FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Belmont 13, Murray State 9
@Morehead State 15, Eastern Illinois 2
Jacksonville State 7, @Eastern Kentucky 5
Austin Peay 11, @UT Martin 3
@Southeast Missouri 9, Tennessee Tech 1
SIUE 4, @Illinois State 1
BELMONT 13, MURRAY STATE 9
NASHVILLE - Belmont had two big innings to push past the persistent Murray State Racers winning 13-9 on Friday at Rose Park.
William Dodd went two for four at the plate with two runs and three RBIs. Dodd recorded two singles in the game and helped the Bruins regain the lead in the sixth inning.
Murray State raced out of the gate with a two run lead over the Bruins in the first inning. The Bruins returned with six runs of their own in the second to take the lead. The Bruins scored their six runs in the second off six hits. Kyle Conger, Brennan Washington, Alec Diamond, Drew Ferguson and Dodd all contributed a single, Tyler Fullerton added a triple.
The Racers continued to tack on runs before regaining the lead in the top of the sixth with two, two outs singles to plate three runs.
Although the Racers regained their lead, the Bruins returned with another Big inning of their own in the bottom of the seventh. Fullerton scored the first run with a single down the right line to plate Diamond who had reached off a lead off single. Nick Egli followed and singled down the left line to plate Ferguson who had also reached by single, Ferguson's run tied the game. With bases loaded, William Dodd stepped to the plate and single to left field for the go-ahead run. Dom Veltri entered the game as pinch hitter and provided with a two RBI doubled down the right field line for two insurance runs and the 13-8 lead over the Racers.
A solo shot by Murray State's Tyler Lawrence in the top of the ninth records the final run of the game.
Dan Ludwig pitched six innings for the Bruins and picks up his fourth win of the season. He struck out 5 batters faced . Josh Tubbs came in to the game in relief for Ludwig and pitched 3 innings for his first save. He matched Ludwig's five strikeouts and gave up one run, a solo home run, on two hits.
MOREHEAD STATE 15, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Senior right fielder Brandon Rawe homered twice, senior catcher Chris Robinson recorded four hits and four runs and sophomore right-hander Luke Humphreys tossed a career-best eight innings of four-hit ball as the Morehead State baseball team defeated Eastern Illinois 15-2 Friday for its 12th straight home win.
Morehead State, which has not dropped a home contest since March 27, improved to 29-17 overall, 14-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 13-4 at Allen Field. Morehead State has equaled its 2014 win total and is now just two wins shy of tying the 2014 club's school-record 16 league victories. Eastern Illinois, which had won 10 of 16 since an 0-23 start, fell to 10-30 overall and 6-16 in the league.
The Eagle offense, leading the nation in batting average and ranked second in hits, tied its season high with 23 hits in 49 plate appearances. Eight of the nine hitters in the lineup recorded multi-hit games, and the top four in the batting order scored 12 of the 15 runs. Morehead State now has 28 double-digit hit totals in 2015.
Humphreys, meanwhile, worked his longest career outing to improve to a team-best 6-2. He retired 10 consecutive batters prior to exiting and sat down 16 of the final 17 Panther batters he faced. Senior righty Blake Smith got two strikeouts in a perfect ninth inning as the Eagle duo retired the final 13 EIU hitters in order.
Robinson, who has five career four-plus hit games, was 4-for-5 with an RBI triple, his team-best fifth three-bagger. The OVC leader in runs scored crossed the plate four times. Rawe, who now leads the team with 10 round-trippers, belted a solo homer to right centerfield in a five-run first inning and capped his three-hit day with a two-run smash down the left field line in the eighth.
Senior first baseman Kane Sweeney, senior leftfielder Nick Newell and senior designated hitter Clayton Meyer finished with three hits. Sweeney, who extended his reached-base streak to 23 games, drilled his ninth homer of the year in the first frame. Meyer now has eight hits in his last three outings, and Newell added to his school single-season record for doubles with his 24th.
Sophomore center fielder Ryan Kent produced a pair of singles to up his reached-base streak to a team-high 25 games. Senior shortstop Robby Spencer and freshman first baseman Braxton Morris had two hits each.
