TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 16, Alabama A&M 6
@Jacksonville State 9, Samford 5
@Kentucky 9,
Murray State 7
@Alabama 5,
Eastern Illinois 0
@Tennessee Tech 4, Illinois State 3
Lipscomb at
Belmont (cancelled)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 16, ALABAMA A&M 6
RICHMOND, Ky. - Cold weather would not be enough to stop the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team as it cruised to a 16-6 victory over Alabama A&M on Tuesday at Earle Combs Stadium.
The Colonels took a 5-2 lead with four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Alex Holderbach got it started with a two-run home run that bounced off the top of the wall in right field. Cole Warrenfeltz drove in a run with a double and Jacob Abbott brought home Warrenfeltz with a single through the right side.
Alabama A&M came back to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the fourth. However, a sixth inning two-run home run by Ben Fisher swung the lead back in favor of the home team, 7-6.
Eastern Kentucky pulled away by scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh. Logan Starnes had a two-run single up the middle in the game-changing inning.
Holderbach finished 3-for-5 with two runs and five RBIs. Fisher went 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs. Brian Mroz (2-2) earned the win after pitching two innings of scoreless, hitless relief.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 9, SAMFORD 5
OXFORD, Ala. - The Jacksonville State baseball team bounced back from a tough opening weekend of Ohio Valley Conference play with a 9-5 win over in-state rival Samford on Tuesday at Choccolocco Park behind the efforts of three freshman pitchers.
The Gamecocks moved over the .500 mark at 8-7 with the first of two midweek match ups against in-state foes. JSU will travel to Auburn on Wednesday for the rescheduled Feb. 21 contest on the AU campus. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be available online on the SEC Network +, the online platform of the SEC Network. SU dropped to 9-6 on the season and will host JSU on May 16 in Birmingham, Ala.
True freshman Cody Dodd, a Calhoun County product out of Alexandria, Alabama, earned his first career start on the mound against the Bulldogs and was impressive in his 3.2 innings of work, but it was another young right hander that collected the win in relief. Freshman Corley Woods, from Alexander City, Alabama thwarted a SU comeback after trailing 7-1 through three innings. The Bulldogs trimmed the lead to 7-4 after a three-run fourth inning, but Woods turned in one of his six strikeouts on the night to end the threat. Woods matched Dodd with 3.2 innings of work and scattered three Bulldog hits and allowed just one run. Redshirt freshman Tyler Wilburn finished off the game and recorded a pair of strikeouts.
With Dodd's five strikeouts, the trio of young arms fanned 13 Samford batters. The Gamecocks pitchers have recorded double figure strikeout totals in six games this season, including the last three games.
Offensively, Jax State took advantage of SU' ineffectiveness on the bump and four errors in the contest. SU, who used five arms, walked seven and were hindered by the defense behind them. After SU struck first with a run in the top half of the first, JSU answered with back-to-back three-run innings. The three-run first was highlighted by RBI singles from junior Taylor Hawthorne and junior Trent Simpson. The three-four-hole hitters were the two Gamecocks with multiple hits as Hawthorne added a leadoff double in the sixth. Simpson, from Oxford, Alabama, belted his second home run of the season to leadoff the fourth inning. He greeted new SU pitcher, Tanner Cunningham with a home run over the left field wall. Playing in his hometown, Simpson already has a double and home run under his belt in the confines of Choccolocco Park.
JSU scored three runs off just one hit in the second three spot as Nolan Greckel and Clayton Daniel, who both walked, scored on wild pitches. Freshman Payton Young drove in the third run with the lone hit of the inning. Daniel added an RBI in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. Leading 8-5, the Gamecocks extended the lead in the seventh with an RBI by Dalton Etheridge. Etheridge's hit scored Josh Bobo, who pinch ran for Joe McGuire. McGuire drilled his second career triple off the wall in deep centerfield.
KENTUCKY 9, MURRAY STATE 7
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky got a two-run double with one out in the seventh inning to break a 7-7 and went on to defeat the Murray State baseball team, 9-7 on Wednesday at Hagan Stadium in Lexington.
Despite the seven runs scored in the game, the Racers (9-7) were held without a hit the second through fifth innings. MSU started off the game hot out the gates as Tyler Lawrence's first triple of the season brought home two runs as it hit off the wall in left center. Three batters later, Davis Sims was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Lawrence and the Racers led 3-0 after the top of the first.
The Wildcats (12-6) however responded right away with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. A Brandon Gutzler sacrifice fly to center in the fourth broke the 3-3 tie and the Racers went back up, 4-3.
