FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 10-2, Morehead State 4-10
@Belmont 6, UT Martin 3
@Murray State 7, Eastern Illinois 4
@Southeast Missouri 11, SIUE 6
@Tennessee Tech 4-15, Austin Peay 0-12
Jacksonville 6,
@Jacksonville State 4 (10 innings)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 10-2, MOREHEAD STATE 4-10
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team beat Morehead State University 10-4 in the series opener and first game of a doubleheader on Friday. The Colonels lost game two by a score of 10-2.
Due to poor weather expected to hit the area Friday night and Saturday, the two teams will not play on Saturday. The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m., weather permitting. Check EKUSports.com for updates.
Morehead State took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning of game one, but the Colonels answered in the bottom of the frame. Daniel McFarland doubled with two outs and the bases loaded to make it a 3-2 game.
The Eagles tied it in the top of the third, but the Colonels had the answer again. A ground ball to the shortstop was enough to score Ryland Kerr and give Eastern a 4-3 advantage. Chris Botsoe followed with a two-out RBI double down the left field line.
Another big two-out hit, this time in the bottom of the fourth by Alex Holderbach brought home two more runs and made it a 7-3 game.
Morehead State scored a run in the top of the seventh on a triple by Eli Boggess to get within five, 9-4.
Logan Teague (2-3) started for the Colonels and pitched six innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out five. McFarland was 4-for-4 with a run and three RBIs. Cornell Nixon scored three times.
Boggess had a 3-for-4 game with a run and an RBI for Morehead State.
Connor Pauly’s two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning of game two doubled the Morehead State lead to 4-0. The Colonels never got any closer. The Eagles (14-10, 5-3 OVC) doubled that margin with four runs in the top of the fifth. Reid Leonard had a two-run single up the middle.
Holderbach got Eastern (8-15, 1-4 OVC) on the board in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run home run over the wall in left field. It was his third of the season.
Dalton Stambaugh (4-2) limited EKU to two runs on eight hits over eight innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.
Pauly was 1-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored Bryce Hensor had three hits in four at bats. Holderbach was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs for the Colonels in game two.
BELMONT 6, UT MARTIN 3
NASHVILLE - The Belmont Baseball Team improved to 4-3 in OVC play Friday afternoon after a 6-3 defeat of UT Martin. Friday's win marked Head Coach Dave Jarvis' 600th career win with the Bruins.
Senior Tyler Vaughn (Springfield, Ill.) picked up his second win of the season. The senior hurler pitched seven innings. He gave up seven hits, struck out four and walked none.
Belmont got on the board early, scoring in the bottom of the first. Senior Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) set the tone early with a leadoff single. After reaching on a fielder's choice, junior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) crossed the plate for BU's first run with the help of a RBI single by sophomore Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.)
The Bruins put the game out of reach in the bottom of the third. Leadoff man Conger reached on a walk to give Belmont a base runner. Gardner started a string of Belmont hits to get things going. Cogen came up big once again delivering a single that plated two more runs. Belmont once again loaded the bases before senior Cully Day (Mahomet, Ill.) stepped up to the mound. He delivered a sacrifice fly to give the Bruins a 6-0 advantage after four complete innings.
The Skyhawks made a run in the top of the fourth to pull within three runs. After a couple base hits and a walk, UT Martin loaded the bases with two outs. Carson Shrode stepped up to the plate and cleaned out the bases with a double to deep left field. Belmont would get out of the inning after Shrode attempted to make his way to third. Day made an incredible throw from the outfield to senior Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) who tagged the Skyhawks runner at third for the final out of the inning.
Neither team would score for the remainder of the game.
Freshmen Logan Bowen (Bowling Green, Ky.) and Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) both threw an inning for the Bruins. They made quick work of the Skyhawks, combining for three strike outs in seven batters faced and only giving up one hit. Brennan recorded his first collegiate save.
