SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 28, SIUE 15
Eastern Illinois 7, @Belmont 3
Austin Peay 14, @Eastern Kentucky 10
Jacksonville State 17, @Southeast Missouri 7
@Tennessee Tech 14, Murray State 10
@Wright State 12,
UT Martin 5
MOREHEAD STATE 28, SIUE 15
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State baseball team tied school records for runs and home runs in a single game Saturday and scored in every inning in completing a three-game sweep over SIU Edwardsville, 28-15, at Allen Field.
The record for runs in a game was previously set back in 1977, and the home run record has now occurred four times. The Eagle offensive onslaught featured two grand slams and 20 total hits.
Morehead State won its 17th straight home game and is now 51-11 at home since 2015. Overall, the Eagles are now 25-11 and 11-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference and have swept four consecutive home series.
Sophomore catcher Hunter Fain led the charge with two home runs, including a grand slam and a three-run dinger, for a team-best seven RBI. Senior outfielder Will Schneider also cleared the bases with a grand slam. Home runs also came off the bat of sophomore shortstop Reid Leonard, sophomore outfielder Niko Hulsizer, freshman catcher Brody Shoupe, junior first baseman Tyler Niemann and junior second baseman Braxton Morris.
Hulsizer's round-tripper was his team-best 16th long ball of the year, while Shoupe connected on his first career home run. Hulsizer has now reached base in 20 consecutive contests.
In the series, the Eagles finished with 60 runs, 56 hits, 16 home runs, 11 doubles, 57 RBI and hit .424 as a team.
The Cougars touched up starter Curtis Wilson for nine runs in just 3.2 innings, four coming off a grand slam by catcher Brock Weimer. Reliever Cable Wright (2-0) made his 104th career appearance and was credited with the victory. He tossed 2.2 innings and gave up just one earned run.
The Eagles led 10-3 after a seven-run third-inning outburst. But, the visitors plated six runs in the top of the fourth to make it a 10-9 ballgame. After another Eagle run in the fourth, SIUE tied it 11-11 in the fifth. But, Morehead State's bats busted it open with six tallies in the fifth, five in the sixth and four more in the seventh.
Leonard finished with four hits, while junior third baseman Eli Boggess tallied three. Four others had two hits apiece. Leonard notched a career-best five RBI, while three others had at least three runs knocked in.
SIUE rightfielder Dustin Woodcock had four of his team's 16 hits, while Weimer drove in six with a pair of home runs.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 7, BELMONT 3
NASHVILLE - Eastern Illinois and Belmont played a tight ball game in their series finale, but it was the Panthers who were able to grind out a 7-3 win on Saturday.
Eastern Illinois improved to 8-27 (4-11 OVC) with the win, while Belmont dropped to 16-18 (11-7 OVC).
Joseph Duncan got the EIU offense started early as he led off the game with a solo home run to center field and put the Panthers ahead 1-0 in the first inning. Belmont tied the score at one during the bottom-half of the inning.
The Panthers kept their offense rolling into the second inning as Josh Turnock worked a four-pitch walk and Frankie Perrone followed with a single to put the runners on first and second with no outs. Andrew Curran moved the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt and Duncan brought home Turnock with an RBI groundout to give the Panthers the lead once again at 2-1.
Turnock extended the EIU lead to 3-1 with a lead-off solo home run to begin the fourth inning.
Belmont rallied back to tie the score at three with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Bruins worked the bases loaded against the Panthers and brought home their first run in the inning on an RBI single from Drake Byrd. Ben Kocher brought home the game-tying run on the next play with an RBI fielder’s choice.
Logan Beaman got the Panthers started in the top of the fifth with a walk and moved up to third base on a pair of wild pitches. Following a Matt Albert walk to put runners on the corners, Hunter Beetley delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to plate Beaman. Perrone roped a ground-rule double later in the inning that bounced over the wall in right-center field and put Eastern Illinois ahead, 5-3.
The Panthers added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI groundout from Govern and again in the ninth on a Matt Albert solo home run to take a 7-3 advantage into the final half-inning. The extra run support was more than enough for EIU pitcher Michael McCormick as shut down the Belmont offense and sealed the 7-3 decision.
