SUNDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 9, @Austin Peay 8
@Tennessee Tech 11, Belmont 10
@Eastern Illinois 2, UT Martin 0
@Murray State 13, Eastern Kentucky 10
Morehead State 6, @Jacksonville State 5
@Indiana State 8,
Southeast Missouri 7
SIUE 9, AUSTIN PEAY 8
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - SIUE baseball clinched a spot in the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference tournament Sunday thanks to a 9-8 come-from-behind win over Austin Peay at Raymond C. Hand Park.
The Cougars won two of three from the Governors and improved to 17-10 in the OVC. The 17 wins are the most for the Cougars since joining the conference. SIUE currently is in third place, just a game behind Morehead State for second place and one of two byes in the tournament. The Cougars are 18-26 overall.
Austin Peay fell to 24-25 overall and 15-15 in the OVC. The Governors currently are sixth in the OVC. The top six teams make up the field for the OVC tournament which takes place May 20-24 in Jackson, Tennessee.
The Cougars scored three two-out runs in the top of the ninth inning. SIUE had two hits in the inning and was helped by three Austin Peay errors.
Trailing 8-6 going into the inning, Dustin Woodcock drew a one-out walk. With two outs in the inning, Denton Reed reached on an error by the Govs' shortstop Clayton Smithson. Nick Lombardo followed with a single to center which brought in Woodcock. The ball got by the APSU centerfielder Chase Hamilton and went to the wall allowing Reed to score and Lombardo to get to third base. Smithson bobbled the relay throw from the outfield which allowed Lombardo to score, giving SIUE the 9-8 lead.
Lombardo finished the game 2 for 5 with two RBIs and three runs. Reed was 3 for 5 with the run scored.
SIUE got out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Lombardo led off with a single before APSU starter John Sparks walked the next three hitters. Alec Saikal was the third to walk, forcing in a run. Parker Guinn followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Skyler Geissinger singled to put the Cougars up 3-0.
Keaton Wright made it 4-0 SIUE with a groundout in the second inning.
Austin Peay scored twice in the second inning and four times in the third inning to take a 6-4 lead and chase SIUE starter Ryan Daniels. Daniels allowed six runs, four earned on six hits. He walked five and struck out four.
Zach Malach and Brett Thomas combined to throw the final six innings. Malach allowed a run in 3 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits, struck out two, and did not walk a batter. Thomas allowed a run over 2 2/3 innings. He allowed two hits and struck out one. Thomas earned the win in relief to improve to 3-2.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning, making it 7-5 Austin Peay after five innings. Chase Green opened the eighth inning for the Cougars with his third home run of the year to cut the lead to one. Green finished 3 for 5 for the Cougars.
The Govs answered with a run in the bottom of the eighth and led 8-6 after eight.
TENNESSEE TECH 11, BELMONT 10
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Not without its fair share of drama, the Tennessee Tech baseball team (24-24, 15-12) pulled out a thrilling, 11-10 victory over in-state rival Belmont (26-24, 14-12) Sunday afternoon, holding off a late rally by the visitors to take game three and the series from its Ohio Valley Conference foe.
Junior Jake Farr got things started in the first inning, plating two runs with single up the middle to give Tech an early 2-0 lead. Belmont answered quickly, putting together a four-run second inning that included one of the team's five solo home runs on the day.
That hardly seemed to matter to the home squad, as the Golden Eagles made sure that senior day would have a happy ending, recapturing the lead in the bottom of the third. Senior David Allen kick started the rally by reaching base on one of four Bruin errors on the day, advancing all the way to third after fellow senior Dylan Bosheers ripped a single to right center field.
Farr collected his third RBI of the game on the next at bat, reaching on a fielder's choice while driving in Allen from third. Yet another senior reached base when catcher Jordan Hopkins drew a four-pitch walk. A second error in the frame by the Bruins allowed designated hitter Ryan Flick to reach safely and for Farr to come around from second base and score the tying run.
Freshman Chase Chambers gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good in his turn at the dish, grounding out to shortstop, but driving in Hopkins. Fellow freshman Trevor Putzig tallied the final marker of the inning, lacing a single to left center field to put the home squad up 6-4.
Tech turned the two-run lead into a six-run advantage in the fourth, plating four more runs thanks to four doubles in the inning. After a leadoff walk by Tyler Brazelton, Allen drove in his teammate with a two-bagger to left center field. Bosheers followed suit, torching an RBI double down the left field line. Two batters later, Flick ripped his own double down the first base line, scoring Bosheers and Hopkins (who had walked in the prior at bat) before being thrown out at third base. Chambers also doubled in the frame as well and the Golden Eagles took a 10-4 advantage into the fifth.
Belmont made things interesting on the day, cracking solo home runs in the fifth and six innings to trim the Tech lead down to 10-6, but another error by the visiting squad allowed the 11th and final Golden Eagle run to cross in the bottom of the sixth, a costly run that would prove to be the difference maker.
