TUESDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 3, @Lipscomb 2 (11 innings)
Eastern Illinois 15, @Butler 5
@Missouri 13,
Eastern Kentucky 4
@Tennessee 4,
Morehead State 3 (11 innings)
@Memphis 11,
Murray State 10 (12 innings)
Belmont 16, @Evansville 9
@Samford 6,
Jacksonville State 1
AUSTIN PEAY 3, LIPSCOMB 2 (11)
NASHVILLE - Pitcher Landon Kelly tossed five scoreless in his first collegiate start and infielder Max Remy delivered a tiebreaking base hit in the 11th inning as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team won an extra-inning affair, 3-2, against Lipscomb, Tuesday afternoon at Ken Dugan Field.
Remy supplied all three of Austin Peay’s runs in the victory, ending the game 3-for-5 with three RBI. His run-scoring single in the second gave the Govs a 1-0 lead. He then tied the game in the eighth with a bunt single in the ninth to drive in pinch runner Tyler Hubbard.
After Austin Peay (24-27) was denied the winning run in the 10th, right fielder Chase Hamilton singled with one out in the 11th. After the Govs moved him to second base on a sacrifice bunt, Remy delivered a clutch single up the middle to break the tie.
Left-hander Levi Primasing enter the game in the bottom of the 11th and retired the Bisons in order to claim his season’s third save. Remy’s effort also handed reliever Brett Newberg (3-1) the victory after he tossed a scoreless 10th inning.
Kelly would not factor into the decision but struck out three of the 17 batters he faced and allowed just one infield hit in five innings.
Lipscomb reliever Adam Stewart (2-3) was tagged for the loss after allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in four innings.
Lipscomb first baseman Cade Sorrells went 1-for-5 but, much like Remy, supplied the Bisons two runs. He drove in a game-tying run with a ground out in the sixth. Sorrells then gave Lipscomb a 2-1 lead in the eighth with a run-scoring single.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 15, BUTLER 5
INDIANAPOLIS - After falling behind in the bottom of the first inning, the Eastern Illinois baseball team regained the lead in the top of the fourth and held their advantage the rest of the way as the Panthers picked up a 15-5 decision over Butler on Tuesday.
Eastern Illinois picked up their second win of the year over Butler in as many tries and improved their record to 20-33. Butler fell to 30-19 following the loss.
Chase Thurston had arguably his best outing of his career as the senior tossed 6 1/3 scoreless frames while allowing just four hits to pick up his second win of the season.
Eastern Illinois wasted little time breaking the scoring column on Tuesday as Joseph Duncan doubled down the left-field line to start the game. Back-to-back fly outs brought Duncan home as Logan Beaman was credited with an RBI sacrifice fly to put the Panthers ahead, 1-0.
Butler took advantage of three walks and a wild pitch to start the bottom of the first and tied the game at one. Michael Hartnagel brought home another run for the Bulldogs with an RBI single. Butler added another run later in the inning on an RBI double by Harrison Freed that gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 advantage.
Eastern Illinois responded to tie the game at three in the top of the second. After Frankie Perrone got hit by a pitch, a wild pitch allowed Perrone to move into scoring position. Justin Smith drove in Perrone with a single through Butler infield. Duncan followed the Smith base hit with an RBI double to tie the game at three.
Matt Albert got things going again for the Panthers in the top of the fourth with a lead-off single. A wild pitch allowed Albert to move up to second as he came around to score on an RBI single by Andrew Curran. The next two Panthers reached base ahead of Jimmy Govern, who drove in another run on a sacrifice fly and extended the EIU lead to 5-3.
Eastern Illinois broke the game open in the top of the sixth as the Panthers started the inning with runners on second and third and no outs. Govern drove in the first run of the inning with another sacrifice fly. The next two EIU batters walked following the Govern sacrifice fly to load the bases for Albert. Albert cleared the bases with a grand slam to deep center field that moved the score to 10-3 in favor of the Panthers.
The Panthers added another run in the form of Govern’s third sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh. The bats stayed hot for the Panthers into the eighth inning as Dougie Parks blasted a solo home run, his 17th of the season. Parks moved into a tie for third in single-season history with the home run. Hunter Beetley, who singled after the Parks’ home run, added another run for the Panthers in the inning, scoring on a passed ball.
After being held scoreless from the second through seventh innings, Butler finally added a run in the bottom of the eighth to cut the EIU advantage to 13-4.
Eastern Illinois added a pair of runs in the top of the ninth. Beaman drove in the first run in the frame on an RBI single as a Butler error later in the inning plated another run for the Panthers.
Butler took advantage of a pair of walks in the bottom of the ninth to score a run, but Derek Flaugher worked out of the jam to give the Panthers the victory.