McCormick scattered five hits over five scoreless innings of relief to earn the win on the mound for the Panthers.
Three Panthers – Perrone, Albert and Turnock – all finished the game with multiple hits, led by Perrone’s 4-for-5 day at the plate. Albert and Turnock finished the game with three hits each.
AUSTIN PEAY 14, EASTERN KENTUCKY 10
RICHMOND, Ky. - Designated hitter Malcolm Tipler had a home run and a career-high six RBI and led Austin Peay State University's baseball team to a 14-6 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Eastern Kentucky, Saturday afternoon at Earle Combs Stadium.
Tipler helped wake up the Austin Peay (16-18, 8-10 OVC) bats in the third inning. Center fielder Imani Willis doubled and second baseman Garrett Giovannneli singled to start the frame, setting up Tipler. The Govs designated hitter followed up with a home run to right center to give the Govs a 3-2 lead. Third baseman Alex Robles followed with a two-out solo home run and a 4-2 advantage.
Tipler would also spark another big rally in the fourth. The Govs would load the bases and scored a run on a wild pitch with Tipler at the plate. Two pitches later, Tipler finished clearing the bases with a two-run single as the Govs raced out to a 7-2 advantage.
Eastern Kentucky (21-16, 7-8 OVC) would get a run back in its half of the fourth when third baseman Brendan Overton would hit a solo home run, narrowing the deficit.
But that would not forestall the Austin Peay offensive outbust as they sent nine men to the plate in the fifth and another eight men to the plate in the sixth, finishing the two frames with a 14-3 lead. Center fielder Imani Willis capped the Govs scoring with a two-run home run.
The Colonels slowly chipped away at the Govs lead down the stretch. An Austin Peay error in the sixth led to shortstop Ryland Kerr's three-run double in the sixth inning. Eastern Kentucky would tack on another run in the eighth before posting another three runs in the ninth, two coming on designated hitter Taylor Blair's double. The Govs then turned to closer Zach Neff who induced a fly out from the only batter he faced to end the game.
Tipler became the fifth Govs hitter to record at least five RBI in a game this season and was one of six Govs hitters to record a RBI in the contest.
Govs starter Jacques Pucheu (1-0) notched his first victory as a Governor after holding EKU to three runs on five hits over five innings. Neff was credited with his season's third save.
EKU starter Eric Nerl (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing four runs on four hits in 2.2 innings. Kerr paced the Colonels offense with a 2-for-4, five RBI day.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 17, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - After dropping a pair of one-run contests to Southeast Missouri, Jacksonville State bounced back to claim Saturday's series finale in a big way with a 17-7 win at Capaha Field.
The Gamecocks exploded for a season high 17 runs and collected a season high in hits with 19 in the win after falling 7-6 on Thursday and 1-0 on Friday night. JSU moved to 18-14 overall and 7-8 in OVC play, while SEMO dropped to 19-15 on the season and 10-8 against league foes.
Junior Clayton Daniel paced the Jax State lineup, in which eighth of the nine batters recorded at least one hit. Daniel concluded a solid weekend at the plate with a 6-for-6 day and delivered seven RBI in the contest. In the three-game series, he collected 10 hits in 13 at bats and tallied nine RBI. He reached base 11 times with one walk. Daniel produced a .768 batting average and had an on-base percentage of .800 along with a slugging mark of 1.000. He played shortstop in all three games and played errorless defense. The Guntersville, Alabama native was a home run shy of the hitting for the cycle as he had a two RBI double in the second that gave JSU a lead that it did not surrender the rest of the way.
Daniel extended the lead in the fourth with a triple to the left center gap, plating two more runs. He had singles in his last three plate appearances and posted his final two RBI of the day with a single in the ninth. He was one RBI shy of matching the program's Division I record for RBI in a game as teammate Josh Bobo finished with eight RBI last season against Murray State. Daniel has strung together an 11-game hitting streak and a 13-game hitting streak against OVC competition.
