SUNDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 3, Ball State 2 (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.)
Austin Peay 2, Illinois 0 (St. Louis, Mo.)
@Jacksonville State 6, Southern Illinois 0
@Kansas 4,
Murray State 1
Butler 6,
Eastern Kentucky 5 (Wilmington, N.C.)
@College of Charleston 5,
Southeast Missouri 4
Little Rock 7-7,
@Tennessee Tech 4-17
@Belmont 5, Youngstown State 2
Eastern Illinois 6, @ULM 5
SIUE 7, @Southeastern Louisiana 4
@Troy 12,
UT Martin 1
MOREHEAD STATE 3, BALL STATE 2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Junior catcher Hunter Fain laced an RBI single to left field in the top of the ninth inning as the Morehead State baseball team edged Ball State 3-2 Sunday in the final contest of the Swig and Swine College Classic at Shipyard Park.
The Eagles (2-2) went 2-0 against BSU on the weekend. Fain, who entered the game in bottom of the seventh, sliced a single to left that scored pinch runner Bryce Hensor with the winning run. Hensor slid around the catcher's tag after a throw from left field appeared to get there at about the same time. Designated hitter Adam Rapp had drawn a one-out walk before junior Jake Hammon poked a single to left field.
On the mound, the Eagles got another masterful effort from its staff.
Redshirt sophomore Jason Goe, who missed 2017 with an injury, returned strong with six strikeouts and only five hits allowed over seven frames. Senior reliever J.C. Hatcher (1-1) was credited with the win as he tossed the eighth with a strikeout. Sophomore Dom Masullo shut down the Cardinals with two punchouts in the ninth for his first save.
Morehead State got on the board in the second when junior Trevor Snyder scored from third on a wild pitch. He also drove in the second run on a sacrifice fly to left field in the sixth.
Ball State tied it 2-2 with an RBI single and double in the bottom of the sixth.
AUSTIN PEAY 2, ILLINOIS 0
ST. LOUIS - Starting pitcher Brandon Vial and two other pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team completed an opening weekend sweep with a 2-0 victory against Illinois, Sunday, at Billiken Sports Center.
Vial (1-0), who won in his Governors debut, held Illinois to five hits through his 7.1 innings but never allowed a hit to snowball into bigger things. Illinois (1-1) got two doubles in the contest but Vial worked his way around both. After a leadoff double in the second, Vial froze the runner with a strikeout, pop out and fly out. In the seventh, Vial surrendered a one-out double and saw the runner reach third on a wild pitch, but he induced a fly out to end the inning. .
Vial’s lone walk would come to the last batter he faced before turning the game over to reliever Brett Newberg who closed the eighth by retiring both batters he faced. Kyle Wilson entered in the ninth for his first pitching appearance as a Governor and struck out two of the three batters he faced to record the save.
Austin Peay (3-0) scored both its runs in the third inning with a litany of infield base hits. Left fielder Brandon Kelley opened the barrage with an infield single to second base. Shortstop Garrett Giovannelli followed with a single that just got over the third baseman’s head. Right fielder Nick Walker loaded the bases with a bunt single.
The Governors would convert those base hits into a run as the Fighting Illini gave up a run to turn a double play. But shortstop Garrett Kueber drove in a second run with a hot shot off the third baseman to give Austin Peay a 2-0 lead that the pitching staff made hold up.
Designated hitter John McDonald paced the offense with a 3-for-4 outing in his Austin Peay debut. Kelley and Giovannelli both went 2-for-4 as the Governors pounded out 10 hits in the win.
Illinois starter Cyrillo Watson (0-1) surrendered the two APSU runs on eight hits and four walks over his four innings of work. Right fielder Jack Yalowitz went 2-for-4 to lead the Fighting Illini offense.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 6, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 0
OXFORD, Ala. - Jacksonville State completed a season-opening weekend sweep of Southern Illinois after blanking the Salukis 6-0 on Sunday afternoon at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala.
JSU recorded its first sweep of a season-opening series since taking all three games from Youngstown State to start the 2015 campaign. The Gamecocks have posted sweeps in their last two regular season weekends, dating back to last season's Ohio Valley Conference sweep of SIU Edwardsville. JSU opened the season with a 7-4 win over SIU and claimed the series on Saturday with a come-from-behind 10-9 win.