Jake Johansmeier surrendered eight runs in just two innings to take the loss and fall to 2-5. Right fielder Caleb Howell collected two of the Panthers' four hits.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 7, EASTERN KENTUCKY 5
RICHMOND, Ky. - Jacksonville State freshman Clayton Daniel drove in a career high three RBI to lead the Gamecocks to their fourth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference win after topping Eastern Kentucky 7-5 on Friday night at Turkey Hughes Field.
The win pushed Jax State to 11-11 in OVC play and inched closer to one of the top-six in the conference standings. The Gamecocks moved to 24-21 overall, while EKU dropped to 17-25 on the season and 8-13 in league play.
Daniel, from Guntersville, Alabama, collected a team-best three hits, including a pair of RBI doubles in the first game of the three-game series. The second baseman had a key two-out double in the fifth to drive in the go-ahead runs and give JSU a lead that it would not relinquish the rest of the way. Daniel drove in his third run of the game in the ninth to give Jax State a two-run cushion heading in to EKU's final at bat. It was another clutch two-out at bat for Daniel as he singled through the right side of the infield, scoring Gavin Golson.
After trailing 3-0 in through the first three innings, the Gamecocks rallied in the fourth with three runs to equalize the contest. Golsan and Daniel were issued back-to-back walks by EKU's starter, Alex Hamilton, junior Paschal Petrongolo belted an RBI double down the left field line to dive in JSU's first run of the contest. Senior Ryan Sebra produced an RBI with a sacrifice fly for the second run of the inning. Junior Elliot McCummings followed with a two-out triple to drive in the tying run.
EKU manufactured a run in the sixth to cut the lead to 5-4 after a Logan Starnes single off of Jax State's Zachary Fowler. Fowler turned in another solid outing in OVC play as he went six innings and gave up eight hits to the Colonels and the four runs. Fowler earned the win and moved to 7-2 on the season and improved to 5-1 against OVC foes. The JSU bullpen staved off a couple of EKU threats the rest of the way, limiting the Maroon and White to just one run in the seventh after having a pair in scoring position. JSU's Joe McGuire induced a pair of infield pop ups to end the threat in the seventh.
Senior Travis Stout finished off the contest to earn his 10th save of the season.
AUSTIN PEAY 11, UT MARTIN 3
MARTIN, Tenn. - Starting pitcher Alex Robles tossed his third complete game of the season and hit a two-run home run to lead Austin Peay State University to an 11-3 Ohio Valley Conference victory against UT Martin, Friday night at Skyhawk Field.
Robles (6-2) notched his sixth consecutive win with the complete-game effort. He held the Skyhawks to five hits and no runs through eight innings. He would run into trouble in the ninth, ultimately surrendering three runs on three hits and a walk, but finished with two strikeouts and a fly ball to post the complete game. Robles recorded nine strikeouts in the victory, four coming in the final three innings.
Offensively, Austin Peay (23-21, 14-11 OVC) could not solve UT Martin starter Matt Poteete through the first three innings. Yet in the third, Robles would find an answer to his counterpart with a towering two run home run to left field for the game’s first runs.
The Govs offense would break out for seven runs in the fifth inning, extending its lead to 9-0. Second baseman Garrett Copeland, first baseman Josh Wilson and right fielder Wesley Purcell each had RBI singles. But it was third baseman Ridge Smith’s bases-clearing double that did the inning’s biggest damage. Center fielder Chase Hamilton hit a two-run home run in the ninth to extend the lead to 11-0.
Robles went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored three times. Smith went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Austin Peay finished with 11 hits on the night.
UT Martin (13-30, 5-17) was held to eight hits and saw lead off runners wiped out by double plays three times in the contest. First baseman Nico Zych and designated hitter Austin Taylor each went 2-for-4 to pace the Skyhawks offense.
Poteete (2-3) suffered the loss after allowing two runs on three hits and three walks in four innings.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, TENNESSEE TECH 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri baseball recorded their 30th victory of the 2015 season Friday evening with a game-one win over Tennessee Tech, 9-1. It was also the 20th Ohio Valley Conference win for the Redhawks.
