SATURDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 13, @Jacksonville State 6
@Austin Peay 9, SIUE 5
Belmont 13, @Tennessee Tech 1
Eastern Kentucky 9, @Murray State 6
UT Martin 4, @Eastern Illinois 2
@Indiana State 4,
Southeast Missouri 3 (14 innings)
MOREHEAD STATE 13, JACKSONVILLE STATE 6
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Morehead State baseball program established school records for overall victories and Ohio Valley Conference wins in a season Saturday as the Eagles scored 10 times in the fifth through seventh frames en route to a 13-6 triumph at Jacksonville State.
This year's edition topped the 1993 team's record for wins as it improved to 32-18 overall and 17-9 in the league. The 2014 team in Head Coach Mike McGuire's second campaign notched 16 OVC wins. Since falling to Eastern Kentucky on March 27, MSU is 21-5, and the Eagles are now in sole possession of second place in the conference race. The Eagles also claimed a series win at JSU for the first time since 2007.
The Gamecocks slipped to 26-24 overall and 13-13 in the league.
After stranding 14 men on base in Friday's win, the Eagles rapped out 16 hits and left only six on today. The effort marked MSU's 32nd game with double-digit hits as the Eagles continue to lead the nation in batting average and slugging percentage among five other categories.
Pearcy allowed just three runs, with two coming on a first-inning double, and six hits in six innings to improve to 3-4.
Four MSU batters notched three hits. Senior catcher Chris Robinson, senior designated hitter Clayton Meyer, senior shortstop Robby Spencer and sophomore third baseman Alex Stephens were all 3-for-5. Spencer and Stephens totaled three RBI apiece, and Robinson and Meyer knocked in a pair of runs. Robinson, who leads the conference in times crossing the plate, did that three more times today.
Morehead State, the national leader in doubles, spanked seven. Robinson cranked his 21st double, and senior left fielder Nick Newell drove in a pair with his team and OVC-best 26th two-bagger. Stephens and Spencer nailed two doubles each, with Spencer's clearing all three bases in a five-run sixth inning.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first frame, the Eagles outscored the hosts 11-1 in the next six stanzas.
Jake Walsh, whose record evened at 3-3, surrendered five runs, four earned, in 5.1 innings. Third baseman Ryan Sebra paced his team with a 3-for-5 effort, including a double and a home run.
AUSTIN PEAY 9, SIUE 5
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Starting pitcher Jared Carkuff gave Austin Peay State University’s baseball team time and opportunity and the offense pulled through late in a 9-5 Ohio Valley Conference victory against SIUE, Saturday afternoon at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Carkuff got off to a quick start, retiring the first six batters he faced. However, he ran into trouble in the bottom part of the SIUE order. He opened the third by allowing catcher Parker Guinn to reach on an infield single then saw third baseman Jacob Stewart hit a home run to put the Govs starter in a 2-0 hole.
Carkuff rallied and would again retire the top six of the SIUE lineup in order, three to end the third and then retiring the side in order in the fourth. But again it was Guinn who broke up Carkuff’s string with a leadoff triple in the fifth. SIUE would extend its lead to 3-0 with Stewart’s sacrifice fly.
Austin Peay (24-24, 15-14 OVC) could not solve SIUE starter Jarrett Bednar through the first five innings. The Govs had just three base hits in those five scoreless innings, one each in the first, fourth and fifth innings.
The Govs broke through in the sixth as left fielder Cayce Bredlau reached on a one-out bunt single. Right fielder Josh Wilson then hit a two-out, two-run home run for Austin Peay’s first runs. First baseman Alex Robles then reached on an infield single, driving Bednar from the mound.
SIUE reliever Ryan Agnitsch got off to a shaky start, walking the first two batters he faced to load the bases. Pinch hitter Patrick Massoni kept the two-out rally alive with a two-run single to left field, giving APSU a 4-3 lead. Shortstop Clayton Smithson and third baseman Ridge Smith followed with RBI singles, extending the lead to 6-3.
Carkuff held the Govs advantage by retiring the Cougars in order in the seventh. Austin Peay then added three runs to its lead in the bottom of the inning. Second baseman Garrett Copeland led off the inning with a single and the Govs moved him to third with two outs where he scored on a passed ball. Center fielder Chase Hamilton was hit by a pitch and scored when designated hitter Dre Gleason hit a two-run home run, giving APSU a 9-3 lead.
Carkuff would return for the eighth and fatigue appeared to set in as he went into the eighth inning for the third time this season. He would allow back-to-back base hits to start the frame, second baseman Chase Green’s double driving in left fielder Nick Lombardo. Green would later score on a double play and Carkuff would finish the eighth for the first time this season.
Carkuff (5-5) leveled his record thanks to his eight-inning outing, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks. He struck out four batters in the outing. Reliever Levi Primasing faced four batters in a scoreless ninth inning.
After being held to four hits in the opening five innings, Austin Peay finished with 11 hits in the contest. Smith and Copeland each had two hits. Wilson, Gleason and Massoni finished with two RBI each.
The SIUE trio of Guinn, Stewart and center fielder Denton Reed – the 7-8-9 hitters – combined four four hits and three RBI as the SIUE offense finished with five runs and six hits.
Agnitsch (2-3) was tagged for the loss after allowing six runs on five hits and two walks over the final 2.1 innings. Bednar was left with no decision despite holding APSU to three runs on six hits and no walks over the first 5.2 innings, striking out six batters.
BELMONT 13, TENNESSEE TECH 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont offense came to life in the 8th and 9th innings to break up a solid pitchers duel as the Bruins defeated Tennessee Tech 13-1 on Saturday. With the win the Bruins regain the fourth spot in the Ohio Valley Conference standings.