MURRAY STATE 7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4
MURRAY, Ky. - Brandon Gutzler broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run home run and two batters later, Ramsey Scott followed that up with a solo shot to right center as Murray State opened its three-game series against Eastern Illinois with a 7-4 victory Friday afternoon at Reagan Field.
Gutzler, along with Gavin Wehby, led the Racers (12-11, 3-4 OVC) with three-hit days each. Gutzler went 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of runs and three ribbies while Wehby was 3-of-4 with a run, hit-by-pitch and stolen base.
The Panthers (9-12, 1-3 OVC) took the early lead on the day with a run in the top of the second. In the bottom half of the inning, Jaron Robinson pushed MSU out in front for the first time as he hit a two-out, two-RBI single to center field that scored Mike Farnell and Caleb Hicks. In the fourth, Gutzler would extend the lead to 3-1 with a single down the third base line.
After a sac fly RBI by EIU in the fifth, Davis Sims delivered the run back for MSU with a single to left center that brought home Gutzler for his first run of the day and the Racers were out front 4-2. In the seventh, a Dougie Parks two-run homer to left field tied the game at 4-4 before Gutzler and Scott’s long balls in the eighth.
Tyler Anderson picked up the win as he pitched the final two innings of relief for MSU. Anderson allowed no hits while striking out a batter on the way to his second victory of the season. Peyton Hayes got the start and went five solid innings for the Racers, allowing two runs on seven hits. Jake Jones appeared in two innings of relief and gave up the home run to Parks while striking out two batters.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 11, SIUE 6
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Chase Urhahn went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI, and Southeast Missouri (8-15, 5-2) scored eight runs in the fifth inning to beat SIU Edwardsville (5-14, 1-6), 11-6, Friday at Capaha Field.
Tied, 2-2, SEMO blew the game open with its eight-run fifth.
Urhahan started things off with an infield single and went to second on a base hit by Peyton Faulkner. Trevor Ezell walked and the Redhawks were in business with the bases loaded and no outs. Tristen Gagan followed with a single down the left field line to score both Urhahan and Faulkner. Moments after a pitching change, Danny Wright walked and Ezell scored. Gagan then touched home on a wild pitch and Wade Stauss flied out to right to bring in Dirden. Connor Basler reached on an error and Wright scored. Urhahn came up again and lined out to right field scoring Alex Nielsen on the sacrifice. Faulkner greeted relief pitcher Tyler Hutchinson with a double and Basler scored to make it 10-2 in favor of the Redhawks.
SIUE countered with four runs in the top of the sixth inning, but it wasn't enough.
Five of the first six hitters in SEMO's lineup finished with multiple hits.
Faulkner, Ezell, Gagan and Wright all had two hits, one RBI and scored behind Urhahan.
The Redhawks collected 13 hits for the game.
In his first career Friday start, right-hander Christian Vick struck out four and walked one in five innings. Vick improved to 4-1 this season and leads the Redhawks in wins.
Nelson Martz (1-4) suffered the loss. Martz allowed seven runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked four in four innings.
The Cougars finished with nine hits.
TENNESSEE TECH 4-15, AUSTIN PEAY 0-12
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech baseball team extended its winning streak to eight straight games Friday afternoon, defeating in-state rival Austin Peay in Ohio Valley Conference play not once, but twice in doubleheader action at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The Golden Eagles (17-5, 7-1) used two different approaches in clinching its third OVC series of the season, winning a 4-0 pitcher's duel over the Govs (14-10, 5-3) in game one and a 15-12 race to the finish line in game two.
Senior ace Travis Moths put together his best performance of the season in the first game of the double dipper, tossing seven shutout innings while holding the Govs to just three hits and two walks. The right-hander also struck out nine batters in the contest, earning him his league-leading fifth victory of the season.
Moths out-dueled Austin Peay ace Michael Costanzo, who finished with six innings, five hits allowed, one earned run and seven strikeouts.