Speaking of Bobo, his day at the plate cannot be overlooked as the senior from Attalla, Alabama turned in a 4-for-5 day at the dish, including a pair of doubles. Bobo was 6-for-12 on the weekend with three doubles and a home run on Thursday night.
With a stiff wind blowing out to right field, JSU took advantage of the conditions with a trio of home runs on Saturday. Freshman Andrew Naismith sparked a five-run second inning for the Gamecocks with a leadoff home run over the right field wall. It was Naismith's fourth home run of the year and third in OVC play. Senior A.J. Reynolds belted the second home run of the frame with a two-run blast to right field. Reynolds now has a pair of home runs on the season and the first against OVC pitching. Junior Trent Simpson completed the home run trio in JSU's six-run seventh inning that put the game out of reach.
Freshman Payton Young and junior Hayden White had multiple hits in the contest. White registered an RBI single in the seventh.
While the Jax State bats came alive on Saturday, it was another outstanding pitching performance by senior Joe McGuire. McGuire remained perfect on the season with his sixth win of the campaign after five innings of work. After a first inning home run by SEMO's Dan Holst, the Oxford, Alabama right hander pitched with a lead the rest of the way. SEMO trimmed the deficit to 5-4 after a three-run second inning. After the second, he retired 10 of the next 12 Redhawks and put up three scoreless frames. He was touched for seven hits and the four runs and fanned five Redhawks. He did not allow a free pass in the outing. JSU used Grant Chandler and Justin Hoyt out of the bullpen to finish the last four innings.
TENNESSEE TECH 14, MURRAY STATE 10
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It took some work, a couple of huge relief appearances and an unlikely power presence, but the Tennessee Tech baseball team (29-9, 16-2) finished off a six-run comeback Saturday afternoon, rallying to defeat Murray State (16-19, 6-9) 14-10 to complete its fifth Ohio Valley Conference series sweep of the season.
The team's 29-9 start to the 2017 campaign marks the best in program history, one game ahead of the 2014 squad and two games ahead of the 2013 team, both of which won a school-record 40 games.
Unlike the first two games in the series, it was the visiting Racers that lit up the scoreboard first, collecting a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning behind a three-run home run by Ryan Perkins.
After stranding the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, the Golden Eagles refused to come away with nothing in the third, putting two runners on base for sophomore leadoff man Alex Junior. Known for his speed and ability to reach base – and much less for his power (he had just four career home runs coming into the day) – the center fielder ripped a line drive that just cleared the wall in right field, cutting the deficit to one.
Struggling to score through the first two games in the series, Murray State attacked relentlessly, playing three more runs in the top of the third behind another three-run long ball from Perkins. Tech head coach Matt Bragga turned to senior reliever to prevent further damage in the frame, which he achieved with a fielder's choice and a pickoff.
The visitors would tack on two more in the top of the fourth, producing the only chink in Fowler's armor of the day. Brandon Gutzler muscled a 2-2 offering to left field for a two-run shot, providing the Racers with a relatively daunting six-run lead.
The Golden Eagles never wavered, however, chipping away at the lead over the next three innings. In the bottom of the fourth Tech got its first chance, thanks to a two-out double off the bat of junior third baseman Trevor Putzig. The extra base hit set up sophomore slugger Kevin Strohschein for a monster, two-run blast to right center field, the youngster's ninth long ball of the year.
On the flip side Fowler managed to quell the hungry bats of the Racers in the top of the fifth, making quick work of the opposition with a 1-2-3 inning backed by two strikeouts. The pitcher's momentum carried into the dugout and the bottom half, as the Golden Eagles struck again.
Two-out scoring proved frugal again for Tech, as Putzig laced his third triple of the game to left center field to drive in both left fielder Collin Harris and Junior. Harris reached earlier in the frame on a fielder's choice while Junior was plunked one batter before Putzig. The two runs cut the deficit to just 9-7 headed into the sixth.
Once again it was a quick inning of work for Fowler, who needed just 10 pitches to force three easy outs.