A three-run bottom of the fourth from Kentucky, and another run in the fifth put the Wildcats up 7-4, and they looked to be well in control. However, MSU struck back as Gutzler hit a three-run home run to left field to tie the game at 7-7. It was Gutzler's fifth homer of the year.
Gutzler went just 1-of-2 on the day as he had that sac fly and drew a pair of walks, but also produced four RBIs in the loss. Adam Bauer went 2-for-4 with two runs scored on the day while Aaron Bence also scored twice and had a hit.
John Lollar took the loss as he gave up the two runs in the seventh. Lollar pitched two innings of relief and struck-out two batters. MSU used four other relievers out of the bullpen after starter Trevor McMurray pitched just the first inning.
MSU was out-hit in the game 11-6 and also surrendered five UK doubles. Bauer and Sims collected the two doubles on the day for the Racers.
ALABAMA 5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team fell behind two runs in the early going and eventually suffered a 5-0 loss on the road at Alabama on Tuesday afternoon.
Eastern Illinois fell to 1-14 while Alabama improved to 10-6.
Alabama broke the scoring column first in the game in the bottom of the second inning. Following a one-out walk to Chandler Taylor, a groundout moved Taylor into scoring position. Cody Henry hit a blooper into right-center field for an RBI single. Another single by Connor Short put runners on the corners for Alabama. The Crimson Tide scored their second run of the game on a passed ball and took a 2-0 lead over the Panthers.
After adding a run to their total in the fifth on a passed ball, the Alabama offense extended their lead once more with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Henry led off the sixth with a solo home run to right. Alabama worked the bases loaded on an Eastern Illinois’ error followed by a pair of singles. Cobie Vance drew a bases-loaded walk to plate another run. Devin Rose came out of the bullpen for the Panthers and got the first two batters out that he faced to end the Alabama threat and kept the score at 5-0. Alex Stevenson and Michael Starcevich threw a scoreless inning of relief each for the Panthers following Rose.
Joseph Duncan led off the top of the ninth with an infield single. Duncan found his way to third base following a groundout and a fly out. Alabama pitcher, Mike Oczypok, kept Duncan stranded at third, producing a groundout to end the game.
Brendon Allen took the loss for the Panthers as he allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings pitched.
Nicholas McCormick, Matt Albert, and Duncan all recorded one hit each in the game.
TENNESSEE TECH 4, ILLINOIS STATE 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A late, ninth-inning rally proved no match for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Tuesday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles (12-5) held on to edge Illinois State (4-9) by a final score of 4-3 in the first contest of a two-game midweek series match-up.
Pitching was key on the somewhat frigid day, with temperatures of just above freezing playing a major role on the bats throughout the contest.
Freshman starter Devin Lancaster was an absolute beast on the hill for Tech, allowing just a single earned run in seven complete innings of work. After walking the first batter of the contest, the rookie made quick and easy work of the Redbird offense, facing the minimum until the seventh frame.
Lancaster scattered four hits in his seven innings of mastery, using just 86 pitches to eventually earn his second victory of the season. The right-hander also struck out seven Illinois State batters and induced two double plays, including an incredible diving effort from center fielder Alex Junior. The swift-footed sophomore corralled the ball and doubled up a Redbird base runner at second to end the fifth.
Tech provided its young hurler with an early 1-0 lead as sophomore Kevin Strohschein cracked an RBI double to right field to drive in Junior, who led off the game by beating out a chopper to third base.
Junior shortstop David Garza doubled the Golden Eagle advantage in the fifth, driving in senior Matt Jones on a ground out to shortstop. Jones led off the frame with a double to left center field.
Insurance runs in the seventh and eighth frames gave Tech a 4-1 advantage heading into the ninth, with Junior using an RBI double to left center field for one marker and senior Chris Brown driving in the other on an RBI double to left field.
The Redbirds made a stand in the top of the ninth, gathering a single to start the frame. After a fielder's choice and Ty King strikeout provided Tech with two outs, the Golden Eagles showed some vulnerability. Illinois State took a free runner after a hit-by-pitch and then saw both runners on base advance on a wild pitch. The visitors then struck gold with a two-run single through the left side, coming within a single run of tying the contest.
Head coach Matt Bragga went to his bullpen to garner the final out, calling upon sophomore closer Ethan Roberts. The youngster proved effective even after a fielding error allowed the tying run to reach second and go-ahead run reach safely. On just four pitches, Roberts dismissed the final Illinois State batter of the inning, punching out the Redbird for his third save of the season.
Offensively, Jones and Junior both racked up multi-hit efforts, with Junior finishing 2-for-2 with a run scored, an RBI and two sacrifice bunts. Jones scored twice for Tech.