TUESDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 6, @Marshall 3
@Eastern Illinois 12, Robert Morris-Chicago 4
Southeast Missouri 6, @#18 Missouri 5
@Morehead State 13, Alabama A&M 6
Lindenwood-Belleville 7,
@Murray State 6
Middle Tennessee 6,
@Belmont 4
@Tennessee 6,
Tennessee Tech 0
EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, MARSHALL 3
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Daniel McFarland launched his career best fifth home run as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team earned its first road win of the season with a 6-3 victory over the Marshall University Thundering Herd on Tuesday.
Going into the fifth inning tied 0-0, the Colonels (14-12, 1-5 OVC) looked to finally get on the board. Alex Holderbach singled to start the inning, and Nick Howie followed him with a single to advance him to third. Holderbach stole home after a Ryland Kerr strikeout to give EKU a 1-0 lead. During the next at-bat Daniel McFarland homered to right field, bringing Howie home and giving Eastern a 3-0 lead.
Marshall used a three-run inning of its own to tie the game 3-3 after five full. From there, EKU took control.
Ben Fisher led the sixth inning off with a single, followed by Shea Sullivan reaching base on a throwing error. Holderbach picked up his second single of the day on the next at-bat, loading the bases. Howie, coming into the game with the second most walks in the OVC, drew a bases loaded walk to score Fisher, giving the lead back to Eastern, 4-3. In the next at-bat Kerr singled through the right side to bring Sullivan home, but kept the bases loaded. McFarland came to the plate and was hit by a pitch, bringing Holderbach home to give EKU a 6-3 lead. Marshall would not score again.
McFarland finished with two hits and three RBIs. Fisher went 2-for-5 with a run scored, and extended his hit streak to 19 games. Holderbach went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Sullivan and Kerr also picked up two hits each.
Bryan Qulliens (2-2) picked up the win after relieving starter Casey Collins, who went 4.2 innings. Collins notched his third straight start with at least five strike outs. Cumpston, Brian Mroz and Brandon Smither all had scoreless one-inning performances on the mound. Caleb Johnson earned his fourth save of the season.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 12, ROBERT MORRIS-CHICAGO 4
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois scored four runs in both of the seventh and eighth innings to pull away late from Robert Morris-Chicago and took the game, 12-4, at Coaches Stadium on Tuesday.
The Panthers, winners of two straight games, improved to 4-19 on the season. Robert Morris-Chicago dropped to 11-15 on the season.
Robert Morris-Chicago took an early lead against the Panthers with the help of a two-out rally in the top of the second inning. With runners on first and second, Brian Czyl drove in the first run of the game on an RBI single to left. Matt Albert quickly tied the game at one in the bottom half of the frame on a lead-off home run to center. The home run marked Albert’s seventh of the season.
The Eagles quickly responded and regained the lead with a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings. Eastern Illinois knotted the score at 4-4 with a three-run fifth inning. With a pair of runners on, Jimmy Govern drove in the first run of the inning for the Panthers with an RBI single to center and moved into scoring position as Robert Morris-Chicago was unsuccessful in trying to throw out an EIU runner. After Logan Beaman walked to load the bases, Dougie Parks drove in a run with an RBI single to left field. Albert drove in the game-tying run with an RBI groundout later in the inning.
The EIU offense stayed hot in the seventh inning. After Joseph Duncan made a web gem of a catch against the wall in center to end a Robert Morris-Chicago threat in the top of the inning, he followed with a bunt single to begin the bottom-half of the frame. Beaman walked later in the inning to put a pair of runners on for the Panthers. The two runners moved up an extra base on a wild pitch and Duncan came around to score later on a balk. Albert brought home Beaman with another RBI base knock to left. After a walk and a failed pickoff attempt, Nicholas McCormick added to the EIU total with an RBI base hit. A second failed pickoff attempt from the Eagles gave the Panthers an 8-4 lead after seven innings.
Parks provided the Panthers with another four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning with a grand slam over the wall in center as he finished the game with a team-high five RBIs.
Michael Starcevich earned his first win of the season in relief as he tossed 1.1 perfect innings.
Duncan, Govern, Parks and Albert all finished the game with two hits for the Panthers. Albert added three RBIs in the game.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6, #18 MISSOURI 5
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Southeast Missouri baseball (12-10) defeated nationally-ranked in-state rival Missouri (21-4) on Tuesday in Columbia, 6-5.
The Redhawks have defeated the Tigers four of the last six meetings in Columbia.
Nate Green (2-0) picked up the victory in the game. He pitched four innings in his start and left as the pitcher of record when SEMO recaptured the lead in the fifth inning.
