FRIDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 7, @Eastern Illinois 5
@Southeast Missouri 8, Eastern Kentucky 4
@Murray State 14, UT Martin 4
@Jacksonville State 3, SIUE 1
Morehead State 6, @Tennessee Tech 3
Furman 6,
@Belmont 0
AUSTIN PEAY 7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Home runs by center fielder Imani Willis and utility man Alex Robles pushed Austin Peay State University’s baseball team to a pair of come-from-behind Ohio Valley Conference victories, Friday afternoon, at Coaches Stadium.
In the resumption of a game started Thursday, Robles needed just two minutes and six pitches to clinch a 9-6 victory. Three hours later, he hit a three-run game-tying home run and picked up another win on the mound as Austin Peay posted a 7-5 victory in the day’s regularly scheduled contest.
The two wins helped Austin Peay secure a berth in next week’s OVC Baseball Championship. The Governors also know they will play in the 6 p.m., Tuesday play-in contest against UT Martin.
In the series’ second game, which started Thursday night, Austin Peay (26-28, 13-16 OVC) faced a 4-2 deficit after four innings. The Governors would score the game’s next four runs, using a wild pitch and a Robles sacrifice fly to take the lead in the seventh inning.
Eastern Illinois (21-34, 12-17 OVC) battled back with single runs in the seventh and ninth innings. The Panthers tied the game with a bases-loaded hit batsman. However, EIU saw larger opportunities pass it by as Robles, who took the mound in the seventh, got big outs to leave the bases loaded in both the seventh and ninth frames.
The Govs made their move in the 10th inning with right fielder Chase Hamilton leading off the inning with a single. Robles moved Hamilton 90 feet with a sacrifice bunt but EIU reliever Michael Starcevich struck out the next batter. After an intentional walk to pinch hitter Parker Phillips, Willis would drive a 2-2 pitch off the scoreboard in left, giving the Govs a 9-6 lead.
Robles would return to pitch the 10th and struck out the leadoff batter. However, the game was delayed when a storm moved into the area and ultimately suspended when darkness fell. The game resumed Friday afternoon and Robles needed just six pitches to record the final two outs for the win.
Willis finished with five RBI as part of a 2-for-5 outing that included a RBI triple in the sixth and a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the second. Hamilton and infielder Max Remy had two hits each.
Robles picked up the win after limited the Panthers to four hits over 3.2 innings, surrendering only an unearned run while striking out five of the 17 batters he faced.
EIU reliever Alex Stevenson (4-4) suffered the loss after allowing a lone run in his 2.2-inning outing. Second baseman Jimmy Govern led the Panthers offense with a 2-for-6, three RBI outing.
Eastern Illinois worked to out execute Austin Peay in the series finale. The Panthers put their leadoff man aboard in the first, second and fourth innings. They promptly used sacrifice hits to move the runners before get a key base hit to produce a run as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead after four frames.
The Govs closed to within a run by replicating the Panthers blueprint in the sixth with catcher Parker Phillips starting the inning by being hit by a pitch and first baseman Dre Gleason followed with a walk. Robles moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt and Hamilton followed with a sacrifice fly, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
But the Panthers used solo home runs in the sixth and seventh to extend the lead to 5-2. Third baseman Dougie Parks hit a leadoff home run in the sixth with Govern adding a one-out home run in the seventh.
The Govs charged back in the eighth with Phillips and Gleason getting aboard with a single and double, respectively, to set the table. Robles then helped his own cause by driving a 2-0 pitch over the fence in left center to tie the game, 5-5.
After Robles worked around a pair of walks and the eighth, Austin Peay got back to work in the ninth. Willis led off with a single and after a walk and a bunt single, left fielder Cayce Bredlau drove a two-run double into the right center gap to give the Govs a 7-5 lead.
Robles retired the Panthers in order to close the game and pick up his second victory of the day. He went three innings in the finale, allowing one run on a hit and a walk while striking out two in three innings.
