SUNDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 18, @SIUE 9
@Austin Peay 6, Jacksonville State 5 (14 innings)
@Samford 4-7,
Eastern Illinois 1-6
MURRAY STATE 18, SIUE 9
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Murray State opened its game Sunday at SIU Edwardsville with six consecutive hits and scored five runs before an out was recorded and the offense was well on its way to an explosive day as the Racers defeated the Cougars, 18-9 for their first conference win of the season.
Every starter for MSU (9-6, 1-2 OVC) Sunday recorded a hit and 11 Racers in all tallied hits in the win as they churned out a season-high 23 hits on the day. MSU scored multiple runs in four innings in the series finale as the Racers also had a three-run fifth, a five-run seventh and four-run eighth.
Adam Bauer and Brandon Gutzler each led the Racers with four-hit days and three RBIs apiece. Bauer was also one of four Racers to score three runs on the day. Caleb hicks and Ryan Perkins also had three ribbies each in the victory.
Kipp Moore and Jaron Robinson went 3-for-7 and 3-for-6, respectively against the Cougars and also scored three runs on the day. Reed Thompson also had a two-hit day as he came on in the sixth as a pinch hitter. Aaron Bence was the fourth Racer to score three runs.
MSU scored the first six runs of the game and led 6-1 after four complete on Sunday. The Racers were able to stretch their lead to 9-1 with those three runs in the fifth and then busted the game wide open with the nine combined runs in the seventh and eighth. SIUE (10-6, 2-1 OVC) was able to score seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to make the score more respectable.
Jack Hranec was solid on the mound as he picked up his second win of 2017. Hranec pitched six innings and allowed just two runs, one of them earned, off three hits. Hranec threw just 82 pitched in the win. MSU used five relievers in the game.
AUSTIN PEAY 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 5 (14)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Designated hitter Alex Robles’ delivered a walk-off home run in the 14th inning to catapult Austin Peay State University’s baseball team to a 6-5 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Jacksonville State, Sunday afternoon at Raymond C. Hand Park.
That leadoff single would be the only base hit allowed by Primasing. Those two flyouts were the first of 12 consecutive batters retired by the Clarksville product, giving Austin Peay’s offense the opportunity to close the gap.
Austin Peay (9-6, 3-0 OVC) would slowly work its way back, scoring single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Third baseman Parker Phillips tripled to start the seventh and scored on shortstop Kyle Wilson’s single. In the eighth, the Govs loaded the bases but were limited to a lone run on first baseman Dre Gleason’s single.
But Primasing kept throwing zeroes on the board, leaving the Govs a chance. The ninth inning spark came from pinch hitter Brett Newberg, who took the second pitch he faced over the wall in left for his first collegiate home run. The next two APSU batters would reach base before JSU reliever Justin Hoyt got the next two Govs out. However, his luck ran out when Gleason came to the plate and doubled off the wall in left to drive in the game-tying runs and force extra innings.
Primasing returned to start the 10th and recorded his 12th and final out by retiring the leadoff batter. Janssen would turn to left-hander Josh Rye who would walk a pair of batters after retiring the first man he faced, but he avoided any damage by getting a ground out back to the mound.
Jacksonville State (7-7, 0-3 OVC) had by far the best opportunity in extra innings when left fielder Nolan Greckel led off the 12th with a single and advanced to third on shortstop Tyler Hawthorne’s single. However, Rye escaped the jam with a perfectly timed double play that was exquisitely turned by Wilson, second baseman Garrett Giovannelli and Gleason.
Like Primasing before him, Rye would keep putting up zeroes and the duos work paid off in the 14th. Robles stepped to the plate with two outs and took the first pitch he saw over the wall in left, ending the game with his first hit of the contest.
Rye (3-0) picked up his first relief win of 2017 after holding the Gamecocks to three hits over his career-high 4.2 innings on the mound. Primasing and Rye combined to retire 26 of the 32 batters they faced.
