SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 19, Murray State 7
@Belmont 6, Southeast Missouri 5 (12 innings)
Tennessee Tech 9, @Eastern Kentucky 2
@SIUE 22, Eastern Illinois 8
Jacksonville State 8, @UT Martin 5
@Notre Dame 7,
Austin Peay 2
MOREHEAD STATE 19, MURRAY STATE 7
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Freshman Jake Ziegelmeyer struck out eight in seven strong innings as Morehead State baseball downed Murray State, 19-7, on Saturday afternoon at Allen Field.
With the win, the Eagles move to 32-18 on the year and 16-9 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Murray State got on the board first with a single run in the first inning, but Morehead State answered with runs in the third and the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.
The Eagles then exploded for seven runs in the fifth, one in the sixth, three in the seventh, and six in the eighth to open the game up.
Sophomore Niko Hulsizer got the scoring started in the fifth with a long two-run home run over the left field wall. Senior Ryan Kent then delivered an RBI double and sophomore Reid Leonard followed with his second RBI double of the game to give Morehead State the 9-1 lead.
Hulsizer then delivered a grand slam in the eighth inning, marking his NCAA-leading 23rd home run of the season. He finished 2-for-4 with two home runs, six runs batted in, and three runs scored.
Overall, the Eagles finished with 20 hits. Leonard led the way as he went 5-for-6 with a school-record tying three doubles, four runs batted in, and three runs scored.
Kent finished 4-for-6 with two doubles, four runs, and two RBI, while sophomore Trevor Snyder went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
Ziegelmeyer (4-1, 5.98) picked up the win, allowing just four hits and three earned runs in seven innings of work. He struck out eight and walked just one.
BELMONT 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5 (12)
NASHVILLE - With one swing of the bat senior Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) reigned hero, connecting on a walk-off single Saturday afternoon as Belmont baseball edged Southeast Missouri, 6-5, in a twelve-inning battle at E.S. Rose Park.
SEMO (25-23, 13-13) plated four unanswered runs in the final two frames of regulation to knot the game up and force the two squads to go into extras. Despite finding ways to threaten on various occasions, it wouldn't be until the twelfth inning that Belmont (25-25, 16-13) found a way to seal the deal. Having gone hitless in his first four at bats, Payne waited until the bases were loaded with one away to rip a base shot to deep centerfield, bringing in the winning run and evening the series.
The Bruins and Redhawks traded runs to get game two going. Belmont struck first on a RBI single from senior Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) who brought in redshirt-junior Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) after getting on via base on balls. Southeast Missouri knotted it all up in the top of the second on a double steal that allowed a runner to hijack home plate before the BU defense could tag him out making it a 1-1 contest.
In their next turn at the plate the Bruins exploded for six consecutive hits that amounted to four runs and put them up, 5-1. The first four hits all came in the form of a base knock, ultimately producing the first pair of runs. Junior Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) then broke up the small ball with a two-bagger that ricocheted off the centerfield wall for two RBIs and made it a four-run game in favor of Belmont.
While BU's bats caught fire, so did starting hurler Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) who had retired eight of the first thirteen batters he saw in the opening three frames, only relinquishing three hits and a run. The right hander went on to produce his first three up, three down frame in the fourth as he continued to disrupt SEMO's offense.
King showed no signs of letting up, even after finding himself in a jam in the fifth with Redhawks residing on the corners with just one away. He refused to succumb to the pressure, getting the next two batters swinging and getting out of the stanza unscathed. The righty's day ended after logging five complete innings where he didn't give up a hit in the final 11 Redhawks to take the plate.
After BU's four-run third stanza both squads quieted down as neither managed to push any runs across for the next three innings. Southeast Missouri's bullpen proved effective after they replaced their starter Clay Chandler who was responsible for Belmont's hitting frenzy. SEMO then used six relievers to hold the Bruins scoreless until the bottom of the 12th stanza.
The Bruins also saw quality time from their pitching staff with Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) making his 38th appearance of the season, ranking him second all-time in the single season category. The sophomore tossed a flawless 1.1 innings before senior Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) replaced him in the seventh.
SEMO broke up the standstill, launching a two-run homer to right field in the top of the eighth to bring the Redhawks within two. They went on to score two more runs, making it four unanswered runs, to tie it up in the top of the ninth, 5-5.
Senior closer Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) tossed the final 4.2 innings, collecting his second win in his longest outing of the year. Payne then finished if off in the home half of the twefth on his walk-off single to centerfield.
TENNESSEE TECH 9, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
RICHMOND, Ky. - For the ninth time in the history of Tennessee Tech baseball, the Golden Eagles (35-17, 21-5) claimed the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship Saturday evening, defeating Eastern Kentucky (24-27, 10-16) on the road, 9-2.
The victory not only secured the Tech squad with its ninth regular season league title, it also clinched the Golden Eagles the No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament in two weeks. TTU will play the winning team between the No. 4 seed and No. 5 seed on Thursday, May 25 at 12:30 p.m. CT at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala.
