WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 12, Alabama A&M 2
@Eastern Illinois 10, Southern Illinois 7
@Middle Tennessee 3,
Austin Peay 2
SIUE 8, @Evansville 7
MOREHEAD STATE 12, ALABAMA A&M 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State baseball team certainly gave the school-record 1,053 fans - a majority of which were local elementary-school children and teachers - plenty to cheer about as the Eagles hammered Alabama A&M 12-2 at Allen Field in a Wednesday matinee game.
The school attendance record broke the previous mark of just more than 600 set several years ago. Schools attending included Lakeside Christian Academy, Crossroads Elementary, Owingsville Elementary and Nicholas County Elementary.
With the win, this year's Eagle team secured the best 25-game start in program history at 19-6 and won for the 11th straight time at home and for the 14th time overall in the last 15 ball games.
While the offense pounded out double-digit hits for the sixth consecutive game, it was the pitching staff which shined today. Five Eagle hurlers (Kyle Cantu, JC Hatcher, David Calderon, Cable Wright and Josh Baumgart) combined on a four-hitter and issued just two walks. Starter Cantu was credited with his second win.
At the plate, sophomore designated hitter Trevor Snyder led a 14-hit attack by going 4-for-4. Junior third baseman Eli Boggess was 3-for-4, and junior second baseman Braxton Morris record his Ohio Valley Conference-best 15th multi-hit game with two. Senior outfielder Michael Patrick also had two hits.
Sophomore outfielder Niko Hulsizer helped break open a 4-2 game in the fourth when the Eagles scored seven times. Hulsizer delivered his team-best 11th home run, a two-run smash well over the wall in left field, and has now homered in three straight games with six round-trippers in that short span.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 10, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 7
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois baseball jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first two innings, but Southern Illinois made things interesting late pulling within three runs. The Panthers held off the Salukis’ comeback attempt and won by a score of 10-7 on Wednesday at Coaches Stadium.
The Panthers ran their winning streak up to three-games and improved to 5-19 on the year. Southern Illinois dropped to 12-14.
After Southern Illinois got the first EIU batter to line out to begin the bottom of the first inning, three straight Panthers reached base to load up the bags for Matt Albert. Albert crushed his second home run in as many days, this time a grand slam, and gave the Panthers a 4-0 advantage.
Frankie Perrone homered to lead-off the top of the second inning for the Panthers. Andrew Curran followed with a bunt single and stole second to move into scoring position. A Southern Illinois error moved Curran up to third base as the junior came around to score on a Logan Beaman sacrifice fly to extend the EIU lead to 6-0.
Southern Illinois cut the deficit to 6-1 with a run in the top of the third on an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Will Farmer.
Eastern Illinois responded with another big inning in the bottom of the fourth. After Perrone got hit by a pitch to start the inning, Curran sacrificed Perrone to second with a bunt. Jimmy Govern and Beaman followed the Curran sacrifice bunt with an RBI double each. The Panthers got their final run of the inning on an RBI single from Dougie Parks as Eastern Illinois took a 9-1 lead.
Southern Illinois added a run in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Ryan Smith and pushed across two more runs in the top of the seventh on a two-run single from Greg Lambert.
Nicholas McCormick got the EIU offense going again in the bottom of the seventh inning with a lead-off double. A sacrifice bunt by Justin Smith moved McCormick up to second base. After a wild pitch, McCormick came around the final 90-feet on a Joseph Duncan RBI single.
Things got interesting late as Southern Illinois loaded the bases with just one away in the top of the eighth inning. Ryan Sabo plated two runs with an RBI single to left. SIU cut the EIU lead to three at 10-7 on an RBI sacrifice fly from Farmer, but that would be as close as the Salukis would get as Alex Cain cruised the rest of the way to seal the EIU victory.
Chase Thurston picked up his first win of the season for the Panthers as he allowed just two runs in six innings of work.
Beaman and Govern both finished the game with two hits each to lead the EIU offense.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 2
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Center fielder Alex Robles had three hits, including a run-scoring triple, but Austin Peay State University’s baseball team dropped a 3-2 nonconference decision to Middle Tennessee, Wednesday night at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
A month ago, Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee were involved in a 21-8 contest in Clarksville that went the Govs direction. But Wednesday proved a much different contest as a pitcher’s duel developed.
Austin Peay starter Josh Rye (3-1) held Middle Tennessee scoreless in his first time through the order. He would eventually surrender a solo home run to center fielder Brad Jarreau in the third inning. The Blue Raiders would get another pair of solo home runs against Rye to build a 3-0 lead after five inning.
Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee starter AJ Spencer (1-0) held the Govs at bay through his five-inning outing, allowing just two hits and a walk. The Govs could only begin to threaten against the Blue Raiders bullpen, loading the bases in the sixth, but were turned aside.
After Rye departed the mound, the Govs bullpen teamed up to shut down any further Blue Raiders offense. Reliever Jacques Pucheu provided 1.1 innings of scoreless relief followed by Zach Neff and Levi Primasing, who each added another scoreless inning.
Austin Peay (11-13) finally broke through in the eighth inning when catcher Parker Phillips led off the inning with a single off reliever Tanner McDivitt. Center fielder Alex Robles then laced a ball into the left center gap that could not be tracked down and he ended up at third base with a RBI. Right fielder Chase Hamilton followed with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and ultimately setting the final score.
Robles led the Govs with a 3-for-4 outing that included his RBI triple. Four other Govs hitters had base hits in a seven-hit outing by the offense.
Rye struck out six over his 4.2-inning outing, allowing three runs on four hits. The bullpen allowed just two hits while striking out five over the final 3.1 innings.
Jarreau hit a pair of solo home runs in his MTSU-leading 2-for-4, two RBI performance. Second baseman Ryan Kemp added the Blue Raiders’ other run on his solo shot in a 1-for-3 effort.
SIUE 8, EVANSVILLE 7
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - SIUE baseball won for the third consecutive time, and for the fourth time in five games, defeating Evansville 8-7 Wednesday night at Charles Braun Stadium.
The Cougars improved to 14-10 overall. Evansville fell to 8-17.
SIUE took a 1-0 lead in the first when Dustin Woodcock singled to drive in Alec Skender, who had doubled leading off the game. Evansville scored twice in the first against SIUE starter Brendan Miller, but a Keaton Wright single in the second tied the score 2-2.
It was 3-2 Evansville when the Cougars took the lead for good in the sixth. SIUE scored five runs on just a single hit. The Cougars took advantage of five walks, four wild pitches, a passed ball and a balk. Jackson Layton picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly and Skender capped the inning with a two-run single to give the Cougars a 7-3 cushion.
Skender finished the game 3 for 5 with the two RBIs. The Cougars' leadoff hitter is now hitting .396 for the season.
UE reliever Nathan Croner (0-1) took the loss. He allowed three runs on one hit and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.
Evansville scored two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth, while the Cougars got another RBI-hit from Woodcock in the eighth for the final margin. Woodcock was 2 for 4 with a walk and two RBIs.
Brendan Miller allowed three runs on four hits in four innings. He stuck out two and did not figure into the decision.
Sophomore Michael Shereyk followed Miller into the game and earned his first career win in 2 1/3 innings of relief. He allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits. He stuck out two to improve to 1-0.
Tristan Walters came in with a runner on base and nobody out in the bottom of the ninth. He retired all three batters he faced to earn his third save of the season. Mike Miller and Brian Coulter also pitched for the Cougars.
Travis Tokarek was 1 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs for Evansville. Korbin Williams had two hits and an RBI.