WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Auburn 10,
Jacksonville State 1
@Eastern Kentucky 19, Alabama A&M 0
Illinois State 9,
@Tennessee Tech 2
UT Martin 7, @Lipscomb 3
@Southeast Missouri 5, Missouri State 4
@#24 Tennessee 18,
Austin Peay 4
AUBURN 10, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
AUBURN, Ala. - The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped a 10-1 decision to Auburn on Wednesday afternoon at Plainsman Park on the Auburn campus.
The midweek contest, originally scheduled for February 21, but due to rain the in-state duel was moved to Wednesday. With the loss, the Gamecocks (8-8) split the midweek set with a win over Samford the setback to Auburn (14-5). Jax State (8-8) returns to action this weekend, hosting the Panthers of Eastern Illinois in the first Ohio Valley Conference home series. The three-game series will get underway on Friday, March 17 at 6 p.m. at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama. The series will continue on Saturday and Sunday matinees beginning at 1 p.m.
JSU, looking to make it two in a row against a team from the Southeastern Conference after a 2-1 extra-inning win at Alabama, took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, but the Tigers combined for nine runs over three innings to break open the contest.
Junior Trent Simpson started the second inning with a double down the left field line and after moving up a bag on a wild pitch, Simpson scored on freshman Chase Robinson's ground ball RBI.
JSU senior right hander Michael McCreless made his second career start against the Tigers and breezed through the first six batters. The Huntsville, Alabama native would last three-plus innings and match his career high in strikeouts with four. AU's Will Holland was the first Tiger to record one of three hits off of McCreless with a leadoff triple to begin the third. Daniel Robert's solo home run just inside the right field foul pole gave AU a 2-1 lead and the momentum in to the next inning. The Tigers sent 13 batters to the plate and string together six hits and took advantage of three walks in the frame to break open the contest at 9-1. AU's Conor Davis drove in a pair of runs on a single and Damon Heckler plated two runs on a single to highlight the lengthy inning.
JSU touched AU starter Christian Camacho for four hits in the first five innings, but the Tiger bullpen held the Gamecocks to three hits over the final four innings.
Freshman Andrew Naismith, playing in his hometown of Auburn was a highlight of the Gamecock offense with a pair of hits in his return to his stomping grounds. Naismith reached on a fielder's choice in his first plate appearance and had base hits in the JSU fifth and seventh. Junior catcher Hayden White joined Naismith with a multiple hit game with two hits. Taylor Hawthorne and Josh Bobo also collected hits in the setback.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 19, ALABAMA A&M 0
RICHMOND, Ky. - Thirteen runs in the first three innings propelled the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team to a 19-0 victory over Alabama A&M University on Wednesday at Earle Combs Stadium. The Colonels swept the two-game midweek series.
Eastern (10-8) has won seven of its last nine.
Dakota Graham’s two-run double to center capped a four-run first inning. A run scoring single by Logan Starnes made it 6-0 after two innings. Daniel McFarland got the seven-run third inning started with a three-run home run over the wall in right center. Graham capped the big frame by driving in two more runs with a single to right field.
McFarland’s home run was his first of the season, and the first of his career. He finished the day 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs. Starnes had three hits in three at bats, scored twice and drove in two. Graham had a 2-for-4 day, with two walks, a run scored and drove in four.
Casey Collins (1-0) earned his first win after tossing five scoreless innings. He scattered four hits and struck out five.
ILLINOIS STATE 9, TENNESSEE TECH 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - One day after edging Illinois State 4-3 in Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex, the Tennessee Tech baseball team saw the tides turn the other way Wednesday afternoon, as the Redbirds (5-9) defeated the Golden Eagles (12-6) by a final score of 9-2.
Illinois State struck early and never looked back, plating five runs in the first inning and three more in the second to take a commanding 8-0 lead before the Golden Eagles could provide an answer.
After being kept off the scoreboard for the first two frames, Tech snagged solo runs in the third and fourth frames behind RBI from Collin Harris and Ryan Flick. The Redbirds added a single run in the fifth for a 9-2 lead before turning the ball over to Trevor Cross, who acted as a Golden Eagle kryptonite for the next four innings.
After posting seven hits over the first four frames, the Tech offense was stymied to just one hit over the next four by Cross, who also walked two, but kept the home team off the scoreboard.
Strong relief appearances by four TTU pitchers prevented the visitors from even remotely threatening at the plate again. Sophomore Marcus Evey, seniors Brandon Smith and Evan Fraliex, and junior Max Tilton combined to hold Illinois State hitless and allow just one walk over the final four innings.