Aaron Quillen pitched his first complete game of the season for the Bruins and only allowed one run on 6 hits and struck out three batters faced. Quillen improves his record to 5-4 on the mound.
In a game that started off as a pitchers duel, it quickly turned around in the top of the eighth when the Bruins sent 8 to the plate and scored four runs on four hits; a single each from Nick Egli, and Drew Ferguson and two doubles by Brennan Washington and Matt Beaty helped the Bruins extend their one run lead.
The Bruins returned with hot bats in the top of the ninth sending 10 batters to the plate scoring seven runs on four hits. Drake Byrd led off the inning with a solo home run over the left field wall. With two outs, the Bruins picked up another three hits highlighted by a three run triple for Tyler Walsh down the left field line followed by a solo bomb by William Dodd over the left field wall.
The Bruins improved their record to 26-23 overall and 14-11 in the OVC after Saturday's win.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 9, MURRAY STATE 6
MURRAY, Ky. - One night after hitting three home runs, the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team did it again in a series clinching 9-6 victory at Murray State University on Saturday.
Just like he did on Friday night, Kyle Nowlin got Eastern on the board in the first inning with a home run. This time, the nation’s leader in homers with 19, hit a two-run shot. Taylor Blair hit a solo shot in the second to make it a 3-0 lead. It was the second of the season for the sophomore.
After the Racers cut their deficit to one in the bottom of the second, Mandy Alvarez hit EKU’s third home run in as many innings. With the bases empty, the junior newcomer sent the ball flying over the wall in left field for his 12th of the season.
The Colonels (19-27, 10-15 OVC) scored on something other than a long ball in the fifth. With two outs, Nowlin came home on an error to make it 5-2. Two more runs scored in the seventh to stretch the visitor’s lead to 7-2.
Nowlin was 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and two RBIs. Alvarez’s lone hit in five at bats was his home run. Blair went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Murray State (14-37, 9-17 OVC) attempted to rally in the ninth, scoring three runs with two outs in the inning.
Logan Hershenow (4-7) allowed six runs, five of which were earned, on 10 hits in eight and two-thirds innings of work. He walked three and struck out six.
Derek Yoder led the Murray State offense with a 3-for-4 day.
UT MARTIN 4, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team dodged the weather to finish off a 4-2 win this afternoon over Eastern Illinois in the resumption of Saturday’s contest.
After Game 2 was halted with the Skyhawks leading 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Saturday starter Carter Smith reemerged this afternoon and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings. He improved his record to 4-8 on the season after allowing two runs while scattering eight hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Alex Martin followed with two scoreless innings for his first career save, clinching the series victory.
Austin Taylor collected an RBI and Andrew Castillo scored a run in the top of the ninth to provide an insurance run for UT Martin. Castillo, Taylor Douglas, Andrew Massey and Isaac Carrel each finished with two hits while Castillo led the team with a pair of runs scored.
Smith won a nine-pitch battle in his first batter faced, concluding the fifth inning. He then got through a clean sixth before striking out the side in the seventh, putting the finishing touches on a solid effort.
Martin then took over and did not allow a ball out of the infield in the eighth, using only five pitches to retire the side in order.
The Skyhawks added their final run of the game in their next at-bat, as Taylor drew a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded to score Castillo, who had previously walked.
Eastern Illinois was able to scratch out a leadoff single in the ninth but Martin did not allow another runner, dialing up a pair of strikeouts to lock down the victory.
INDIANA STATE 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3 (14)
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Southeast Missouri baseball fell in 14 innings Saturday evening to the Indiana State Sycamores, 4-3. It was Southeast's longest game of the season, inning-wise.
The Sycamores scored three in the first inning and were completely shutout by Redhawk pitching for 12 innings before scoring the walk-off run in the bottom of the 14th.
Southeast drops their second-straight series and falls to 31-19 on the season. Indiana State improves to .500 at 23-23.
The Redhawks are no longer undefeated in extra-inning games in 2015. They played four prior to Saturday's game.
Alex Winkelman issued back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the first inning. Andy Young took Winkelman deep to give the Sycamores a 3-0 lead before an out was recorded in the inning.
Dalton Hewitt was hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the second inning. Branden Boggetto then homered to left, his 10th of the season, to cut the Indiana State lead to 3-2.
Both offenses were silent until the Redhawks scored a run in the eighth to tie the game. Trevor Ezell hit a one-out double, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an infield blooper over the pitcher by Garrett Gandolfo.
The game was all knotted up at 3-3 to send the game into extra innings.
Each team had a number of chances to score runs in extra innings but the pitching staffs kept finding ways to get out of the situations.
Alex Siddle gave up a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the 14th. Zach Moore replaced Siddle on the mound following the base on balls. After Young was hit by a pitch, Jacob Hayes doubled to right center to drive in the winning run, 4-3 Indiana State.
For the second time, the Redhawks outhit the Sycamores, this time, 9-8.
Hunter Leeper notched three hits in the game. Leeper now has six base hits in the series including two home runs. Ezell and Boggetto each registered a pair of hits in the contest.
Winkelman pitched nine total innings Saturday. Winkelman allowed three runs on the first-inning home run but allowed only five hits in nine innings. He struck out six, walked five. Winkelman retired 14 batters in a row at one point. Siddle (3-1) suffered the loss after allowing the winning run to reach in the 14th.
Ryan Keaffaber started the game for Indiana State and worked seven and a third innings. Austin Conway, the closer, pitched five innings in relief. Trent Lunsford (1-2) was the pitcher of record when the Sycamores walked off. Indiana State pitchers struck out 16 Redhawks Saturday.