Bredlau went 3-for-5 in the finale with two RBI, capping the day with his game-winning double after starting with a pair of singles. Robles’ home run was his only hit in a 1-for-3 outing.
EIU reliever Michael Starcevich (5-6) was saddled with the loss after he did not record an out in the ninth, allowing three hits and a walk to the four batters he faced, surrendering two runs.
Govern and right fielder Frankie Perrone each had two hits and two RBI to pace the Panther’s offense.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (27-24, 15-14) won its final home series of the season Friday with an 8-4 victory over Eastern Kentucky (24-31, 10-19).
Southeast and EKU each scattered 12 hits in the game. Dan Holst, Chris Osborne, and Kyle Bottger each had two hits to pace the offense. Osborne drove in a trio of runs while Chris Caffrey and Bottger each recorded two.
Clay Chandler (8-3) worked into the sixth inning in his start, recording five and a third innings in the win. He allowed two runs on eight EKU hits. He struck out four Colonels including striking out the side in the third inning.
EKU starter Caleb Johnson (2-3) worked four and two-thirds innings in his start on the mound, giving up all eight runs to the Redhawks on 11 hits. He walked three and struck out two. Brandon Smither pitched the final three and a third innings for EKU, all scoreless while surrendering only one hit and striking out five batters.
Like game one of the series, the Colonels scratched a single run across the plate on a Ben Fisher RBI base hit in the top of the first to take a very lead on the Redhawks, 1-0.
The EKU lead didn't stand long. Tristen Gagan drew a two-out walk then scored from first on a double that rolled all the way to the wall in right center off the bat of Caffrey, knotting the game at 1-1.
Southeast revved up the two-out production again in the second inning to find a lead. Bottger singled followed by Holst drawing a walk. Osborne stepped in and shot a double to left center, driving in both runners and putting the Redhawks on top, 3-1.
A three-run fourth widened the lead for the Redhawks. Connor Basler singled and Bottger bunted for a hit both with one out. Holst and Osborne went back-to-back with RBI singles to plate Basler and Bottger. After a walk to Gagan, Caffrey recorded a sac fly, his second RBI of the game, to make it 6-1 in SEMO's favor.
With Danny Wright on third and Josh Haggerty on second and one out in the fifth, Bottger laid down a suicide squeeze bunt down the first base line to plate not one but both runners on the play, lengthening the lead to 8-1.
Alex Holderbach launched a leadoff home run to left in the top of the sixth to score EKU's first run since the first inning. Holderbach repeated with a leadoff blast in the eighth to cut the lead to five, 8-3.
With two down in the bottom of the ninth, Fisher hit his nationally leading 25th home run to left to bring the final tally to 8-4.
EKU's 12 hits were contributed to on five two-hit performances in the game. Fisher and Holderback each drove in two runs for all four Colonels runs on Friday.
MURRAY STATE 14, UT MARTIN 4
MURRAY, Ky. - For the first time since 2010, the Murray State baseball team has clinched a spot in the OVC Tournament as the Racers defeated UT Martin Friday night at Reagan Field, 14-4 to secure at the least, the No. 6 seed in next week’s tournament in Oxford, Ala.
The Racers (26-28, 14-15 OVC) used a seven-run bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead for the first time in the contest and didn’t look back. Prior to the game, MSU had already clinched a spot in the OVC Tournament thanks to a loss by SIU Edwardsville, but with the win, the Racers secure a top-six seed and avoid playing in the “play-in” game on Tuesday.
The Skyhawks (25-28, 12-17 OVC) took an early lead in the contest as they scored three runs in the top of the first inning to strike first. A Tyler Lawrence RBI in the bottom half of the inning got MSU on the board, making it 3-1. The two teams exchanged runs in the second as Brandon Gutzler’s RBI double plated Aaron Bence and cut the Racer deficit to 4-2.