Evey took over to start the sixth, walking one and striking out one while requiring just 14 pitches to move on to the next inning. In the seventh, Brandon Smith took the hill, making exceptionally quick work of the Redbird lineup. The right-hander fanned one while using a miniscule nine pitches to quiet ISU.
Veteran arm Evan Fraliex took his turn in the eighth inning, fanning not one but two Illinois State batters while using just 11 offerings. JUCO transfer Max Tilton provide an electric ninth and final inning of relief, slinging nasty breaking stuff that forced two Redbird batters into ugly strikeout victims. The junior, who made his first appearance of the season, needed just 15 pitches to set down the side in order.
Offensively, Harris had it going for much of the day, collecting three hits in four trips to the plate, along with an RBI. Flick ripped his team and Ohio Valley Conference best 10th double of the season to left field, accounting for his RBI.
UT MARTIN 7, LIPSCOMB 3
NASHVILLE - Wednesday afternoon saw the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team put together one of its most complete performances of the season as the Skyhawks took down Lipscomb 7-3. It was just the third ever win for UT Martin when taking on the Bisons in Nashville.
The Skyhawks (7-7, 0-3) pushed across runs in both the first and second innings in the wire-to-wire victory in which UT Martin pounded out 12 hits and did not record an error defensively. Head coach Rick Robinson was pleased with the well-rounded showing by his squad.
The Skyhawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as freshman Connor Aube continued his strong play of late with a leadoff double to left-center. After centerfielder Creighton Eldridge was hit by an offering from Bisons’ starter Alex Dorso and a Tyler Albright sacrifice bunt, cleanup hitter Tanner Wessling singled home the game’s first run with a shot to centerfield. For Wessling it was his eighth RBI on the season to give UT Martin the 1-0 advantage. Designated hitter Anthony Adduci then knocked in Eldridge to push the Skyhawk lead to 2-0 after one inning.
UT Martin used a little small ball to extend its lead in the second. Senior Ryan Helgren led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a Josh Hauser sacrifice bunt. Aube then notched his second hit in as many innings pulling a shot into left field to score Helgren and put the Skyhawks up 3-0.
JoJo Allen’s second double of the season propelled the UT Martin offense in the fourth as the third baseman doubled down the left field line to bring home Helgren for his second run scored off the day. The extra-base hit pushed across Allen’s third RBI of the season and extended the lead to 4-0.
Another offensive outburst, combined with a pair of Bison errors, helped spark a Skyhawk rally in the fifth. Albright and Wessling both reached on errors to start the inning as both runners advanced a base on another well executed sacrifice bunt from UT Martin. This time Adduci gave himself up to give the Skyhawks runners on second and third with just one out. Albright scampered home on a wild pitch in the next at-bat and senior Dan Kerwin got in on the action with a sacrifice fly to center to put UT Martin further ahead 6-0.
Jake Patzner got the nod for UT Martin tossing a strong two innings to keep UT Martin in front. The Desoto, Mo. native combined with freshman Winston Cannon to open the game with five straight innings without allowing a single Lipscomb hit.
The Bisons finally broke through in the sixth with three runs on their first three hits of the ballgame. Cade Sorrells and Michael Gigliotti both recorded RBI-singles in the inning for Lipscomb to cut the Skyhawk lead to 6-3.
UT Martin racked up three hits and tallied an insurance run in the eighth as Adduci continued the stellar day for the UT Martin freshman with an RBI-single to left-center to drive in Albright and give the Skyhawks the 7-3 lead. Relievers Kyle Laberge (1.1 innings) and Peyton Cain (2.0 innings, two strikeouts) combined to shut the door on Lipscomb and give UT Martin the victory.
Cannon (2-0) picked up his second victory and as many appearances in his young Skyhawk career, as Dorso (1-1) took the loss for Lipscomb. Aube (2-6, one RBI), Wessling (2-5, one RBI), Helgren (2-3, two runs scored) and Hauser (2-4) each notched multi-hit games in the winning effort.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5, MISSOURI STATE 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri baseball (7-7) defeated in-state foe Missouri State (12-4) Wednesday at Capaha Field in walk off fashion, 5-4.
Dan Holst walked off in the ninth inning on a bases-loaded single to drive in Danny Wright and defeat the Bears. The win snaps a three-game losing skid by the Redhawks.
The Redhawks held a 4-0 lead going to the sixth inning but two-run innings in the sixth and eighth erased the Redhawk lead late in the contest.