Providing the offense in game one was senior Chase Chambers, whose leadoff, solo home run in the fourth inning proved to be the game-winner. He added some very helpful insurance to the Tech effort in the seventh frame, smacking a towering, three-run double to left field. He finished the game 3-for-4 with all four Tech RBI.
Ethan Roberts closed the final two innings, striking out four batters and gathering the other two outs on a double play in the eighth.
It was the offense that shined in game two, with the Golden Eagles turning a 1-0 deficit in the first into a quick, 2-1 lead off the bat of junior Kevin Strohschein. The designated hitter hammered a two-run bomb to left field as part of a three-RBI performance.
Tech made it a 5-2 lead with a two-run dinger off the bat of John Ham, but the Govs tied things up in the top of the fifth with a three-run homer of their own. The Golden Eagles answered quickly, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the fifth that provided the lead for good.
In the sixth, the Tech offense put the game away with seven runs and then held on for the 15-12 victory while holding off a late rally by Austin Peay. Redshirt freshman Tyler Sylvester earned his first career save after covering the final frame without allowing a hit while Colton Provey took home his second win of the year.
Ham drove in three runs in the game, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk. Senior David Garza gathered two hits to drive in three runs and fellow senior Trevor Putzigposted multiple RBI with a 2-for-4 performance.
JACKSONVILLE 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4 (10)
OXFORD, Ala. - The Jacksonville State baseball team rallied in the ninth to force extra innings, but Jacksonville staved off a second comeback in the 10th to take the opening game of the weekend series, 6-4, on Friday night at Choccolocco Park.
The Gamecocks dropped to 12-7 overall, while JU moved to 14-9 on the season. The Gamecocks will look to bounce back on Saturday as they two clubs continue the non-conference set at 1 p.m. in Oxford. Admission is free for all JSU students and all fans 18 years old and younger. The contest will also be available on WVOK 97.9 FM and online at JSUGamecockSports.com.
After a tough week off the field for JSU with the devastation caused by a tornado that hit campus, Jax State looked for a return to normalcy. The Gamecocks put together a thrilling final at-bat in the ninth, highlighted by a pair of home runs by sophomore Andrew Naismith and freshman Alex Strachan to erase a 4-1 deficit. Naismith, who was the only Gamecock to have multiple hits against JU pitching, belted a one-out solo home run to right field to spark the inning. It was Naismith's first home run since opening day. After senior catcher Hayden White drew a two-out walk off of JU closer Chris Mauloni, Strachan was called upon in a pinch-hit role. The Harvest, Alabama native equalized with his first career home run off of Mauloni. It was the second pinch hit home run by the Gamecocks this season.
The JSU momentum was quickly minimized as a leadoff walk started the bounce-back inning for the Dolphins. Sophomore Corley Woods, the fourth of five JSU pitchers on the night walked the leadoff man before senior Trent Simpson was summoned from the bullpen. JU regained the lead on an RBI single to centerfield by Chris Lehane. JU added a second run with another RBI base hit by Angel Camacho. Camacho finished the game 4-for-5 and a pair of RBI.
Jax State tried to mount its second comeback of the night with a pair of runners on base, but Mauloni worked out of the jame for his second win of the season. Woods (0-1) suffered the loss for JSU.
For the first seven innings it was a typical Friday night pitchers duel by JSU's Garrett Farmer and JU's Chris Gau. Farmer went the first five innings and was touched for three of JU's 11 total hits. The Dolphins put together a two-run second off of Farmer to take the lead and it looked like the two runs would hold up as Gau lasted seven innings and allowed one run on six JSU hits. Farmer, who went 7.2 innings last week, was effective again with seven strikeouts.
JSU answered in its half of the second with an RBI single by senior catcher Hayden White. The Gamecocks, who stranded seven on the night, could not push the tying run at third home with no outs. Gau fanned a pair and ended the threat with a ground ball out. JU had ample chances of extending the lead throughout the game, but the Gamecocks were able to get out of the jams. JSU was 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 base runners.