In the title clinching contest, Tech jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After a six-pitch walk to the second batter of the game, junior shortstop David Garza, junior third baseman Trevor Putzig laced a double to right field. With runners on second and third, junior designated hitter Ryan Flick came through with a two-run single to third base.
EKU answered with a solo run in the bottom of the first, but starter Jake Usher shut down a bases-loaded jam to get out of the inning. The senior hurler was dynamite for the Golden Eagles in the contest, tossing seven innings while allowing just three hits and two earned runs along the way. He struck out three batters while picking up his fourth victory of the year.
The two sides traded zeroes over the next three innings, before the Golden Eagles struck again in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Garza came to the plate and waited for a 2-0 offering. He then deposited the ball through the left side to drive in two more Tech runs for a 4-1 lead.
Once again, the Colonels had an answer, scoring once in the bottom half of the frame to cut the lead to just two runs. Tech earned the run back in the sixth, thanks to an RBI single by senior catcher Chris Brown.
The Golden Eagles then blew the game wide open in the seventh, thanks to a mammoth swing from junior first baseman Chase Chambers. After walks were dished out to Garza and Putzig, EKU managed to record its second out of the frame. The home squad then worked the count full to Chambers, who fouled off the sixth pitch of the at bat.
The seventh offering, however, he did not miss. Chambers completely massacred the pitch to right center field, smashing the top of the light pole for a three-run moon shot that made it an 8-2 game in favor of the Golden Eagles. It marked the 16th home run of the year for the slugger, tops on the Tech squad.
After a issuing a leadoff walk in the eighth, Usher was lifted in favor of closer Ethan Roberts, putting an end to a fantastic outing by the right-handed starter. Roberts made sure it would stand without a problem, forcing a fielder's choice out to second base before striking out the next two batters to end the eighth.
Putzig hammered a solo shot in the top of the ninth to complete the offensive day for Tech, setting up Roberts with a seven-run lead and just three outs away from a championship.
Like clockwork, the sophomore delivered, fanning the side in order for his third, fourth and fifth strikeouts of the game and, more importantly, an OVC regular season title for the Golden Eagles. He finished the contest with no hits or walks allowed and the five punch outs in two innings of work.
Offensively, Chambers led Tech with three RBI on his mighty hack while Garza and Flick each followed with two RBI each. Putzig finished 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored while Garza walked and scored twice as well.
SIUE 22, EASTERN ILLINOIS 8
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Another quick getaway powered the explosive SIUE Cougars to a rocking performance Saturday at Roy E. Lee Field. The Cougars rolled past Eastern Illinois 22-8 for their second win in two days and their fifth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference victory. SIUE, benefiting from a season-best scoring and hit output, improved to 23-25 overall and 11-15 in the OVC. Eastern Illinois dropped to 18-33 and 10-16.
A six-run first inning set the stage for the Cougars' lopsided victory that featured nine players contributing to the 23-hit attack, which included three home runs. It was the most runs a SIUE squad scored since the final game of 2012 when the Cougars won 24-7 at Southeast Missouri.
On Friday, the Cougars erupted for five first-inning runs to defeat Eastern Illinois 11-3. SIUE has scored 33 runs in the series and the Cougars are averaging more than 10 runs per game in their last 12 games.
SIUE will go for the series sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday on Senior Day for the Cougars. The Mother's Day game is SIUE's final home game of the season. The Cougars close their regular-season schedule next weekend with three games at Jacksonville State. They are fighting for a berth in the eight-team OVC Tournament, beginning May 23 in Oxford, Ala.
Skender, a senior from Metamora, Illinois, has ignited the Cougars' high-octane offense. The leadoff hitter went 5-for-6 with a home run, four RBIs and scored four times Saturday. He has reached base nine times in the series.
Skender's three-run home run in the fifth was his second of the season. His eighth-inning single was his fifth hit, making him only the sixth SIUE player in their Division I history to achieve that feat.
Jared McCunn stroked a two-run single during that first-inning eruption, Eric Giltz added a two-run double, while Aaron Goecks and Mario Tursi singled in runs.
Goecks, a freshman outfielder, went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, including a two-run single in the second inning and solo home run in the fourth.
Third baseman Jordan Stading put plenty of pressure on the Panthers The senior from Houston, Texas went 4-for-5 with a double, knocked in four runs and reached base five times. Teammate Jared McCunn went 3-for-4, reached base four times and drove home four runs. Keaton Wright, Brock Weimer and Mario Tursi all had two hits to back winning pitcher Brock Fulkerson. Giltz collected three RBIs.
Wright, a senior from Troy, Illinois, blasted his 11th home run of the season and 25th of his career in the fourth inning. His two-run shot tied him for fourth place with Mark Briggs for career homers.
In addition, Wright drew two walks, giving him a school-record 113 for his career. Granite City, Illinois native Tim Hogan owned the previous mark of 111 career walks. Wright also has 222 career hits.