Southeast was narrowly outhit in the game, 9-8. Freshman Wright finished with a season-high three hits, finishing 3-for-3 with a double, walk, and two runs, one of which was the winning run. Chris Osborne finished the day with a pair of hits.
Despite striking out 14 times, the Redhawks were victorious over the Bears.
In his second start of the season, lefty Nate Green pitched six complete innings, surrendering two runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked only one. Matthew Wade (1-0) walked away the winner. He pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings to finish the game.
All-American Missouri State closer Bryan Young (0-1) recorded the loss after allowing the winning run in the ninth. MSU starter Austin Knight pitched four innings, allowed four runs on only three hits, and struck out seven.
Wednesday's game was the first since game three against Western Illinois on Feb. 27 in which the Redhawks crossed the plate before its opponent.
Chris Caffrey and Wright each drew walks to lead off the bottom of the third inning. Connor Basler moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher. Clayton Evans put the Redhawks on the board with a groundout to second, scoring Caffrey.
The Redhawks' first hit of the game came on a two-run homer to left off the bat of Brian Lees, his second home run of the season. After four innings, SEMO led 3-0.
Wright and Basler each singled to begin the Redhawks' half of the fifth inning. The Bears went to the pen for Jake Fromson who immediately retired the first two batters he faced. With two out, a wild pitch to Holst allowed Wright to score and widen the Redhawk lead to 4-0.
Missouri State sliced the lead in half in the top of the sixth inning. The inning began with Jake Burger being hit by a pitch followed by a single through the left side by Jeremy Eierman. Justin Paulson drove in Burger with a base hit into right field. Eierman scored on a sacrifice fly to pull within two, 4-2.
The Bears made it a whole new ballgame in the top of the eighth inning. Paulsen cut the lead to one with an RBI single poked through the right side. With runners on the corners, Alex Jefferson pushed the tying run across on a groundout to first base, 4-4.
Wade worked a stellar top of the ninth to strand two Bears on and preserve the tie.
Wright began the ninth inning with a leadoff single poked through the right side. He moved into scoring position on a Basler sac bunt. Evans drew a walk followed by an infield single to short by Osborne to load the bases, one out. Holst drove in the winning run on a single through the right side, plating Wright, and downing the Bears, 5-4.
Hunter Steinmetz and Paulsen each finished with three hits for Missouri State.
#24 TENNESSEE 18, AUSTIN PEAY 4
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - First baseman Dre Gleaosn had three hits and four RBI, but a short-handed Austin Peay State University baseball squad could not hold its early lead in an 18-4 loss to nationally-ranked Tennessee, Wednesday afternoon, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Austin Peay (9-7) grabbed the early lead thanks to Gleason’s bat as he hit a two-out, three-run home run in the first inning to push the Govs out to a 3-0 lead. Two innings later, he would single up the middle to drive in another Govs run for a 4-0 lead.
Tennessee (12-2) broke through in the third, scoring a run after a pair of walks to start the inning but ultimately leaving the bases loaded as APSU reliever Landon Kelly ended the threat with two fly outs. Two innings later, the Volunteers would use three walks to drive in a run and had the bases loaded with no outs. But reliever Jacques Pucheu recovered from walking the first batter he faced to retire the side with two fly outs and a strikeout.
The Volunteers were held scoreless on the first five at-bats with the bases loaded, but would not be denied when the situation arose again in the sixth. Tennessee sent 11 men to the plate in the decisive frame, but it was third baseman Jordan Rodgers who notched the first base hit with the bases loaded. His infield single drove in the game-tying run but a Govs error allowed the go-ahead run to score, putting UT ahead 5-4.
That Austin Peay miscue would snowball into a six run frame as Tennessee took control of the contest. The Govs defense would be charged with two more errors in a game-sealing seven-run seventh inning that saw Tennessee send 12 men to the plate.
Austin Peay reliever Zach Neff (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing the go-ahead runs in the sixth as part of his 1.1 innings of work. Govs starter Brett Newberg allowed just one run over 2.1 innings in his season’s first start but did not factor into the decision.
Gleason went 3-for-3 with four RBI to supply the Govs their four runs in the contest. Second baseman Garrett Giovannelli went 2-for-4 and scored twice.
Tennessee reliever Daniel Vasquez (2-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. He retired six consecutive batters in a stretch that saw 10 Govs batters retired in order. The Volunteers used nine pitchers in the contest.
Catcher Pete Derkay led off the sixth inning with a home run and later had RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and on a sacrifice fly, finishing the day 1-for-1 with three RBI. Center fielder Brodie Leftridge also hit a home run in his first at-bat as part of a 1-for-2, two RBI effort.