The Gamecocks combined a string pitching performance by the staff and timely hitting throughout the contest. JSU's four pitchers combined to limit an SIU club that collected 20 hits in thr first two days to five hits on Sunday. Senior Colton Pate (1-0) picked up the win after tossing the first five innings and allowed just one hit in the outing - which was a leadoff double by Connor Kopach. Pate, from Lincoln, Alabama tallied five strikeouts in his 2018 debut. SIU did not get its next hit until a one-out single by Nikola Vasic in the sixth off of sophomore reliever Corley Woods. Sophomore Dylan Hathcock was impressive in his first action of the season in the seventh and eighth with three strikeouts. Freshman Colin Casey, a local product from Jacksonville, Alabama, finished off the contest in the ninth.
JSU's offense staked the pitching staff to a lead that it would not relinquish in the second with the first of two home runs on the day. Senior Trent Simpson sent the first pitch he saw from SIU starter Mason Hiser (0-1) over the left field wall in the second inning. Simpson finished the weekend 5-for-13 (.385) with three of the five hits for extra bases. He also had a double on the weekend and accumulated five RBI. The Oxford, Alabama utility player added an RBI in JSU's two-run seventh. Senior Taylor Hawthorne, who delivered the game-winning home run in Saturday's 10-9, blasted another home run in the fourth. Hawthorne joined Simpson and Andrew Naismith with two home runs each on the weekend.
Senior Nolan Greckel matched his career high in hits in a game with a 3-for-4 day at the plate to lead the Jax State line up and reached base four times with a walk.
JSU's new look on the left side of the infield with freshmen Isaac Alexander at shortstop and Cole Frederick at third base made a solid debut on the weekend as the duo had a pair of hits in Sunday's finale. Alexander, from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, turned in a pair of hits and an RBI, while Frederick, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama also recorded two hits. Alexander produced five hits in his first collegiate weekend series and was effective defensively throughout the weekend.
Naismith, who had five hits on the weekend, finished off the JSU scoring with an RBI in the seventh.
On the weekend, the Gamecocks finished with 35 hits, including 13 extra base hits and batted .337 in the first three games of the season. A total of 12 different pitchers saw action on the mound during the weekend and accumulated 24 strikeouts and walked just eight.
KANSAS 4, MURRAY STATE 1
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Murray State squandered multiple opportunities and failed to string together much offense Sunday afternoon in Lawrence, Kan., as the Racers fell in the series finale to the Kansas Jayhawks, 4-1.
The Racers (1-2) managed just three hits in the loss while KU (2-1) tallied eight. Ryan Perkins, Jaron Robinson and Gavin Wehby all went 1-of-3 in the contest with MSU. Robinson notched the only RBI on the day, a single up the middle in the fifth that scored Wehby.
As they did all series, the Jayhawks jumped out to an early lead and for the second time in the three games, scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. KU added a fourth run in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead before Robinson’s hit.
MSU had its chances Sunday to do more damage but couldn’t capitalize on its scoring opportunities. In the second, the Racers ground into a double play with no outs and two men on base. In the third, Robinson was thrown out at home for the second out of the inning. Then in the seventh, the Racers again hit into a double play, this one ended the inning with the bases loaded. Finally, after a lead-off walk in the eighth, the Racers again failed to score as the third double play of the game ended the inning.
Luke Brown took the loss in the game as he got the start on the mound. Brown pitched just the first inning and allowed those three early KU runs. Braydon Cook pitched the second and third inning to make his MSU debut while Blake Clynes was stellar in relief Sunday. Clynes pitched five innings in the game, which is a career-best for him in a relief appearance. Clynes allowed just one hit in the outing and struck-out six batters.
BUTLER 6, EASTERN KENTUCKY 5
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team built a 5-0 lead, but Butler University scored six unanswered to win 6-5 on Sunday at the Hughes Bros. Challenge in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Colonels broke a scoreless tie in a big way in the top of the third inning. With one out and runners at second and third, Will Johnson got EKU on the board with an RBI single to left field. Chris Botsoe made it 3-0 when he drove the ball down the left field line to bring two runs home. Butler’s second error in the inning, a dropped fly ball, allowed Botsoe and Nick Howie to score later in the frame to cap the five-run inning.