Duncan had a big day at the plate as he collected four hits in five at-bats to lead the Panthers. Duncan now has a team-high 77 hits this season which places him in a tie for eighth in single-season history with at least three games still to play.
Curran contributed three hits, while Albert and Smith added two hits each in the game.
MISSOURI 13, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Brenden Overton hit his third home run of the season, but it was not enough as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team dropped its mid-week game to the University of Missouri Tigers, 13-4, on Tuesday evening at Taylor Stadium.
The Colonels (24-28, 10-17 OVC) started the game with singles from Cornell Nixon and Shea Sullivan. Ben Fisher singled through the right side to bring Nixon home and give EKU a 1-0 lead.
Missouri (31-21, 11-16 SEC) responded with a six-run bottom frame to take a 6-1 lead into the second.
The Tigers tacked on four more runs in the second to take a 10-1 lead into third.
Eastern started the fifth in a 13-1 hole after Missouri scored a run in the bottom of the third and two runs in the fourth. Daniel McFarland started the fifth by drawing a walk, and Nixon reached on a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat when McFarland was forced out at second. Sullivan took a base on balls, and Fisher singled to right center to load the bases. Alex Holderbach was hit by a pitch, which plated Nixon. Now at third, Sullivan scored on a wild pitch, and EKU finished the fifth trailing the Tigers 13-3.
In the sixth inning Overton launched a ball over the wall in left field, cutting the Missouri lead down to single digits, 13-4. That, however, is as close as Eastern would get as the Colonels fell, 13-4.
Fisher and Howie finished with two hits each, while Fisher and Overton each had one RBI. Nixon scored two runs and stole a base.
TENNESSEE 4, MOREHEAD STATE 3 (11)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Morehead State baseball team battled toe-to-toe with Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Tuesday night, but in the end the hosts got a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 11th inning to edge the Eagles 4-3.
The Eagles slid to 32-20 on the season. The Eagles surged ahead 3-2 in the top of the eighth on an RBI double by senior Will Schneider and RBI single by junior Eli Boggess, but the Vols tied it in the bottom of the frame on an infield hit and throwing error on the same play.
Cantu tossed the first five innings and allowed just two hits and one run, on a solo homer. Calderon struck out three in two innings. Ultimately the loss was pinned on senior Luke Humphreys (2-4), who gave up a leadoff triple in the 11th.
With runners on first and third and one out in the 11th, McGuire moved Schneider in from right field to be a fifth infielder. But, pinch hitter Brandon Chinea lifted a fly ball to center field that allowed Benito Santiago to race home with the winning tally.
Schneider, Boggess, junior second baseman Braxton Morris and junior first baseman Tyler Niemann all collected two hits. Boggess maintained his national lead in batting average at .427. But, MSU struck out a season-high 17 times.
The Eagles also had runners thrown out at the plate in the 10th and 11th innings to end the inning, trying to advance on a double steal and a ball that got away from the catcher.
MEMPHIS 11, MURRAY STATE 10 (12)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Murray State was one out away from victory on two separate occasions Tuesday night at Memphis, but both times, the Tigers responded to extend the game and eventually defeat the Racers, 11-10 at FedEx Park in 12 innings.
Leading 8-5 in the bottom of the ninth, the Racers (25-27) gave up a three-run double to left center allowing Memphis (28-25) to tie the game at 8-8. All three runs were unearned as the inning was extended due to MSU’s fourth error of the contest earlier in the frame.
Then in the 12th, the Tigers were again down to one out when Tyler Webb delivered a two-run double to left field and Memphis was able to beat the throw to the plate to win the game in walk-off, dramatic fashion. The potential tying run was thrown out at home the previous at-bat thanks to a great throw from Ryan Perkins.
The Racers led for much of the contest after the early innings. Memphis was able to score two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead and led again at 3-2 after two complete, but a three-run third from MSU gave it the lead for the next six innings.
MSU tied the game in the top of the second on back-to-back home runs from Kipp Moore and Perkins. The homer was Moore’s 10th of the season and it was the 12th long ball for Perkins. In the third, Brandon Gutzler hit his 16th blast of the season, this one was a two-run shot and the Racers pushed out in front 4-3. Gutzler’s 16 home runs are tied for the second most in a single season in program history. Later in the third, MSU pushed the lead to 5-3 on an RBI double from Perkins.
After the two teams exchanged runs in the fourth, a Tyler Lawrence RBI double and a sacrifice fly RBI from Davis Sims put the Racers in the lead 8-4. The Tigers would get a solo homer in the seventh to cut the lead to 8-5 before the ninth inning heroics. Caleb Hicks was able to deliver the two-run double in the 12th that put the Racers back in the lead at 10-8.
