, upped his current hitting frenzy to 15 straight contests.
Spencer, Newell and sophomore centerfielder Ryan Kent are now sporting 13-game hitting streaks, and seven different players also now have double-digit reached-base streaks intact.
Rawe touched all four bases in the second frame, Spencer crushed his homer in the third and Robinson and Newell went deep in the fifth.
UT Martin finished with eight hits off four Eagle pitchers. Shortstop Matt Hirsch had a pair of hits, while starting catcher Mikey Nantze nailed a two-run home run in the fourth.
MSU's second hurler, freshman Brent Stoneking, was credited with the win after facing just one batter over the minimum in the middle frames. He fanned four hitters to improve to 2-0.
Matt Poteete took the loss, surrendering five runs in just two innings.
SAMFORD 14, MURRAY STATE 6
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Murray State baseball team lost its series finale to the Samford Bulldogs Sunday in Birmingham, Ala., 14-6. The loss drops the Racers to 14-22 overall this season.
A four-run fourth inning and seven-run sixth was the difference in the contest as it busted a close game through the first three and a half innings wide open. The Racers took the lead first for the second time in the series with two runs in the third. A Tyler Lawrence sacrifice fly drove-in Derek Yoder and two batters later Nick Moore singled through the left side of the infield to bring in Anthony Bayus.
Samford was able to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of unearned runs before MSU was able to retake the lead in the fourth with a Bayus RBI single that hit off the pitcher’s leg to score Rick Linton. The Bulldogs (17-17) took their first lead of the game in the bottom half of the fourth, and would hold it for good by scoring four runs in the inning. SU was then able to tack on seven more runs in the sixth to lengthen its lead.
Murray State was able to cut into the deficit in the seventh after Taylor Mathews and Kipp Moore singled with two outs, and came around to score on a throwing error by the Bulldogs in the next at-bat and added another run on a wild pitch in the ninth. All six of the Racers’ runs were unearned.
MSU recorded 14 hits and the Bulldogs collected 13 hits in the game. The difference came with runners on base as Samford went 6-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the contest while the Racers went just 3-for-19. Bayus led the Racers with a solid day at the dish, going 3-for-4 while Johnson, Nick Moore and Yoder each added a pair of hits in the loss.