The Bruins added three more runs in the top of the seventh trimming Tech's advantage to just 11-9, but junior Kyle Godwin took over in relief and shut down the comeback bid for good over the final two and one third innings. With runners on first and third and two outs, Godwin took the hill and struck out Nick Egli to end the threat.
The right-handed pitcher then induced three quick outs in the top of the eighth, bringing the Golden Eagles one inning away from another series victory. Once again, Godwin worked quickly, forcing a ground out on the first pitch of the ninth and making a brilliant catch on a comebacker on the third pitch of the frame.
Yet again, Belmont made sure to make things interesting as Drew Ferguson crushed his second solo home run of the game to left center field on the third pitch he saw, cutting Tech's lead to just a single run. Godwin dug deep, however, inducing a pop up to Matt Beaty to end the contest and pick up his second save of the season.
Offensively, Farr led the Golden Eagles with three RBI in the contest while Bosheers made the most of his opportunities with three hits in four at bats. He also scored two runs while drawing the 99th walk of his career. Flick went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored and Putzig also tallied two hits and two walks on the day. Allen scored three runs while Hopkins scored twice and walked twice. Freshman Travis Moths earned his fifth victory of the season after coming on in relief and tossing three and one third innings.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 2, UT MARTIN 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois and UT Martin split the final two games of their weekend Ohio Valley Conference series with Saturday’s game being resumed on Sunday morning following a rain delay in the bottom of the fifth inning. UTM won the first game 4-2 to clinch the series. EIU would come back in the final game on Sunday and win 2-0 to send its eight seniors out with a home win.
EIU is now 12-33 overall, 8-19 in the OVC. UTM is now 17-32, 9-18 in the OVC.
Andy Fisher (2-3) was sharp through 5.2 innings with Slazinik and Chase Thurston closing out the remainder of the game. Fisher picked up his second seven inning game win this season while Thurston collected his fourth save.
EIU scored in the first with Duncan leading off with a single. He would come around to score on a base hit by Demetre Taylor. EIU finished with seven hits, all by different players.
The Panthers second run was off the bat of Valach as he had an RBI single to center in the third inning.
Alex Martin (3-6) picked up the loss starting game after closing the first game. Castillo and Nico Zych each had two of the Skyhawks six hits.
Howell was 1-for-2 for EIU as he is hitting .402 for the season.
MURRAY STATE 13, EASTERN KENTUCKY 10
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State baseball team snapped its losing skid Sunday at Reagan Field on Senior Day, as the Racers defeated Eastern Kentucky in the series finale, 13-10.
A big, seven-run fourth inning proved to be the difference in the contest as the Racers (15-37, 10-17 OVC) entered the bottom of the inning trailing 5-2. Rick Linton got the scoring going in the inning for MSU, drawing a bases-loaded walk to bring in Nick Moore from third. In the next at-bat, Matt McGowan hit a two-run single to right center that scored Anthony Bayus and Taylor Mathews to tie the score at 5-5. Two batters later, Brock Downey cleared the bases with a triple to right center to push across Linton, McGowan and Derek Yoder. A Tyler Lawrence RBI groundout to first scored Downey from third to cap the scoring in the inning for the Racers.
After an EKU (19-28, 10-16 OVC) run in the top of the fifth, the Racers responded with a pair of runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. McGowan recorded his third RBI of the day with a single through the right side, scoring Kipp Moore and Bayus would come around to score in the next at-bat on one of five Colonels errors in the contest.
In the sixth, Kipp Moore scored on another EKU error when Taylor Mathews stole second base. Later in the inning, Bayus blasted a double to the right field fence scoring Mathews and pushing the Racer lead to 13-6. EKU would add two runs in the eighth and ninth to cut into the MSU lead, but it was not enough.
The Colonels were able to score five runs in the top of the second to take their only lead of the contest. The Racers opened the game with a pair of runs in the first. Lawrence opened up the scoring with a triple to right center that scored Yoder. In the next at-bat, Nick Moore delivered an RBI single to center that brought home Lawrence from third base.
The two teams combined for 25 hits in the game and a total of 12 pitchers were used. MSU used seven pitchers on the day. Cashtyn DeLeeuw got the start on the mound on Senior Day for the Racers, pitching two-thirds of an inning and recording a strikeout. Brandon Hicks got the win for the Racers, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing one earned run off four hits in his appearance.
Bayus led the Racers going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in the win. McGowan, Kipp Moore and Yoder all collected two hits each in the contest. Mathews, Kipp Moore and Yoder also scored two runs each in the victory.
Prior to the contest, nine student-athletes were honored for Senior Day, Bayus, DeeLuw, Kollin Dowdy, Downey, Rick Linton, McGowan, John Rafferty, Cameron Wallace and Yoder all played their final OVC contests at Reagan Field Sunday.