A two-run double to left center by Harrison Freed capped a three-run bottom of the sixth for the Bulldogs. Butler (4-0) scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the eight to get within one. Then Zach Parker drove in the tying run with a triple to right field. Zach Jarosz followed with the go-ahead RBI single to finish off another three-run inning.
Newcomer Kaven Brown started for the Colonels (0-3). He allowed three unearned runs on three hits in five and two-third innings. He walked three and struck out five. Daniel Harris IV had two hits in four at bats and scored a run. Botsoe finished 1-for-5 with two RBIs.
Parker had a 2-for-3 day with a run and an RBI for the Bulldogs.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 5, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Southeast Missouri (0-3) rallied late, but came up short in a 5-4 loss to the College of Charleston (3-0) Sunday at Patriots Point.
CofC completed a three-game sweep of SEMO on opening weekend.
The Redhawks trailed, 5-0, after five innings before scoring twice in the sixth and eighth frames to pull to within a run.
Cole Bornhop led off the sixth with a single to center and advanced to third on an ensuing double by Peyton Faulkner. Bornhop scored when Danny Wright grounded out and Faulkner came home on a single by Wade Stauss to narrow the Cougars lead to 5-2.
Faulkner reached again in the eighth, this time starting things off with an infield single. Devon Wilson was hit by a pitch and the Redhawks were in business with runners at first and second and one out. After Trevor Ezell struck out, Justin Dirden doubled down the left field line to score both Wilson and Faulkner as SEMO closed CofC's lead to 5-4.
However, right-hander Carter Love pitched a perfect ninth inning allowing the Cougars to hang on. Love nailed down his second save of the season.
Jakob Frishmuth (1-0) earned the win allowing four hits, two runs and a walk, while striking out two in five innings. Nathan Ocker later gave up two hits, two runs and struck out four in 2.2 innings before Carter entered the game.
Daniel Bergtholdt (0-1) fell to his first loss of the season. Bergtholdt worked three innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He also struck out three and walked one. Reliever Matthew Wade was charged with the other three runs. He scattered four hits and struck out three, as well.
SEMO finished the series finale with eight hits. Ezell and Faulkner each went 2-for-3. Dirden, Wright and Stauss each added RBI-hits. Faulkner also scored two runs.
Eight of CofC's nine hits came from the top half of the order. Dupree Hart went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a run scored in the leadoff position and Logan McRae went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored out of the cleanup spot. Luke Morgan and Tommy Richter accounted for the other three hits.
LITTLE ROCK 7-7, TENNESSEE TECH 4-17
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - After moving its regularly scheduled Saturday contest to Sunday to create a doubleheader, the Tennessee Tech baseball team earned a 1-1 split against Little Rock to take the season-opening series 2-1.
The Trojans (1-2) defeated the Golden Eagles (2-1) in the early contest, 7-4, despite Tech taking an early 1-0 lead. Little Rock plated two runs in each of the third, fourth and sixth frames while the Golden Eagles score solo markers in four separate innings.
Junior center fielder Alex Junior finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and his first home run of the year in the contest while second baseman John Ham tallied two doubles in three at bats.
Game two was a much different story for the Golden Eagles. The offense exploded to the tune of 17 runs on 15 hits for an easy 17-7 victory to clinch the series. Ethan Roberts earned the victory after finishing the final two innings and pitching the most effectively out of the bullpen.
Effective doesn't even scratch the surface on Roberts' performance, as the junior closer never even allowed the Trojans to put a ball in play. The local Sparta native struck out each of the six Little Rock batters he faced, requiring just 26 pitches over his two innings of work to finish the game.
On the offensive side, Junior continued his fantastic day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a walk and hit-by-pitch while scoring four runs and driving in two. Junior right fielder Kevin Strohschein joined in with his own monster game, finishing 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Senior left fielder Collin Harris continued the outfield trend of punishing the ball, gathering three hits in five at bats for three RBI and a couple of runs. Trevor Putzig, Chase Chambers, and John Ham all posted multiple RBI as well in the contest.
