FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 16, SIUE 4
@Belmont 8, Eastern Illinois 3
@Eastern Kentucky 7, Austin Peay 6 (13 innings)
@Southeast Missouri 1, Jacksonville State 0
@Tennessee Tech 6, Murray State 4
@Wright State 4,
UT Martin 3 (11 innings)
MOREHEAD STATE 16, SIUE 4
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The number 16 was the lucky one for Morehead State baseball Friday. The Eagles scored 16 runs for the second straight game, leading to their 16th consecutive home win at Allen Field, which also in turn clinched the 16th straight home series as Morehead State topped SIU Edwardsville 16-4.
Morehead State, which led 10-0 after three innings, clubbed five home runs and four additional extra-base hits in improving to 24-11 overall and 10-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference. After dropping the home opener to Bowling Green, the Eagles have not lost at Allen Field, and they have not lost a home series since March of 2015 after claiming the opener 16-3 Thursday.
Stambaugh tossed seven complete innings, a career-best, and surrendered four runs while striking out four to improve to 2-1. His previous longest stint in a start was just 5.2 innings. Senior righty Luke Humphreys recorded the final six outs with just one hit allowed and four punchouts.
At the plate, the Eagles smacked 22 hits, including a pair of home runs by sophomore outfielder Niko Hulsizer. The Mohnton, Pa., native nailed two-run homers in the second and third innings, giving him a team-best 15 round-trippers and moving his team-high reached-base streak to 19 games.
Senior outfielder Will Schneider, who had four hits, also sent a solo shot over the wall in the second inning when the Eagles plated five runs. Junior second baseman Braxton Morris joined the home run party with a solo clout in the second, and junior third baseman Eli Boggess drilled a two-run bomb during a five-run sixth inning. Morris now has a 13-game reached-base streak.
Hulsizer (3-for-6), Schneider (4-for-5), Morris (3-for-5) and Boggess (4-for-6) teamed up for 14 of the 22 hits and 12 of the 15 RBI.
SIUE got two home runs by catcher Brock Weimer, plus a solo homer and RBI double by Keaton Wright. Starter Brock Fulkerson was touched up for 11 hits and 10 total runs in just 2.1 innings to fall to 2-4.
BELMONT 8, EASTERN ILLINOIS 3
NASHVILLE - Belmont baseball posted another impressive outing against Eastern Illinois as they secured the series with an 8-3 win in game two Friday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins were supported by an experienced squad with three veterans posting multi-hit performances.
Senior Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) along with junior duo Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) and Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) each collected multiple hits while accounting for half of the Bruins runs. Bournigal went 3-for-5 at the plate, coming up one short of hitting for the cycle with a single, double and triple on the day. Egli has been effective in the batter's box all series - having reached base in each of his nine plate appearances against Eastern Illinois (7-27, 3-11), going 2-for-2 while collecting a pair of walks in the second game.
The Bruins (16-17, 11-6) compiled three base knocks in the second frame to bring in the first run. Junior Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led off the frame with a single to right center and advanced on a wild pitch to threaten right away, setting up Conger to collect the RBI with a shot to left field and put BU on the board first for the second consecutive day. All six of Belmont's hits came in the form of a single through three stanzas helping the squad to a 2-0 advantage a third of the way through. Redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) registered the second run after dropping one into shallow right field.
Starting hurler Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) gave the Panthers a hard time on the hill in his first three innings, striking out five batters and only relinquishing one hit. Eastern Illinois cut its deficit in half in the fourth on a solo shot over the left field fence from Dougie Parks. After giving up just his second hit, King hit a pair of Panthers and found himself in a jam with just one out under him. The righty quickly settled in and fanned the next two batters, bringing his total to seven.
Belmont used another trio of hits to make it 5-1 in the fourth. A lead off hit from Conger and hit-by-pitch to senior Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) set up Bournigal to collect BU's first extra base shot of the day as he ripped a triple to deep centerfield and recorded two RBIs. Sophomore Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) then brought in Bournigal with the Bruins eighth single.
The Panthers work their way back into the game with the help of three consecutive hits to start that plated a pair of runs to start the seventh. A leadoff single sparked the EIU offense before Frankie Perrone and Hunter Beetley recorded back-to-back two-baggers to bring them within two, 5-3. Head Coach Dave Jarvis elected to go to the bullpen and bring in sophomore reliever Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) who sat down the first three Panthers he saw and got the Bruins out of the inning without any further damage. King logged six complete innings, striking out nine batters while giving up three runs on five hits.
Conger reached base for the fourth time via a base on balls in the seventh and went on to score in a rather unconventional manner. He proceeded to steal second and then made it home from consecutive throwing errors on the same play by Eastern Illinois to double Belmont's lead, 6-3.