Giovannelli led the Govs with his first career four-hit outing, going 4-for-6 and scoring twice – in the eighth and ninth innings. Gleason went 3-for-5 with his three RBI coming in the Govs eighth and ninth innings. Newberg and Wilson also had two hits each as the Govs finished with 15 hits.
Jacksonville State reliever Grant Chandler (0-1) suffered the loss despite holding Austin Peay to the one run on four hits in his 4.2 innings of work. Second baseman Clayton Daniel went 2-for-7 with two doubles and three RBI to pace the Gamecock’s 12-hit outing.
SAMFORD 4-7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1-6
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After a heavy rainfall on Saturday altered their weekend schedule, Eastern Illinois and Samford played the final two games of their series in a doubleheader on Sunday. Samford won the first game of the day, 4-1, and rallied back in the nightcap and earned a 7-6 win in extra-innings.
Eastern Illinois dropped to 1-13 on the year while Samford improved to 9-5 overall.
In game one, Samford applied pressure to the Eastern Illinois defense, scoring in each of the first two innings to take an early lead and won the opening game in Sunday’s twin bill by a score of 4-1.
Samford got their offense started right away on Sunday as Kevin Williams Jr. put the host Bulldogs ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first on an RBI double. Samford extended their lead in the bottom of the second inning as Branden Fryman knocked an RBI triple and later came around to score in the inning on a balk to put the score at 3-0.
The Eastern Illinois offense cut into the deficit with a two-out rally in the top of the fourth that got started by a John Turnock walk. Jimmy Govern followed the Turnock walk with a single through the right side of the Samford defense to put runners on first and second for Joseph Duncan. Duncan delivered with an RBI single up the middle to score Turnock and cut the Samford lead to 3-1.
Samford added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth on a lead-off solo home run by Williams Jr. put the Bulldogs back up three runs at 4-1. That would be just enough offense for the Bulldogs as the Samford bullpen preserved the lead and came away with a 4-1 victory.
Michael McCormick (0-2) took the loss on the mound for the Panthers as he allowed four runs in four innings of work. Jake Haberer tossed four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits, while striking out four.
Andrew Curran, Dougie Parks, Frankie Perrone, Duncan, Turnock, and Govern all recorded one hit each for the Panthers.
In game two Samford scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to force extra-innings and took advantage of an Eastern Illinois error in the bottom of the 10th to pick up a 7-6 win in the nightcap to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Samford broke the scoring column once again in the bottom half of the first inning as Austin Edens knocked a three-run home run over the wall in left and gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage.
Eastern Illinois overtook the lead following a five-run third inning. Duncan started the big inning with a one-out double to center field. Curran and Beaman followed with back-to-back singles and gave the Panthers their first run of the inning. Parks and Matt Albert worked back-to-back walks to plate another run for Eastern Illinois. With the bags full and two outs in the inning, Perrone came through in the clutch for the Panthers with a bases-clearing double down the line in left to score three runs and put Eastern Illinois ahead 5-3.
Edens pulled the Bulldogs within a run in the bottom half of the frame as he hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot this time, and cut the EIU lead to 5-4.
After a lead-off double to begin the top of the eighth off the bat of Turnock, the Panthers added an insurance run later in the inning on an RBI single by Nicholas McCormick to extend the EIU lead to 6-4.
The Panthers got the first Samford batter out in the bottom of the ninth, but the Bulldogs worked three consecutive walks to lead the bases for Edens. Edens continued his big game as he hit a two-run double down the line in left and send the game into extras tied at six.
Jordan Fucci doubled down the line in right to start the bottom of the 10th and give the Bulldogs a runner in scoring position. Greg Mula came into the game as a pinch hitter for Samford. Mula dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the runner, but an Eastern Illinois error allowed the game-winning run to score on the play as Samford took the nightcap 7-6.
Michael Starcevich (0-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) in 0.2 innings pitched. Brent Stephens had a solid outing on the mound of the the bullpen as the right-handed pitcher tossed 5.1 innings, allowing just one run while striking out eight.
Duncan and Beaman both finished 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the EIU offense. Perrone and McCormick recorded two hits each in the nightcap.