THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Belmont 21, SIUE 10
@Tennessee Tech 9, Eastern Illinois 7
Jacksonville State 4, @Murray State 1
@Eastern Kentucky 10, UT Martin 6
BELMONT 21, SIUE 10
NASHVILLE - The Belmont Bruins continued their hot hitting ways with a 21-10 win over the SIUE Cougars. Led by designated hitter, Nick Egli's 5 hits and 11 runs batted in, one shy of the OVC record, the Bruins pounded out 20 hits off four Cougar pitchers.
Although the Bruin experienced an almost two hour rain delay, they did not allow it to hinder them mentally at the plate, they scored 21 runs on 20 hits. In three games the Bruins have posted 72 runs on 68 hits. They added three homeruns in today's game to the now 20 home run total in the past three games.
Egli had a four run home run in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 13-6 over the Cougars, he also recorded three doubles. Tyler Fullerton drew three walks and went 3-3 at the plate with three singles, five runs, and two RBI.
The Bruins took an early lead in the first plating three runs on four hits. The Cougars fought back and took a 5-3 lead in the second off a couple errors from the Bruins.
With their mental focus at the plate, the Bruins returned with 4 runs in the bottom of the second to regain the lead. Kyle Conger led off with a single up the middle. Alec Diamond laid a bunt downbut beat out the throw for an infield single. Matt Beaty drew a walk to load the bases for the Bruins. Fullerton stepped to the plate and provided the Bruins with a two RBI single which was followed by Egli's first double of the night. The fourth run scored off a sac fly thanks to Tyler Walsh.
Egli provided at the plate with a single through the left side in the bottom of the fourth which plated Beaty who reached on a double to right center.
The Bruins had a big 5th inning giving up one run to SIUE and tacking on another 7 runs to their total. Runs were plated off a single, wild pitch, grand slam from Egli and a solo home run from Joe Stovall, his third homerun of the season.
Both teams put three runs on the board in the 6th. The Bruins scored their three runs off two hits, a single from Diamond and a double from Egli.
Bottom of the 7th Brennan Washington hit a solo home run over the left center field fence fo bring the Bruins total to 19-10.
Before shutting down the game the Bruins added another two runs in the bottom of the 9th off a single from Fullerton followed by Egli's third double of the game.
Dan Ludwig received the win on the mound inproving his record to 3-2. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 6 earned runs on 8 hits, striking out 6 total batters.
The Bruins improved to 7-2 in the OVC and 15-11 overall.
TENNESSEE TECH 9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 7
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois held the lead twice on Thursday night before Tennessee Tech rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to post a 9-7 win over the Panthers.
EIU fell to 0-22, 0-10 in the OVC. TTU improved to 11-17, 5-8 in the OVC.
The Panthers jumped on top 4-0 in the second inning as the bottom of the order delivered. Marshawn Taylor and Adam Casson both drove home runs. Catcher John Devito then moved both players into scoring position with a bunt. Joseph Duncan drove home Taylor and Casson scored on a wild pitch to stake EIU starter Garrison Stenger to the four run lead.
Tennessee Tech answered in their half of the second with four runs as Stenger struggled with control. Two Golden Eagles reached base on a hit-by-pitch and walk. Following a single to center Josh Pankratz and Tyler Brazelton connected for back-to-back two-run doubles.
EIU regained the lead in the fourth as they loaded the bases against TTU starter Chris Chism. Cale Hennemann and Caleb Howell delivered sacrifice flys for the two runs. Chism (5-1) worked seven innings for the win.
TTU tied the game in the fifth scoring one run on a sacrifice fly and another on a wild pitch. TTU took the lead in the bottom of the sixth against EIU reliever Christian Slazinik (0-4). Jordan Hopkins had the big hit in the inning with a two-run double.
EIU scored one run in the seventh on a Jason Scholl RBI single. Cain Sloan closed out the final two innings for TTU to pick up his first save.
Duncan was 3-for-5 for EIU and is hitting .545 as the Panthers lead-off hitter in the last five games. Howell and Scholl both added two hits for EIU.
Brazelton and Ryan Flick led the way for TTU with two hits each.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 4, MURRAY STATE 1
MURRAY, Ky. - It was a historic night at Murray State's Reagan Field on Thursday, but Jacksonville State spoiled the evening with a 4-1 win in the first game of the three-game series against the Racers.
Thursday's contest was the first-ever game played under the lights in the history of the Racers' program. After an afternoon rainstorm, the skies cleared for the monumental contest that saw a pair of pitchers dueling it out. The win was JSU's 11th in the last 14 games and improved to 17-9 overall and 6-4 in the OVC. MSU dropped to 12-18 on the season and 7-6 against league foes.
JSU's Zachary Fowler challenged the Ohio Valley Conference's Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Brock Downey pitch-for-pitch for six innings. Fowler was able to pitch with a lead and escape trouble in his outing after the Gamecocks finally touched Downey for the first time. Jax State's first hit off the lefthander came off the bat of freshman catcher Hayden White, who sent one over the right center fence in the third to stake Fowler to the lead. Fowler allowed just one hit and struck out four in the contest. He allowed three free passes, but those did not come back to haunt him. Fowler moved to 5-2 on the season and has won his last three OVC outings.
The lone hit given up by Fowler was a big one as the Racers cut JSU's 2-0 lead in half with a solo home run by Matthew Johnson in the fifth.
MSU put the run on the board after falling behind 2-0 after the Gamecocks plated a two-out run after a double just inside the third base line by Ryan Sebra. Clayton Daniel led off the fourth with a single.
JSU would nurse the one-run lead the rest of the way as Downey tossed a solid 8.2 innings. He fanned a career-high 13 Gamecocks and threw over 142 pitches. JSU started to get contact on him throughout the game and the big hit came in the ninth as Elliot McCummings gave JSU a pair of insurance runs in the last at bat. McCummings belted a two-run blast just to the left of the centerfield wall for his second home run of the season.
After Joe McGuire pitched a pair of scoreless frames, senior closer Travis Stout pitched a perfect ninth to record his eighth save of the season and pushed his career saves number to 40 in a JSU uniform. He now ranks eighth all-time in NCAA history with his 40th career save.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 10, UT MARTIN 6
RICHMOND, Ky. - The series opener between the Eastern Kentucky University and UT Martin baseball teams was suspended on Thursday after six innings due to rain. The Colonels were leading 10-2 when play was halted. After bad weather on Friday, the game was completed on Saturday with EKU winning 10-6.
A grand slam by Mandy Alvarez turned a two-run lead into a six-run advantage for Eastern Kentucky.
The Colonels led 4-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Three of the first four batters drew walks to load the bases. Alvarez then stepped to the plate and drove the first pitch he saw deep over the wall in left center. It was his eighth homer of the season and his 15th RBI in the last five games.
Eastern Kentucky added two more runs in the sixth to go in front 10-2.
When play was stopped, Alvarez was 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs. Kyle Nowlin was 3-for-4, having extended his streak of reaching base to 19 straight games.
EKU took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Doug Teegarden tied it, 2-2, with a solo home run over the wall in right field. It was his first of the season. Later in the inning, Shea Sullivan beat out a ground ball to short and Logan Starnes scored the go ahead run.
UT Martin grabbed the early lead with two runs in the first. Taylor Douglas drove in the first with a double to right field. Douglas later scored on an Eastern error. EKU got one back in the bottom half of the inning on Luke Wurzelbacher’s RBI single.