The Redhawks are now 30-15 on the season and 20-5 in OVC play. Tennessee Tech falls to 20-23, 11-11 OVC.
The Redhawks now have a five-game winning streak, have won their last eight OVC games, and have won their last nine home games.
Southeast starter and reigning OVC Pitcher of the Week Joey Lucchesi pitched his second-straight 13-strikeout game. He worked eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits to the Golden Eagles.
After a scoreless first inning, Tennessee Tech plated their would-be lone run in the top of the second inning to take a lead. Three walks loaded the bases with no out for the Golden Eagles. A run scored on a 6-4-3 double play; 1-0 Tennessee Tech after the top half of the second.
Andy Lennington tied up the game with one swing of the bat when he homered to left field in the bottom of the second. The game was all square, 1-1, after two innings.
The Redhawks' first of three sacrifice flies of the game came in the third inning. Peter Williams tagged up and scored on a sac fly by Garrett Gandolfo to give Southeast a 2-1 lead.
Jason Blum drew a leadoff walk in the fifth and came around to score on an RBI double by Lennington; 3-1 Southeast Missouri after five innings.
The Redhawks plated a trio of runs in the sixth inning to take a commanding lead on the Golden Eagles. Scott Mitchell scored on a sac fly by Blum. Two more runs scored on a two-out base hit up the middle by Gandolfo, extending the lead to 6-1.
The Redhawks scored three more runs in the seventh. Dalton Hewitt scored from third on a wild pitch, 7-1 Southeast. Ryan Rippee crossed the plate on a triple down the right field line by Mitchell. Mitchell scored on Southeast's third sac fly of the game to put the Redhawks out in front, 9-1 after seven innings.
The Redhawks had 12 hits to Tennessee Tech's six in the contest.
Mitchell paced the Redhawk offense going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored while Trevor Ezell and Lennington each had a pair of hits. Gandolfo finished with three RBI.
Tennessee Tech's Dylan Bosheers was the only Golden Eagle hitter with multiple hits, going 2-for-3.
Lucchesi earned win number six of the season, improving to 6-1. Ryan Lenaburg pitched the ninth inning in relief.
TTU starter Chris Chism (6-3) recorded the loss. Chism pitched five innings, allowing five Redhawk runs on seven hits.
SIUE 4, ILLINOIS STATE 1
NORMAL, Ill. - P.J. Schuster threw a career-high eight innings Friday night, leading SIUE baseball to a 4-1 over Illinois State in the first game of a four-game nonconference series at Duffy Bass Field.
The win is the first for SIUE outside of Ohio Valley Conference play. The Cougars improved to 16-22. Illinois State dropped to 21-22.
Schuster, who struck on nine hitters in a seven-inning start a week ago, allowed just a single run on five hits. He did not walk a batter and he struck out eight to 6-3.
The Cougars took advantage of throwing errors in the second and fifth innings to score all the runs they needed. With Parker Guinn on first in the second inning, Illinois State starter Will Headean threw wildly to first on a pickoff attempt. The errant throw allowed Guinn to get to third base. Skyler Geissinger then singled up the middle to put SIUE up 1-0. In the fifth inning Nick Lombardo was at first when Headean uncorked a second wild pickoff throw. Lombardo went to third and then scored on a double by Keaton Wright.
Headean (4-3) allowed the two runs on five hits over seven innings. He walked three and struck out five.
The Redbirds' lone run came in the bottom of the fifth. Jared Hendren doubled with one out and then scored on single by Mason Synder. Jacob Stewart grounded into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded in the eighth to make it 3-1 SIUE. Wright added his second RBI double of the game in the ninth for the 4-1 final.
Schuster threw 112 pitches, and Stoecklin said there was no thought of sending the right-hander out for the ninth inning.
Thomas pitched the scoreless ninth to earn his team-leading sixth save of the year.
Wright led SIUE at the plate. He was 3 for 5 with the two doubles and two RBIs. Alec Saikal had two hits and scored a run for SIUE.