BELMONT 5, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 2
NASHVILLE - Belmont baseball wrapped up a three-game weekend series against Youngstown State with a 5-2 victory on Sunday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. BU finished the series 2-1 over the Penguins winning on Saturday and Sunday.
Belmont got off to a hot start with starting hurler junior Casey Queener striking out the first batter he faced. Belmont then made two defensive plays to have a three up, three down inning.
Youngstown would heat up early in the game with both of their runs coming in the top of the second. After walking two batters, Nick Caruso smacked a double to send two Penguins across the plate for an early 2-1 lead.
The Bottom of the third proved to be an important momentum switch for the Bruins. Senior Cully Day got things going with a single. The next batter up, freshman Jackson Campbell continued the hits for the Bruins, smashing a double that sent Day home for the Bruins first run. Later in the inning, senior Kyle Conger put up a sacrifice fly to drive Campbell home to notch things up 2-2.
The next two innings proved to be a defensive battle with only one hit recorded by either team. Belmont would strike again in the bottom of the sixth. After sophomore Matt Cogen reached first base on balls, junior Chas Hadden singled and junior Devon Gardner shot one down to left field that allowed Cogen to make it across home plate to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead.
After holding the Penguins scoreless for the seventh and eighth innings, Belmont looked to extend their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Even after two quick outs, BU never gave up. Gardner was hit by a pitch to reach first base and advanced to second after senior Ben Kocher notched his second hit of the afternoon. Day was up at bat with runners on first and second. He blasted a ball to left center field that dropped just before the fence on the warning track. His second hit of the day was enough to send both base runners home to extend the lead 5-2.
Freshman hurler Logan Bowen was on the bump for the Bruins at the top of the ninth to try and secure a second-consecutive save in as many collegiate outings. Bowen faced three batters and struck out his final two to secure the Belmont victory.
Senior Austin Reynolds and freshman Kyle Brennan both pitched an inning for the Bruins. Belmont outhit Youngstown State 11-5 with neither team commiting any errors
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, ULM 5
MONROE, La. - A strong finish lifted Eastern Illinois baseball to their first win of the season, defeating ULM, 6-5, in their series finale on Sunday.
With the win, Eastern Illinois improved to 1-2 overall, while ULM dropped to 2-1 on the season.
Eastern Illinois scored the first run of the series finale in the top of the second. After back-to-back one out singles by Hunter Morris and Jimmy Huber. Morris scored on a Knernschield single to center.
ULM answered back in the bottom of the third off a one out Chad Bell home run to left field.
The Panthers offense exploded in the fifth inning tallying three runs. Andrew Curran led off the top of the fifth with a lead-off single. Logan Beaman followed suit with another single. Dougie Parks cleared the bases with a three run homer to left.
EIU was able to add to their lead in the eighth inning. Jimmy Huber kicked off the eighth with a lead off double down the right field line. A passed ball advanced Huber to third, which led to a Knernschield sacrifice to center.
In the ninth inning the Panthers would jump out to a 6-1 lead on a Morris double.
ULM would attempt the comeback in the ninth totaling four runs but would come up short dropping to the Panthers by a final score of 6-5.
The Panthers pitching staff held ULM scoreless till the bottom of the ninth. Ben Stephens came in to relieve Will Klein in the bottom of the first. Stephens pitched three innings on the mound recording five strikeouts, one walk, one hit, and surrendering only one run. Dustin Wilson (1-0) earned the win on the mound for the Panthers pitching three shut out innings in relief, surrendering only four hits. Blake Malatestinic came in for Jake Haberer in the ninth to earn his first save of his career recording a strike out, one run, two hits, and one walk.
Beaman finished the day 3-for-5 with a run, and a double. Parks finished 2-for-4 leading the Panthers in RBIs with three, a home run, and a walk.
SIUE 7, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 4
HAMMOND, La. - SIUE baseball scored four two-out runs in the ninth inning Sunday to grab a come-from-behind 7-4 win over Southeastern Louisiana.