Tech then attacked like no other in the bottom of the sixth, sending nine batters to the plate. Junior designated hitter Ryan Flick and junior first baseman Chase Chambers whacked back-to-back doubles to open the frame, needing just three pitches to pull within a single run of the visiting Racers.
Back-to-back ground outs by seniors Chris Brown and Matt Jones knotted things eight, albeit putting the Racers just one out away from getting out of the inning without further damage. The Golden Eagles had other plans.
Junior shortstop David Garza singled to right center field on a full count and was followed by a single through the left side by Harris. Looking to just keep the good juju in Tech's favor, Junior came to the plate and worked a 2-1 count before he saw a pitch he just couldn't resist. He uncorked an absolute bomb that cleared the scoreboard in right field, his second three-run dinger of the game.
Just like that, Tech had its first lead of the game, 12-9, and Junior had his first career multi-home run performance. The Golden Eagles added an insurance run in the frame, as Putzig drew a seven-pitch walk to set up Strohschein for an RBI double down the third base line.
Fowler once again kept Murray State off the scoreboard in the seventh, picking up his third strikeout of the game. Junior reliever Travis Moths took over for Fowler after a leadoff single in the eighth, turning in three straight outs to move on to the bottom half.
Junior gave the Golden Eagles one more run to work with, singling through the right side to drive in Garza, who reached on a wild pitch on a strikeout.
Murray State snagged one run off Moths in the ninth, grabbing a single from Davis Sims after a one-out double by Jack Hranec. Moths rebounded to pick up the second out on strikeout. He then induced a high fly out to Jones down the right field line to mark the end of the Golden Eagle comeback.
Fowler tossed four and two thirds innings during the contest, allowing five hits and just two earned runs while fanning three and surrendering zero walks. His efforts led to his third victory of the year. Moths covered the final two frames, allowing just the two hits and single run while punching out two.
Junior set a career-high mark with a whopping seven RBI on the day, a Tech program record against an OVC opponent. He tallied four hits in five at bats and score three times. Trevor Putzig also finished 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs. He set a personal-high with three doubles in the contest.
Strohschein recorded three RBI on two hits and Garza completed a 3-for-5 day with three runs scored. Harris also scored three times for the Golden Eagles. As a team, Tech worked out 19 hits with three home runs and eight doubles.
WRIGHT STATE 12, UT MARTIN 5
DAYTON, Ohio - The first place team in the Horizon League jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings and held on from there, as Wright State defeated the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team on Saturday afternoon, 12-5.
The home squad used eight hits and capitalized on a pair of Skyhawk errors to jump out to the early 7-0 advantage after two. The Raiders tacked on an additional run in the third to extend their lead.
UT Martin (12-20, 4-11 OVC) found the scoreboard in the fifth inning when freshman Connor Aube singled to lead off the inning and then stole second. After a Josh Hauser single, second baseman Tyler Albright reached on a fielder’s choice to third to drive-in Aube and trim the margin to 8-1.
Wright State (25-8, 11-1 Horizon) scored two more additional insurance runs in the sixth to give the Raiders the 10-1 lead. The resilient Skyhawks bounced back with a strong top of the seventh producing their biggest inning of the weekend, pushing across four runs on five hits.
Caleb Brewer opened the inning with a double, while Aube picked up his second hit of the day with a single through the left side to give UT Martin runners at first and third with no one out. Hauser then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score the first run of the inning. Albright laced a single to center to set the stage for the three-hole hitter Ryan Helgren.
The senior from Columbia, Tenn. launched a three-run shot over the left field wall to bring the margin to 10-5. It was Helgren’s team-leading sixth big fly on the season. However, that was all the offense that UT Martin could manage as Wright State tacked on two more in the seventh as they picked up the 12-5 win.
Dalton Westfall (3-4) was saddled with the loss, tossing 4.2 innings and allowing eight earned runs while striking out four. Zane Collins (5-3) tallied the win for the Raiders.
Aube (2-5, two runs scored) was the lone Skyhawk with a multi-hit performance, while Helgren (1-5, three RBI’s), Hauser (1-2, one RBI) and Albright (1-5, one RBI) all drove in runs for UT Martin.