The Redhawks' Friday starter Clay Chandler entered in the eighth inning, his second career appearance out of the pen, and picked up his first career save. He pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings and struck out three of the six batters he faced.
Southeast and Missouri each scattered nine hits in the game. Eight of Southeast's nine starters recorded a hit while Brian Lees was the lone Redhawk with multiple hits, finishing with two, both doubles. Kylar Robertson drove in two runs while Clayton Evans slugged a home run.
Cameron Dulle (0-1) picked up the loss for the Tigers out of the pen. He allowed three of SEMO's runs in the fifth inning that put the Redhawks back on top. Tiger starter Bryce Montes De Oca pitched four innings in his start and struck out six Redhawks.
For the fifth game in a row, the Redhawks pushed a run across first in the contest. Following walks to Tristen Gagan and Lees, Robertson drove Gagan in with a ground ball base hit through the left side. Garrett Reynolds drew the third walk of the inning to load the bases with one out. Connor Basler plated another run with a line drive into right, scoring Lees. Southeast led 2-0 in the second.
The Tigers, the national leaders in sacrifice flies, scored their first run on a bases-loaded sac fly by Trey Harris in the bottom of the third to make it a 2-1 game.
Back-to-back two-out base hits gave the Tigers life in the bottom of the fourth. Both runners came around to score on a Brian Sharp double to right, putting the Tigers on top 3-2 after four.
Southeast recaptured its lead in the top of the fifth inning and led 6-3 after the frame. Evans jumpstarted the inning by tying the game with his first home run of the season, 3-3. A double by Dan Holst and a walk to Gagan, his third of the game, prompted Mizzou to make its second pitching change of the inning. Danny Wright proceeded to single through the right side, putting SEMO back on top. Lees followed by plugging the right center gap to put SEMO up by two. Robertson contributed to the scoring with a slow grounder back to the pitcher who threw to first, conceding the Redhawks' third run of the inning.
Mizzou loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Robbie Glendinning drew a bases-loaded walk to push a run in. After a Redhawk pitching change for Jared Waldhoff, Brett Bond hit the second sac fly of the game for the Tigers, making it a one-run game, 6-5.
The Tigers put the tying run on third with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Chandler, who came in to relieve earlier in the inning, made a heads-up play on a squeeze bunt attempt to force the out at the plate for out number two. Chandler picked up a strikeout to end the inning and the Tiger scoring threat.
Chandler sat the Tigers down in order including striking out two batters in the ninth to secure the save and the Redhawk victory.
Sharp had a 3-for-4 day with a pair of RBI. Three other Tigers including Connor Brumfield, Alex Samples, and Chris Cornelius all had two hits.
MOREHEAD STATE 13, ALABAMA A&M 6
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sophomore Niko Hulsizer launched three home runs and drove in nearly half of Morehead State's 13 runs Tuesday, and senior pitcher Luke Humphreys established the program record for career starts as the Eagle baseball team handed Alabama A&M a 13-6 defeat at Allen Field.
The Eagles, winners of 13 of their last 14 games, tied the program record for the best 24-game start at 18-6. The 1976 team was also 18-6 before falling in its next outing against EKU. Morehead State has also now won 10 consecutive home games.
Humphreys made his 46th career start, surpassing Sean Hogan's previous career standard, and he nearly made it a more memorable day by taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He allowed three doubles in that inning before exiting but still claimed the win, to go along with a season-high seven strikeouts, to move to 2-1.
Hulsizer got the scoring going in the first with a monster solo blast to deepest part of Allen Field in left center. He added a three-run bomb to left field in the second to make it a 6-0 Eagle lead, and he capped his prolific day with a herculean two-run long ball in the sixth that sailed out of the park over the scoreboard in left field. Hulsizer now has five homers and 12 RBI in the last two games.
Morehead State also got a solo homer from senior outfielder Will Schneider in the second which followed Hulsizer's homer, and junior Jake Bublitz nailed a pinch-hit solo shot in the eighth to close the Eagle scoring.
The Eagles finished with 16 hits and now have 78 hits in their last five outings. OVC multi-hit game leader Braxton Morris had another one today with two hits, while Schneider, senior Ryan Kent, sophomore Reid Leonard and senior Michael Patrick each had two hits as well. Kent had a pair of singles to move into a tie for second place in career singles at MSU with 170.
LINDENWOOD-BELLEVILLE 7, MURRAY STATE 6
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State baseball team squandered a 6-0 lead through six complete innings Tuesday night at Reagan Field as Lindenwood (Ill.) used a seven-run top of the seventh to come from behind and defeat the Racers, 7-6.