The Cougars improved to 1-2. Southeastern Louisiana is 2-1.
Trailing 4-3, Jackson Layton and Steven Pattan singled to start the ninth inning. Bret Fehr then walked to load the bases. Jordan Ross reached on an error, allowing Layton to score to tie the game. Peyton Cordova-Smith then drilled an 0-1 pitch to left center to drive home three and put SIUE on top.
Mason McReaken threw 2.1 shutout innings to earn the win. McReaken struck out two and induced a game-ending double play in the bottom of the ninth inning from Southeastern's No. 3 hitter, designated hitter Tyler Schwaner.
Evan Hileman allowed all four runs in the ninth inning and suffered the loss for Southeastern.
Layton led SIUE at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a home run. Layton started the last two games in place of an injured Dustin Woodcock in right field.
Ross and Chris Monasmith each had two hits for the Cougars. Cordova-Smith was 1 for 3 with the double and three RBIs.
After going down 1-0 in the first, the Cougars took the lead with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings.
Eric Giltz doubled to drive home Jared McCunn in the second to tie the game. Chris Monasmith singled to drive home Ross in the second to put the Cougars on top for the first time. Layton made it 3-1 in the fourth with his second home run in as many days to lead off the fourth inning.
Newcomer Kenny Serwa gave SIUE its longest outing from a starter so far. The transfer from Saint Joseph's (Indiana) tossed five innings allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out two.
Southeastern scored a run in the sixth inning against Serwa and then plated two in the seventh against reliever Collin Baumgartner. Brennan Breaud drove home both runs with a single.
Lyons also cited freshman catcher Pattan, who made his first start behind the plate.
Schwaner and Cody Grosse both were 2 for 4 to lead the Lions.
TROY 12, UT MARTIN 1
TROY, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team dropped the final game in the series against the Trojans this afternoon by a 12-1 margin.
The Skyhawks (0-4) were led by freshman backstop Blake Davis (one hit, one RBI) while Collin Edwards, Carson Shrode and Ethan Whitley all tallied a hit apiece. UT Martin batters would draw seven walks on the day as Tyler Albright and Davis drew two walks each.
The Skyhawk pitching staff would record a total of eight strikeouts on the day. Konnor Aherin accounted for three of those punchouts as he retired the side via the strikeout in one inning of work out of the bullpen.
UT Martin drew first blood as Jordan Stoner reached base on a passed ball after a strikeout in the first inning. Ben Aslett then walked, moving Stoner into scoring position. After the runners shifted over 90 feet on a groundout, Davis laced a single through the left side to plate Stoner, giving the Skyhawks a 1-0 advantage.
Senior Peyton Cain (0-1) drew the start on the mound and breezed through the first inning as he retired the side on 11 pitches.
The UT Martin second inning saw Edwards beat out an infield single to the pitcher and then swipe second base for his second steal of the series but was unable to be pushed across the plate.
Troy got on the scoreboard with one run in the second inning and two more runs in the third. The Skyhawks looked to be in for a big inning in the fourth frame as Albright drew a walk followed by a Whitley single but UT Martin could not manufacture a two-out rally.
Cain twirled another fine inning of work in the fourth as he retired the side in order for the second time, this time on just nine pitches.
The Trojans scored five runs in the fifth inning, as Aherin came on to relieve Cain. Aherin dialed up a trio of strikeouts in the inning, one looking and two of the swinging variety.
The UT Martin sixth saw Davis draw a walk on four pitches before Albright worked from a 1-2 count to earn a free bag as well. However, the Skyhawks could not cut into their deficit.
David Hussey came on in the sixth inning and recorded a pair of swinging strikeouts in the frame. In the seventh, Seth Rayburn would make his second appearance of the series and record a couple of strikeouts as well. Zack Denney was called upon in the eighth frame and generated a whiff of his own in the process. Despite that, Troy was able to score a combined four runs in those three innings to build its 12-1 lead.
The Skyhawks set themselves up for another chance to score as Davis drew another walk to lead off the ninth. Edwards and Harford followed with consecutive walks to load the bases with two away but the Trojans soon recovered to secure the final out.