FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 13, Eastern Kentucky 11 (11 innings)
@Murray State 9, Southeast Missouri 7 (10 innings)
@Austin Peay 3-3, Morehead State 1-12
@Jacksonville State 9, Belmont 4
UT Martin 9, @SIUE 5
#26 Tennessee Tech, @Southern Illinois (postponed)
EASTERN KENTUCKY, EASTERN ILLINOIS (suspended)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - It took nearly 24 hours to decide a winner in the series opener, but a two-run walk-off home run from Beetley in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Panthers a 13-11 win over the Colonels.
The Panthers got things going quick against the Colonels as Eastern Illinois took advantage of an Eastern Kentucky error and put a run across in the first inning. Andrew Curran started a two-out rally for the Panthers in the second inning with a solo home run. Frankie Perrone followed the Curran home run with a walk and moved up to second on a bunt single by Joseph Duncan. Jimmy Govern drove the pair in with a two-run double and put EIU ahead, 4-0.
After Eastern Kentucky earned a run in the top of the third on a solo home run from Nick Howie, the Panthers answered right back in the bottom-half of the inning. Matt Albert singled to lead off the inning and moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt from Nicholas McCormick. After a balk moved Albert up to third base, Curran followed with a walk to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch brought home Albert and moved Curran into scoring position. Perrone drew his second walk of the game prior to another wild pitch to move him and Curran up an extra 90 feet. Duncan singled up the middle to score the two runners and extended the EIU lead to 7-1.
Eastern Kentucky trimmed the deficit to two with a four-spot in the top of the fourth, but Eastern Illinois gained a run back in the bottom of the inning on a Dougie Parks solo home run.
EKU got the run back in the top of the sixth on a solo home run from Logan Starnes and kept their offense rolling in the eighth inning. After Alex Holderbach singled to lead off the inning, he quickly came around to score on a two-run home run by Howie to tie the score at eighth.
Eastern Illinois regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Govern knocked a lead-off single up the middle to get the Panthers started and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt from Logan Beaman. Albert singled to right to plate Govern and put EIU back ahead, 9-8.
Eastern Kentucky tied the game on an RBI single from Ben Fisher and took the lead on a two-run home run from Shea Sullivan.
The Panthers would not go away without a fight in the bottom of the ninth however. Curran singled to lead off the inning to pull the Panthers within one. Duncan followed with a single to left and advanced to second on a throwing error by the Colonels. The error proved to be costly as Govern followed with an RBI single to tie the score at 11.
After a scoreless 10th inning by both sides, the game was suspended due to darkness and was resumed on Saturday at 12 p.m. Alex Stevenson shut down the Colonels in the 11th to open up the day and gave the Panthers a lot of momentum. Duncan got the Panthers started with a one-out single. Beetley stepped up to the plate next for the Panthers and delivered a walk-off two-run home run over the wall in right-center field to give EIU a 13-11 decision.
Stevenson earned the win on the mound for the Panthers in two scoreless innings of relief. The freshman only allowed a single hit while on the mound.
Duncan and Govern both finished the game with four hits each to lead the EIU offense. Albert added three hits while Curran recorded the two home runs.
MURRAY STATE 9, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7 (10)
MURRAY, Ky. - Jack Hranec belted a two-run walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning Friday in the rain at Reagan Field as Murray State rallied for a 9-7 victory over Southeast Missouri in the series opener between the two. The homer was Hranec’s second two-run shot of the game.
Hranec led the Racers with a career-high four-hit day as he also notched a career-best five RBIs and scored three runs in the victory. Adam Bauer was 3-for-5 at the plate in the contest while Aaron Bence was the other Racer with multiple hits in the game as he went 2-for-4. Tyler Lawrence went 1-for-2 at the dish and scored four runs as he also drew a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch.
Southeast Missouri (20-16, 10-9 OVC) struck first in the contest with an early pair of runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. MSU (17-20, 7-9 OVC) was able to cut the deficit in half in the second on a Hranec single to right field. Lawrence would come around to score on the play as the Redhawks’ right fielder made an error and allowed the ball to scoot to the wall.
The Redhawks would answer back though with a three-run fourth inning to make it 5-1 before Hranec answered with his first blast of the ball game in the bottom half of the inning, making the score 5-3. Before the fifth inning could begin, the two teams were stuck in a near-two hour rain delay before resuming play.
After resumption, the Racers were able to strike with four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 7-5 lead. Hranec began the scoring with an RBI single to right center that brought home Brandon Gutzler and made it 5-4. In the next at-bat, Davis Sims hit a two-run double down the left field line and the Racers had their first lead of the game, 6-5. Sims would later go on to score on a passed ball in the inning.
SEMO wouldn’t go away quietly however, as the Redhawks were able to score two runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at 7-7 and eventually force extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Lawrence led off with a hit-by-pitch and Hranec was able to take the 1-2 pitch over the right field wall for the victory.
Derrik Watson picked up his first win of the season as he pitched a scoreless 10th for MSU and struck-out two batters. Ryan Dills got the start and pitched the four innings prior to the weather delay. Dills allowed five runs on four hits while recording three strikeouts.
AUSTIN PEAY 3-3, MOREHEAD STATE 1-12
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - After falling 3-1 in the series opener Friday afternoon, the Morehead State baseball returned to action at Austin Peay Friday night and recorded 17 hits while getting efficient pitching and defense in a 12-3 win to split the day.
Morehead State is now 27-12 overall and 12-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Governors are now 18-19 overall and 9-11 in the conference.