Fulkerson, improving to 4-5, allowed 12 hits and six runs in seven innings, covering 130 pitches. Relievers Devin Colley, Brian Coulter and Tyler Hutchinson registered the final six outs.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, UT MARTIN 5
MARTIN, Tenn. - Jacksonville State won its sixth Ohio Valley Conference weekend series and third in a row after collecting an 8-5 win on Saturday over UT Martin at Skyhawk Field.
The Gamecocks improved to 27-22 overall and 14-12 in OVC play and with Belmont's win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday, they will enter Sunday's final game of the series alone in fourth place in the conference standings. JSU will look for its first OVC weekend series sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. on the UTM campus. The Skyhawks dropped to 23-27 on the season and 10-16 versus the OVC.
Just like Friday night's 5-4 win over UTM, the Gamecocks jumped out to a big lead and thwarted a Skyhawk rally. JSU used another big inning with a five-run fifth and added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth to preserve the win. The Gamecocks took an early 1-0 lead in the third on Clayton Daniel's RBI single to left field, scoring freshman Chase Robinson. Daniel posted his 25th multiple hit game of the season with a pair of hits in the victory. The Guntersville, Alabama native pushed his hitting streak to 14 games with his RBI single in the third. Daniel has now reached base in 15 straight games and has been aboard in 24 consecutive league games. Robinson paced the Jax State lineup with three hits, his second three-hit outing of the year. The Pell City, Alabama outfielder had a pair of infield singles and had one of JSU's four hits in the fifth inning.
UTM matched JSU in the fourth as JSU starter Colton Pate (2-6) managed to limit the host school to just the lone run on three hits. Pate turned in another effective start and notched his second win of the season after tossing 5.2 innings. UTM touched him for 10 hits and four runs, but the Lincoln, Alabama right hander worked out of jams throughout the outing.
Jax State batted around and sent 11 batters to the plate against UTM starter Dalton Westfall (5-5). Sophomore Nic Gaddis broke up the 1-1 deadlock with a two RBI single up the middle. Freshman Andrew Naismith, who also had a multiple hit game had an RBI single in the frame. Senior A.J. Reynolds lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield for the fourth run of the inning. After Robinson's hit in the frame and Josh Bobo getting hit by the pitch, Westfall walked in the final run after issuing a free pass to Nolan Greckel.
UTM would rally with a big number in the sixth frame. The Skyhawks strung together three hits and took advantage of a leadoff walk in the inning by Pate. Connor Aubu had an RBI on a fielder's choice followed by a one-out RBI single by Tyler Albright. JSU went to the bullpen with Trent Simpson and he was greeted by a two-run home run by Dan Kerwin to get UTM with a run at 5-4.
JSU's insurance runs came Taylor Hawthorne's RBI single through the infield, scoring the first run. Hawthorne would get in a run down long enough for Daniel to take home for the second run on the play.
Senior Nate Sylvester and redshirt junior Justin Hoyt combined to finish the final 2.3 innings with just one UTM hit. Sylvester recorded a pair of strikeouts in the outing to set up Hoyt to close the contest in the ninth. Hoyt notched his second save of the series and eighth of the season after retiring UTM in order.
NOTRE DAME 7, AUSTIN PEAY 2
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Center fielder Imani Willis had three hits, including a run-scoring double in the seventh, but Austin Peay State University’s baseball team saw the game get away from it in the eighth and dropped a 7-2 decision to Notre Dame, Saturday afternoon, at Frank Eck Stadium.
Notre Dame (25-26) jumped ahead first in Saturday’s contest and again it was right fielder Eric Gilgenbach who supplied to Fighting Irish’s first runs. His two-run home run to right field was his second of the series and supplied an early 2-0 lead.
Austin Peay (22-27) could not solve Notre Dame pitcher Michael Hearne (4-4) through six innings with the Fighting Irish starter scattering six hits. But Notre Dame started the seventh by going to its bullpen and the Govs responded with doubles by right fielder Chase Hamilton and center fielder Imani WIlis to break the ice. After a second Notre Dame pitching change in the frame, second baseman Garrett Giovannelli delivered a second run with a single to right field, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
But the Fighting Irish would salt the game away in the eighth. Notre Dame saw the first two batters reach base after being hit by a pitch and being issued a walk. After a strikeout, the Govs intentionally walked a batter but Gilgenbach spoiled the tactic with a two-run double just inside the left field line. Austin Peay issued its third walk of the frame and Notre Dame followed with back-to-back run scoring singles to extend its lead to 7-2.
Notre Dame closer Sean Guenther came on board to stem the Govs seventh inning rally and then retired the next six batters he faced to record his season’s seventh save. Hearne picked up the win with six scoreless innings of work, striking out three and walking none.
Gilgenbach ended the day 2-for-3 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored. Second baseman Nick Podkul added a 3-for-5 outing with a RBI.
Govs starter Jacques Pucheu (1-2) suffered the loss despite holding Notre Dame to three runs in his 4.1-inning outing. Reliever Michael Costanzo helped keep the game close, following Pucheu with 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing only one hit.
Wilis’ 3-for-3, one RBI performance paced the Govs offense, which finished with nine hits. Right fielder Chase Hamilton was 2-for-4 with one of the Govs four doubles.