Adam Bauer led the Racers (14-10) in the loss with a 3-for-3 night. He also, along with Kipp Moore scored a pair of runs to lead MSU. Bauer also recorded his fourth triple of the season in the contest and now has 13 for his career, one shy of tying Wes Cunningham for first all time in program history.
Bauer was the only Racer to record a multi-hit game as MSU was held to just eight hits on the night, none of which came after the fifth inning. Tyler Lawrence had a pair of sacrifice fly RBIs against the Lynx (16-14) and led the team with those two ribbies.
In fact, four of the Racers’ six runs in the loss came via sacrifice fly. Lawrence and Ryan Perkins both recorded one in the bottom of the first to put MSU on the board early. A ground-rule double from Jack Hranec scored Brandon Gutzler and the Racers led 3-0 after one.
In the second, Bauer made it 4-0 with an RBI single through the right side and two batters later, Lawrence flew out to right field to score Moore. After a scoreless third, Gutzler brought home Bauer with a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the fourth and it was 6-0 MSU.
LU recorded five hits and drew three walks in its seven-run seventh inning as they came all the way back to win.
MSU used a pitcher by committee in the game was John Lollar got the start and pitched the first two innings and struck-out two. Blake Clynes, Chad Gendron, Tyler Horsley, Trevor McMurray and Alec Whaley all pitched an inning each of scoreless relief. Derrik Watson took the loss as he gave up the final earned run of the game to break the 6-6 tie. Watson allowed four hits in 1.2 innings of work and struck-out four batters.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 6, BELMONT 4
NASHVILLE - Belmont baseball committed a pair of costly errors that aided to Middle Tennessee's 6-4 victory over the Bruins Tuesday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park.
BU (10-13, 5-4) posted couple of consecutive two-run frames in the fifth and sixth to tie the game up, but miscues late in the game plagued the Bruins as both errors contributed to a pair of runs and the difference in the ballgame.
A five-hit third frame costed the Bruins three runs after the Middle Tennessee bats caught fire. The Blue Raiders led off the frame with a pair of hits, allowing a sacrifice fly from Aaron Antonini to score the first run. From then on MTSU laced three more base knocks to bring in a pair of runs and put BU in the hole, 3-0.
Middle Tennessee once again found a way to threaten putting runners on second and third on a pair of singles given up be Belmont's starting hurler, Casey Queener (Brentwood, Tenn.). With one down, the Blue Raiders recorded back-to-back hits to put pressure on Queener before the Bruins defense produced the final two outs and get out of the jam without any further damage done.
With one swing of the bat senior Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) blasted his first long ball of the season into the Belmont bullpen to bring the Bruins within one in the home half of the fifth. Junior infielder Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) collected BU's first leadoff hit of the day with a single down the third base line. A fly out put one down and brought Walsh up to bring Belmont within striking distances compliments of his two-run shot to make the score, 3-2.
A costly throwing error from Kocher in the top of the sixth allowed Middle Tennessee to tack on its fourth run and double its advantage, 4-2. Freshman left-handed pitcher Justin Fowlkes (Collierville, Tenn.) came in to relieve in the fifth and surrendered a hit to start the sixth. A sacrifice bunt and short throw from Kocher to first baseman Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) put runners on the corners with two away before a single from Brad Jarreau brought in the unearned run.
For the second consecutive inning the Bruins hung up two runs and knotted the game up, 4-4 on a two-out rally spark by none other than senior Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) who has come up clutch multiple times this season. The squad pieced together a pair of runs in an improbable sequence of events. Egli was dealt a walk in which he followed up by stealing second before advancing to third on a wild pitch. The Brentwood, Tenn. product then left it up to junior Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) who dropped a single in front of the MTSU second baseman. Bournigal dove into first base and was called safe, driving in Egli and making it a one run game. With two outs still lit on the scoreboard, Kocher registered his second hit and brought in Bournigal to tie it up.
Belmont continued to stifle Middle Tennessee, this time it was on the defensive end as senior Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) made an incredible diving catch as the ball soared foul in right field to trigger the final out of the seventh and secure a 1-2-3 inning for the Bruins.
Sophomore reliever Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) struggled on the mound in the eighth, giving up a leadoff walk and then committing a throwing error that would hurt BU immensely. Once he gave up a full count free ride to a Blue Raider, he threw the ball over Hadden's reach and allowed the runner to advance to third. Middle Tennessee went on to plate the go-ahead run in the next at bat and added an insurance run on a single up the right side to make it 6-4. Klotz was tabbed with the loss making him 1-2 on the hill this season.
TENNESSEE 6, TENNESSEE TECH 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.