The Bruins tacked on two more runs in the eighth with more contributions from the veterans. Bournigal registered his third hit, adding a two-bagger to his resume, before he'd score on a wild pitch and Egli launched his second solo shot of the series to put Belmont up, 8-3.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 7, AUSTIN PEAY 6 (13)
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky baseball team celebrated the official grand opening of Earle Combs Stadium with a 7-6, 13-inning victory over Austin Peay on Friday night.
The team has posted a 14-3 record since beginning play in the new stadium on March 4, but the official grand opening ceremonies were held on Friday. Members of the Combs family joined Eastern Kentucky University President Michael T. Benson, Director of Athletics Stephen Lochmueller, Head Coach Edwin Thompson and representatives from Murphy Group Architects, Codell Construction, EKU Capital Construction and the Kentucky Finance Department on the field for the opening ceremony.
Nick Howie started the bottom of the 13th inning with a single to third. He moved to third base on back-to-back ground outs. Alex Holderbach beat out a ground ball to second and Howie scored the game-winner.
Ben Fisher's two-out, RBI single to right in the bottom of the ninth tied the game, 6-6.
Austin Peay (15-18, 7-10 OVC) grabbed the lead quickly on Dre Gleason's three-run home run in the top of the first inning. Eastern closed the gap in the bottom of the inning when Cornell Nixon hit a solo home run over the wall in right center.
Trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Eastern platted a pair of runs to cut the deficit in half. Alex Holderbach drew a bases loaded walk to force in the first run. Brenden Overton scored later in the inning on a fielder's choice to make it 5-3.
The Colonels (21-14, 7-7 OVC) got within a run on Nixon's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, but the Governors answered in the top of the eighth to push it back to a two run lead, 6-4. Eastern came right back and closed within one again on a ground ball by Logan Starnes in the bottom of the eighth.
Nixon finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Holderbach had two hits in five at bats, scored one and drove in two. Max Ford fired four and one-third innings of scoreless relief. He allowed just one run and struck out six.
Gleason went 3-for-6 with a run and four RBIs for APSU.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Senior right-handed pitcher Justin Murphy threw a complete-game shutout of Jacksonville State (17-14, 6-8) Friday evening. The Redhawks (19-14, 10-7) edged the Gamecocks, 1-0.
Murphy was stellar in his nine innings of work, stranding seven Gamecocks on base, struck out five, and walked one. He threw 126 pitches in the outing. Murphy climbs back to over .500 on the mound this season to 4-3.
Southeast last shut out the Gamecocks on Apr. 26, 2014 by the same score. In said game, former Redhawk Travis Hayes tossed a complete game as well.
Southeast's offense was held to just three hits with the knocks coming from Chris Caffrey, Clayton Evans, and Connor Basler. Caffrey drove in the lone run of the game in the bottom of the fourth to push Chris Osborne across the plate. The hit proved to be the difference maker of the contest.
Clayton Daniel and Chase Robinson each recorded two hits for the Gamecocks. JSU finished with eight total hits as a team.
Colton Pate (1-5) suffered the loss after a great outing on the mound. He pitched seven and two-thirds innings, allowing all three SEMO hits and the lone run. He struck out five and issued three walks.
TENNESSEE TECH 6, MURRAY STATE 4
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - What began like so many games at Bush Stadium before quickly turned into one of the more incredible displays of pitching in the history of Tennessee Tech baseball Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles (28-9, 15-2) turned in a 6-4 victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe Murray State (16-18, 6-8) behind a record-breaking showing by sophomore Ethan Roberts.
On a night that saw the Tech offense dominate through the first four innings, it was the Golden Eagle closer who made headlines once the contest had reached the end. After entering the game with two outs in the sixth inning, a runner on second and a two-run lead, Roberts went to work.
It took six pitches to close out the sixth, with the right-handed hurler punching out Davis Sims on a swing-and-miss. After starting the seventh with an 0-2 count on the Racer leadoff man, Roberts watched two of four consecutive misses with wonder as Ryan Perkins took a free pass.
The Sparta, Tenn. native dialed in to a level never quite seen from that point on, not throwing another ball the rest of the frame. Roberts punched out Caleb Hicks on four pitches (including one foul ball), set down Jaron Robinson on three attempts and sent Kipp Moore back to the dugout on three more offerings, striking out the side.
He did it again in the eighth, forcing Adam Bauer and Brandon Gutzler into swings and misses before fanning Tyler Lawrence, Murray State's all-time hits leader, looking. That equated to six consecutive strikeouts, and the reliever still wasn't done.
Roberts kicked off the ninth with back-to-back whiffing Ks, needing just seven pitches to clip Jack Hranec and Sims. With just one more batter remaining, the youngster had to really dig deep into his arsenal, requiring eight pitches to get one more chance on a 3-2 count. The ninth and final toss of the at bat proved devastating, as Perkins could do nothing but stand and watch strike three smack the mitt of Tech catcher Chris Brown with a thunderous THWAP.