In the fourth, the Racers got seven straight batters to reach base safely, including four singles consecutively. Gutzler, Jack Hranec, Lawrence and Davis Sims all had RBI singles in the inning and the Racers scored three unearned runs in the inning thanks to a pair of UT Martin errors and led 9-4 after four complete.
MSU added two more runs in the sixth thanks to an RBI off the wall from Bence and a bases-loaded walk from Gutzler, making the score 11-4. In the seventh, a Caleb Hicks double brought in Kipp Moore and Jaron Robinson and Bence’s second RBI hit of the contest rounded-out the scoring in the game.
Bence led the way offensively for the Racers as he went 3-for-4 with two runs in the win. Gutzler and Lawrence both went 2-for-4 and had multiple RBIs on the night. Meanwhile, both Hranec and Sims went 2-of-5 at the dish.
Austin Dubsky picked up the win as he got the start on the bump. Dubsky pitched five innings and struck-out five batters while allowing four earned runs on five hits. Trevor McMurray and Alec Whaley pitched a scoreless final four innings of relief. Whaley went three innings on the night and fanned three batters.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, SIUE 1
OXFORD, Ala. - Jacksonville State scored a pair of late-inning runs to break up a 1-1 deadlock to down SIU Edwardsville, 3-1, to win the final Ohio Valley Conference weekend series on Friday afternoon at Choccolocco Park.
With the series win, the Gamecocks won six league series this season, including the last four weekends of the regular season. JSU, who has won eight of its last 11 OVC contests, moved to 16-13 in the league and 29-24 overall. The Gamecocks will remain in fourth place after Friday's action around the league. A win on Saturday over SIUE will match Belmont's 17-13 league record, but the Bruins would get the No. 3 seed in the OVC Baseball Tournament next week in Oxford at Choccolocco Park. The loss by SIUE hindered its chances of earning one of the remaining four spots in the eight-team field. The Cougars dropped to 23-28 overall and 11-18 in OVC play.
Jax State and SIUE will wrap up the series and the regular season on Saturday at 1 p.m. JSU will honor its six seniors prior to the start of the series finale. All JSU students and all fans 18 years old and younger get in free to the park.
Junior Hayden White's RBI sacrifice fly to centerfield broke up the 1-1 contest in the seventh. Senior Joe McGuire started the frame with a single, followed by a bunt single by senior A.J. Reynolds that sent McGuire to third on a heads-up base running play. Sophomore Nic Gaddis delivered in the eighth with an RBI double that cushioned the JSU lead to 3-1.
Junior Taylor Hawthorne, who had the only multi-hit game for the Gamecocks, posted the first run of the day in the first with a double to left center. Hawthorne's double followed Clayton Daniel, who reached base with a two-bagger just inside the third base bag. Hawthorne and Daniel extended their hitting streak against OVC competition with hits in the contest. Hawthorne has now put together 12 straight conference games with a hit and has reached base in the last 12 OVC outings. Daniel continues to be impressive against OVC foes as he extended his on base streak to 27 consecutive games and now has his second 13-game hitting streak versus OVC arms.
Jax State starter Colton Pate worked out of jams in his three innings of work after having some command issues in the outing. Pate worked out of a bases-loaded situation with the first of three double plays turned by the Gamecocks on Friday. The Lincoln, Alabama native left another Cougar stranded in scoring position in the third inning. He would finish the day with four strikeouts and allowed four walks.
Senior Nate Sylvester turned in a career performance in quieting the Cougars offensively. Sylvester tossed a career high four innings and matched his career high in strikeouts with four. SIUE would record its lone run of the day in the fifth. The run was unearned after the Cougar who scored, reached on a JSU fielding miscue. Sylvester scattered five SIUE hits in the outing and walked just one Cougar. He picked up his second win of the season out of the bullpen.