The offense saw six players record double-digit hit games and the nightcap, including a 4-for-4 day from senior outfielder Will Schneider. Sophomore leftfielder Niko Hulsizer totaled three hits and two RBI, including his nation-best 19th home run of the season. He also added an RBI single and also is tied for the national lead now with 58 RBI.
On the mound, Stambaugh improved to 3-1 by fanning four and allowing just four hits and two runs in five frames. Ziegelmeyer, a freshman righty, collected his second save by going the final four innings and striking out four. He even came within one strike of an "immaculate inning" in thr seventh when he struck out the first two batters on six pitches and had two strikes on the third before ending with a ground out.
At the plate, sophomore shortstop Reid Leonard, junior second baseman Braxton Morris, junior first baseman Tyler Niemann and senior centerfielder Ryan Kent all had two hits. Kent set the Morehead State career record for singles in the game, recording his 178th and 179th one-baggers.
In the opening game, senior centerfielder Michael Patrick delivered a two-out, solo homer to left field in the top of the seventh inning to give the Eagles a 1-0 cushion. But, the Governors got a leadoff homer from Brett Newberg in the bottom of the inning, and a pair of RBI doubles later to score three times.
Austin Peay's Zach Neff came on in relief and did not allow a run in the final 2.1 frames to move to 1-1. The loss went to junior lefty Aaron Leasher, who was charged with all three runs on just six hits in 6.2 innings. He struck out five but fell to 6-2.
The Eagles were held hitless until the sixth inning when Leonard doubled down the left field line. Morehead State also had runners on second and third with two outs, following a throwing error, in the eighth but could not get an RBI hit.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 9, BELMONT 4
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State senior Joe McGuire powered the Gamecocks past Belmont, 9-4, in the opening game of a key Ohio Valley Conference weekend series at Choccolocco Park in Oxford.
McGuire, playing in his hometown, collected three hits and drove in a career high six RBI to propel JSU to the win. McGuire's big night included a three-run home run over the right field wall that gave JSU a 3-1 lead in the second after Belmont's Nick Egli belted the first of two home runs on the night in the top half if the third. His second home run of the night equalized the contest in the fifth inning. Jax State (19-16, 8-8 OVC) broke the deadlock with a three-run fifth that included a one-out double by McGuire that scored two runs – one of which was pushed across the plate on a throwing error by the Bruins.
McGuire delivered again late in the contest with a single to right that scored two of the three runs in the eighth to break open the game. McGuire nearly matched his RBI total for the season as he had seven RBI coming in to Friday's affair. The home run was the first of the season and third of his career. The three-hit performance matched his career high. McGuire is scheduled to pitch the third game of the series as the right hander will take a 6-0 record in to the final game of the three-game set.
While McGuire was handling the offense, sophomore Derrick Adams was sharp on the mound and earned his third win of the season. The Decatur, Alabama left hander pitched in to the seventh before being lifted after going 6.1 innings and throwing 127 pitches. Adams continued to post high strike out numbers by fanning seven Bruins in the outing and allowing six hits by the visitors. The three runs he allowed all came from Egli's balls that left the yard. Junior Trent Simpson followed Adams for the next 1.2 innings. The Oxford, Alabama native recorded a pair of strikeouts and squashed a Bruin rally in the eighth with just one run allowed in the frame. The threat ended with Simpson inducing a fly ball to right field that was caught by Chase Robinson and Robinson threw out the Bruin attempting to take home on the play with a dart to the plate.
Simpson and Robinson joined McGuire with multiple hits as the combo had two hits each Junior Clayton Daniel had JSU's seventh RBI with after working a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.
UT MARTIN 9, SIUE 5
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A five-run offensive outburst in the fourth inning propelled the University of Tennessee at Martin to their fourth straight Ohio Valley Conference victory on Friday afternoon, as the Skyhawks knocked off SIU Edwardsville 9-5.
Neither team was able to break through in the first three innings, but it was UT Martin who took the first lead of the ballgame with five runs in the fourth. Creighton Eldridge picked up an RBI on a walk, followed by a two-run double from senior shortstop Josh Hauser. Ben Aslett tallied an RBI-groundout, while freshman Connor Aube continued his solid week with an RBI-single to put the Skyhawks in front 5-0.
SIU Edwardsville (17-20, 6-13 OVC) responded with a run in both the fifth and sixth innings to trim the margin to 5-2 in favor of UT Martin.
UT Martin (15-20, 5-11 OVC) put the game out of reach in the seventh inning, tacking on four more runs to give the visitors the 9-2 advantage. Tyler Albright picked up his team-high 11th double in the inning to drive home a run. The second baseman scored in the very next at-bat when senior Ryan Helgren drilled a single through the left side to extend the Skyhawk lead to 7-2. Helgren came home a wild pitch, and catcher Keylen Steen picked up yet another RBI to build on his strong week to give UT Martin the comfortable lead.
The Cougars added a run in the eighth and two in the ninth, but it was not enough as the Skyhawks held on to claim their third straight victory overall and fourth straight OVC win, 9-5.
Cannon (4-2) turned in his second straight stellar outing in conference play, tossing 5.0 innings without allowing an earned run. Alex Evans pitched 3.0 innings in relief to hold the Skyhawk lead, while Collin Edwards closed the game out in the ninth. Nelson Martz (4-4) was saddled with the loss for SIUE.
Offensively, Helgren (2-3, two runs), Aube (2-5, one RBI), Albright (2-5, one RBI), Wessling (2-5, two runs) and Steen (2-4, one RBI) all notched multiple hits in the victory for the Skyhawks. Senior Dan Kerwin extended his hitting streak to a season-high 15 games.