Gutzler, Lawrence, Moore, Perkins and Jaron Robinson all went 2-for-5 in the loss while Reed Thompson was 2-for-4 at the dish with an RBI. Adam Bauer scored a pair of runs on the night and also reached base on three walks on the evening.
Caleb Arbeiter was saddled with the loss as he allowed the final two hits and the game-winning run in the 12th. The Racers used six pitchers on the night in relief of starter Jack Hranec. Hranec pitched five innings and allowed three earned runs while striking out five batters.
BELMONT 16, EVANSVILLE 9
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Belmont baseball closed out its 2017 midweek slate in grand fashion, claiming the series sweep over Evansville with a 16-9 victory over the Purple Aces Tuesday night at Braun Stadium.
The Bruins bats exploded for 15 hits including a trio of Bruins recording a three-hit outings. They capitalized on base runners all night as the leadoff batter got on board in every frame while the squad tallied at least one run in eight frames.
Both squads came out swinging and scoring to start the game, combining for 10 runs in the first three frames. The Bruins were led by senior Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) who collected a RBI in each of his first two plate appearances, one via a base knock and the other coming in the form of a long ball over the centerfield fence. Kenton Crews was the difference maker for the Purple Aces, tallying four RBIs on a couple of extra base knocks to keep the game knotted up, 5-5.
Belmont made it four consecutive stanzas in which it tallied at least one run courtesy of a RBI single for redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) to deep left field to put the Bruins up, 6-5. While the Bruins continued to heat up offensively, reliever Ben Lovell (Saint Louis, Mo.) found a way to force Evansville to put up its first scoreless inning in the fourth.
After taking a break from scoring in the fifth, Cogen got the Bruins back rolling again with his second RBI base shot – this one a laser up the middle to give BU a 7-5 advantage. The outfielder brought in senior Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) who marked the sixth straight leadoff batter to get on base after being dealt a walk.
The Bruins bullpen continued to shutdown UE's previously explosive offense, holding them scoreless for four innings after initially giving up five runs. Belmont used four relievers to quiet the Purple Aces with Lovell leading the way, logging three innings.
A couple of bases loaded scenarios in the final frames allowed BU to plate eight unanswered runs before the Purple Aces would collect four of their own after senior Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) made his pitching debut in his hometown. Sophomore Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) capped off Belmont's scoring with a three-run bomb over the left field fence to bring Belmont's total to 16 runs.
SAMFORD 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jacksonville State baseball team wrapped up the non-conference schedule with a 6-1 loss to in-state rival Samford on Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The Gamecocks, who finished the non-conference portion of the 2017 slate with a 13-11 mark, will now turn their attention to the final Ohio Valley Conference weekend against surging SIU Edwardsville. The three-game set with the Cougars will begin on Thursday, May 18 at Oxford's Choccolocco Park. First pitch of the series-opening contest is set for 6 p.m. JSU and SIUE will play at 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday afternoon. JSU will take an overall mark of 27-24 in to the series and a 14-13 record in the OVC. Jax State has secured a spot in next week's OVC Baseball Tournament held in Oxford, but this weekend's outcome will determine the seeding for the eight-team field. JSU has earned a berth in the OVC postseason every season it has been a member of the league, dating back to the 2004 campaign.
The Bulldogs gained a split of the season series after JSU claimed a 9-5 decision on March 14 in Oxford.
Samford (29-23) jumped out to a 3-0 lead and used nine different pitchers to scatter five JSU hits en route to the five-run midweek win. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead with a two-run home run by Grant Colton and add the third run of the night with a fourth inning RBI single by T.J. Dixon. After JSU put its only run of the game on the scoreboard in the sixth with a bases-loaded, two-out walk by sophomore Nic Gaddis.
The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the seventh with an RBI sacrifice fly by Jordan Fucci and a bunt RBI single by Taylor Garris. Samford added an unearned run in the eighth for the final scoring of the night.
Leadoff hitter Nolan Greckel and junior Trent Simpson had two hits each in the setback, while senior Josh Bobo added a base hit. Junior Clayton Daniel saw his OVC-best 15-game hitting streak come to an end on Tuesday, but his streak of reaching base was pushed to 17 consecutive games. Another Gamecock streak came to a halt on Tuesday as junior Taylor Hawthorne's 14-game hitting streak was snapped.
Jax State used the contest to get some innings in for the bullpen that will be counted on in tournament play. After starter Michael McCreless reached the fourth inning, redshirt freshman Tyler Wilburn was the first arm in relief, followed by freshman Cody Dodd. McCreless suffered the loss and dropped to 0-3 on the season. McCreless posted a pair of strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work. Wilburn was effective for 2.1 innings, allowing three Bulldog hits.