It represented Robert's ninth consecutive strikeout in the game, a program record. It also meant all 10 outs the closer recorded came via a strikeout, including eight by swings and misses. With three and one third innings of relief with just a single base runner allowed, Roberts earned his 10th save of the season, putting him within two of the program's single-season record of 12 set by Seth Lucio in the 2013 season. It tied for the second most (10), also by Lucio (in 2014).
Senior starter Jake Usher provided the Golden Eagles with a solid showing over the game's first five and two thirds innings, holding a typically potent Racer attack to five hits and four earned runs. The right-hander struck out four batters and walked just one while picking up his third win of the season.
Just like Thursday evening, the Tech bats gave their pitching staff an early 1-0 lead in the first, thanks in large part to a leadoff triple off the bat of sophomore center fielder Alex Junior. On a 3-1 count, junior third baseman Trevor Putzig knocked a long fly ball to right field for a sacrifice fly, driving in Junior for the advantage.
Murray State knotted things at 1-1 in the top of the second, but the Golden Eagles were quick to respond, plating two in the bottom half of the frame. A leadoff walk to junior first baseman Chase Chambers set up senior catcher Chris Brown for an easy RBI, as the switch hitter clubbed a double off the wall in right field to make it 2-1.
Three pitches later, senior second baseman Matt Jones made it a 3-1 Tech advantage, blasting his own RBI double off the wall in dead center field. Brown collected his second RBI double of the contest in the third inning, driving one down the right field line to make it a 4-1 contest.
The Racers cut it to 4-3 in the fourth, but the Golden Eagles answered once again in the bottom half. With two outs and junior shortstop David Garza sitting on first base after a leadoff single to center field, Putzig took a turn at the plate, still looking for his first official at bat. After smacking the sac fly in the first and drawing a walk to start the third, the Tech slugger uncorked a two-run long ball over the right field wall for a 6-3 lead.
The visitors chased Usher from the contest in the sixth after cutting it to a two-run Tech advantage, but unfortunately for the Racer offense, they ran into the buzz saw that was the arm of Roberts.
Putzig led the offense with three RBI on a 1-for-1 day at the plate with two walks. Brown tallied two RBI with two hits in four at bats and Jones marked the other Tech RBI as part of a 2-for-4 showing.
Friday evening marked the second time in his young career that Roberts fanned 10 batters in relief, having accomplished the feat in four innings of work at Belmont last season in a 13-inning victory. He walked none while surrendering five hits and one earned run in the contest, eventually earning the win.
WRIGHT STATE 4, UT MARTIN 3 (11)
DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team overcame a 3-0 deficit with three runs in the top of the eighth inning to force extras, but were unable to secure a run in either of the additional frames, as the Skyhawks fell to Wright State 4-3 on Saturday afternoon.
For the second straight contest, the Raiders were on the board first as the home squad took the early 1-0 advantage in the second inning on an RBI-single from Seth Gray. The Wright State third baseman was also responsible for the second run of the contest as, for the second consecutive inning, he brought home a run on an RBI-base hit to extend the lead to 2-0.
Gray proved to be a thorn in the side of UT Martin starting pitcher Peyton Cain again in the sixth inning as he launched a solo shot to right field to give Wright State the 3-0 advantage.
The UT Martin (12-19, 4-11 OVC) offense found its way in the top of the eighth as the Skyhawks tacked on three runs on three hits. Tanner Wessling picked up his fourth hit of the series with a single through the left side with the bases loaded to put UT Martin on the board and trim the margin to 3-1.
With the bases still juiced full of Skyhawks, Dan Kerwin picked up an RBI-single to pull UT Martin within one. Keylen Steen then knotted the contest with his eighth RBI of the year on a sacrifice fly to bring home senior Ryan Helgren and tie the ballgame at 3-3.
The contest was pushed into the 11th inning when the Skyhawks loaded the bases again with just one out. However, this time the Wright State bullpen was able to work out of the jam and keep the score tied. The Raiders took advantage in the bottom half of the inning as an RBI-sacrifice fly from Daniel Arthur scored Gray from third and gave the home team the 4-3 walk-off victory.
Cain started the game for UT Martin and put together one of his best outings in a Skyhawk uniform, tossing 7.0 solid innings and surrendering just the three runs, while striking out five. Alex Evans (3-4) took the loss as he came on in relief of Kyle Laberge in the eighth and finished the game for the Skyhawks, surrendering just one hit and the lone run in the 11th in 3.1 innings of work.
Four UT Martin batters notched multiple hits as Steen (2-3, one RBI), Wessling (2-5, one RBI), Kerwin (2-5, one RBI) and Helgren (2-6, one run scored) all recorded more than one base hit in the contest.