MOREHEAD STATE 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 5
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Using six runs in the middle innings Sunday, the Morehead State baseball team completed the program's first-ever sweep at Jacksonville State, defeating the Gamecocks 6-5 at Rudy Abbott Field.
Morehead State, which has won eight of its last nine contests, increased its school-record win totals for overall games (33-18) and Ohio Valley Conference tilts (18-9). JSU fell to 26-25 overall and 13-14 in the conference.
The Eagles plated four runs in the fourth and added a pair in the sixth and then thwarted scoring chances for the hosts in the final two innings.
"We pitched exceptionally well today," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "I thought even though (freshman David) Calderon only went into the fourth, he probably could have stayed in longer. He pitched well, but we felt like the guys in the bellpen gave us the best opportunity."
Freshman reliever Brent Stoneking tossed four innings, allowing three runs, and was credit with the win to improve to 3-1. He coaxed a key double play on a bunt attempt in the eighth frame before giving way to lefty Cable Wright. Wright made his 30th appearance, setting a single-season MSU record. Junior Tyler Keele nailed down the final two outs for his fourth save, and MSU established a single-season program record for saves with its 17th in 2015.
The Eagle offense produced 10 hits, the 33rd time this season with double-digit base knocks. Senior right fielder Brandon Rawe, senior catcher Chris Robinson and sophomore third baseman Alex Stephens collected two hits apiece, while Stephens led with a pair of RBI. Senior first baseman Kane Sweeney extended his team-high reached-base streak to 28 contests.
Sweeney, Rawe, Robinson and senior shortstop Robby Spencer all singled to start the four-run fourth, and Stephens followed later with an RBI single.
JSU first baseman Tyler Gamble brought his team to within a run with a three-run homer in the seventh.
INDIANA STATE 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Southeast Missouri suffered a three-game series sweep with an 8-7 loss Sunday to the Indiana State Sycamores. Southeast had the tying run on in both the eighth and ninth innings but failed to drive in the run.
This is the second time Southeast has suffered a series sweep this season; they were swept by Illinois State, Feb. 20-21. Southeast is now 31-20 on the season while Indiana State climbs past .500 at 24-23.
Southeast lost three straight one-run games to the Sycamores on the weekend.
Junior Hunter Leeper took a crack at history Sunday afternoon and played seven positions on the field, falling two short of playing all nine. He played all positions except catcher and pitcher.
With Jason Blum on second and two out, Andy Lennington drilled a base hit through the left side to score Blum and put Southeast on top, 1-0 in the opening frame.
An RBI double by Andy Young in the bottom of the first scored Landon Curry, tying the game at 1-1.
A solo home run by Kaden Moore in the bottom of the second inning put the Sycamores on top, 2-1.
With runners on second and third and two out in the bottom of the third, Trevor Ezell committed a throwing error on a groundball, allowing both runs to score. An RBI base hit to left center plated another run, widening the Sycamore lead to 5-1 after three innings.
The Redhawks got two runs back in the top of the fourth inning. Dalton Hewitt bunted for a hit to start the inning. Hewitt stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. Leeper singled to left center to plate Hewitt. Ezell reached on a fielder's choice that the shortstop botched at second base, allowing Leeper to score and narrowing the Sycamore lead to 5-3.
An RBI groundout to first for Curry put ISU back on top by three runs, 6-3, in the bottom of the inning.
A sacrifice fly by Hewitt in the top of the fifth to score Branden Boggetto made it 6-4.
A run scored in each the fifth and sixth innings for the Sycamores to double the lead; 8-4 after six innings. The seventh inning was the first inning that Indiana State was held scoreless in a frame.
With bases loaded and one out, Ryan Rippee reached on a fielder's choice to get Lennington out at third, scoring a run on the play. Leeper doubled to centerfield to plate the two runners and cut the Indiana State lead to one run, 8-7, in the top of the seventh inning.
Southeast had the tying run on in both the eighth and ninth innings but couldn't drive him in.
The Redhawks were outhit for the first time in the series, 12-9. Indiana State made two errors while Southeast committed one.
Lennington had a trio of hits on the day with a run batted in. Leeper was 2-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored. Leeper finished the series 8-for-14 with two home runs and five RBI.
Travis Hayes (7-6) suffered the loss. Hayes pitched four and a third innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits. Hayes fanned five and walked none. Jacob Lawrence pitched two and a third scoreless innings to close the game for Southeast.
Hunter Owen went 3-for-4 for the Sycamores while Brian Romero and Young each had two hits.
Sycamore reliever Ryan Cheek (2-0) earned the win. Cheek pitched one inning of perfect baseball. Starter Greg Kuhlman pitched only four and a third innings. He allowed four runs on five hits. Connor Schwienebart earned his first save of the season after closing the game in the ninth.