Junior Trent Simpson tallied a pair of strikeouts in his inning of work to hold the contest for Jax State closer Justin Hoyt. Hoyt retired SIUE in order for his ninth save of the season and fifth in OVC play.
SIUE starter Brock Fulkerson was saddled with the loss after allowing two of the three runs on seven hits. SIUE's Keaton Wright and Eric Giltz had two hits each in the setback.
MOREHEAD STATE 6, TENNESSEE TECH 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A bend-but-don't-break effort by three Morehead State pitchers, coupled with a two-out, four-run rally in the first inning, propelled the Morehead State baseball team past Tennessee Tech, 6-3, at Bush Stadium Friday night.
The Eagles (34-20, 18-10 OVC) handed Tech just its second conference series loss this year, and MSU has now grabbed seven consecutive victories against the Golden Eagles (36-19, 22-7 OVC).
Freshman Jake Ziegelmeyer surrendered nine total hits, but five in the first inning when TTU scored twice, and only gave up two runs in three innings to be credited with a win and improve to 5-1. Junior righty Seth Boyle shut down the hosts for the next two innings, and junior righthander JC Hatcher struck out four and only allowed a two-out homer in the ninth inning against his ERA. It was Hatcher's second career save and first since March 18 at Belmont.
The Eagle bats hit into two quick outs, but then senior rightfielder Will Schneider singled to kick-start a four-run flurry. Junior third baseman Eli Boggess followed with an RBI double, and then sophomore DH Trevor Snyder smacked an RBI double off the wall in centerfield to make it 2-0. Junior second baseman Braxton Morris singled home Snyder, and junior first baseman Tyler Niemann - who had been hit by a pitch, trotted home on a throwing error at the end of the play to make it 4-0.
Schneider added a run-scoring single in the fourth, and senior centerfielder Ryan Kent picked up an RBI on a ground out in the fifth. The Golden Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but Boyle caught leadoff man Alex Junior looking on a third strike to end the frame.
Tennessee Tech proceeded to get 15 total hits to MSU's eight, but TTU also left 14 runners on base. Sophomore leftfielder Niko Hulsizer also threw out a runner trying to score in the first inning.
Schneider and Morris collected two hits apiece.
FURMAN 6, BELMONT 0
NASHVILLE - Belmont baseball posted a strong eight frames before falling victim to a late inning rally from Furman in game two Friday evening at E.S. Rose Park, dropping a 6-0 decision to the Paladins.
Senior Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) was locked in for his first start on the mound of the year, tossing six scoreless frames and only giving up five hits in that span. He tossed a career-best seven strikeouts, including fanning a strand of four consecutive Paladins. The righty's six innings is the longest appearance on the hill during his four-year career as a Bruin.
Belmont managed to load the bases in the bottom of the first with a pair of hits and a free base to start the game before a double play for the Paladins would initiate what would become a pitchers duel for the next seven stanzas. Junior Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) and sophomore Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) got things going with a couple of base shots to left field in efforts to spark BU's offense, but Furman starting hurler Grant Schuermann settled in quieted the Bruins bats.
Veltri finished his day by retiring 13 of the final 15 Paladins he saw with six of those coming via strikeout. The veteran was then replaced by rookie Michael Matter (Ft. Myers, Fla.) who allowed Furman to load the bases for the first time of the day, but got out of the jam after inducing the fourth double play of the game to get out of the inning unscathed and keep the contest scoreless through seven.
Having struggled to get multiple runners on base since the first frame, Belmont pieced together a pair of base shots in the seventh to put pressure on the Paladins. Sophomore Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) extended his hitting streak to five games while Kocher tallied his third hit – accounting for half of the Bruins six shots – to put runners on first and second until another double play ended the inning.
Furman capitalized on a pair of early walks dealt by senior reliever Zach Hodgkiss (Eads, Tenn.) to break up the standstill in the top of the ninth, eventually plating six runs on a trio of singles and a three-run long ball to take the series with a 6-0 victory.