SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Murray State 9, SIUE 8
UT Martin 4, @Tennessee Tech 3
@Belmont 6, Eastern Kentucky 4
@Southeast Missouri 10-4, Morehead State 3-8
Austin Peay 6, @Jacksonville State 4
MURRAY STATE 9, SIUE 8
MURRAY, Ky. - For the second time in as many games, Ramsey Scott provided the walk off heroics for Murray State as his single to right center in the ninth gave the Racers a 9-8 victory in the series finale over SIU Edwardsville. MSU rallied to score five runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the series.
MSU (9-7, 2-1 OVC) collected five hits and drew a pair of walks in the final frame to overcome a deficit that it faced all game long. After back-to-back walks to begin the inning and a single from Mike Farnell, Jaron Robinson provided the first scoring spark in the inning with an RBI single through the right side that scored Grant Wood to make it 8-5. In the next at-bat, Gavin Wehby also singled through the right side of the infield to plate Ryan Perkins and cut the deficit to 8-6.
After a strikeout brought the Racers to their last out, Davis Sims was just a strike away from the game being over when he singled up the middle on a 0-2 pitch to bring home two and tie the game at 8-8. The very next pitch, Scott delivered the walk off as Wehby scored from third.
The Cougars (5-8, 1-2 OVC) jumped on MSU early in the contest, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. MSU was able to get on the board in the bottom of the first on a fielder’s choice by Wood that brought home Brandon Gutzler. Then, in the second inning, SIUE pushed its lead to 5-1 before a Caleb Hicks home run down the right field line brought the score to 5-2. It was Hicks’ second blast of the season.
In the third, the Cougars were again able to extend their lead up to 6-2 before Mike Farnell’s first home run as a Racer in the bottom of the fourth made it 6-3. The two teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth before another two-run inning by the Cougars made it 8-3. In the bottom half of the seventh, a Scott single made it 8-4 but the Racers could get just one run in the inning despite loading the bases. The same thing happened in the eighth as again the bases were loaded for MSU but produced no runs. For the game, the Racers stranded 12 runners on the base paths.
Sims led the Racers in the victory with a 4-for-6 day at the plate with the two RBIs while Scott was 3-of-6 with two ribbies as well. Farnell, Robinson and Wood all added two-hit days for MSU while Gutzler was the only Racer with multiple runs on the day as he scored twice.
Alec Whaley improved his record to 3-1 on the year as he got the win on the day. Whaley pitched 3.1 innings of relief, allowing two runs. Braydon Cook kept the Racers within striking distance for much of the game as went 4.2 innings of relief and allowed just one earned run on four hits. Trevor McMurray made the start, went just one inning and allowed four runs.
UT MARTIN 4, TENNESSEE TECH 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball program picked up its first Ohio Valley Conference victory as it produced a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Tennessee Tech this afternoon.
UT Martin (3-12, 1-2 OVC) received run support out of Ben Aslett (three hits, one home run and one RBI), Collin Edwards (two hits, one home run and one RBI), Jordan Stoner (one hit, one home run and one RBI) and Billy Edwards ( two hits, one triple and one RBI). Freshmen Blake Davis and Ethan Whitley as well as junior Carson Shrode also tallied hits on the day.
Sophomore Sam Folks logged a quality start as he twirled 6.2 innings and allowed just one earned run while striking out one in his time on the mound. Lefty Dom Bazzani (1-1) picked up the victory as he came on in relief in the seventh and put together 1.1 innings of one-hit baseball, fanning one batter in that span. Konnor Aherin earned a save as he came into the game with the one-run lead and pitched a perfect inning and wrung up a Golden Eagle in the process.
The Skyhawks got off to a red-hot start as it took Jordan Stoner just three pitches to belt a round-tripper to give UT Martin an early 1-0 advantage after one inning. Folks was able to make fairly quick work of the Golden Eagles in the first inning as he retired the side on 17 pitches, working around a two-out single.
A pair of first-pitch singles from Davis and Whitley, respectively, put two on with no outs in the second frame but neither runner would be able to be pushed across the plate.
Tennessee Tech plated a trio of runs in the home half of the second to give the Golden Eagles a 3-1 lead but not before Folks sat down a batter via the punch-out.
UT Martin put another run on the scoreboard in the third when Aslett led off the inning with a home run to right field, narrowing the score 3-2. Albright followed Aslett’s home run with a four-pitch walk but no further run support was produced in the frame.
Folks worked out of the bottom of the third inning on a pair of flyouts and a groundout, conceding just one walk in that time. He also found himself in a two-out bases-loaded situation in the fourth but forced a lineout to keep the peace before retiring the side in order in the fifth inning and sixth innings.
Bazzani pitched around a single in the eighth while fanning one in the process.
The Skyhawks evened things up in the ninth as Collin Edwards led off the frame with a homer on the first pitch he saw. Shrode tallied a single later in the inning followed by a Billy Edwards triple that claimed a 4-3 lead for UT Martin.
Aherin entered in the ninth to close the door as he forced the first Golden Eagle he faced into a groundout, the second he retired on a five-pitch strikeout and the last lined out to right field, securing the 4-3 victory for the Skyhawks.
BELMONT 6, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
NASHVILLE - Belmont baseball won its second-consecutive game on Saturday, defeating Eastern Kentucky 6-4.
Belmont improved to 2-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play while EKU dropped to 0-2.
Senior Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.) got off to a hot start on the mound for the Bruins. Belmont retired the first three Colonels in order, including a strike out to end the inning. Etheridge pitched five and two-thirds innings, striking out seven and only walking one.
After a leadoff double by senior Cully Day (Mahomet, Ill.) and a walk by junior Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.), BU made an early threat with runners on first and third with two outs, but the base runners were stranded.
Both squad's struggled early to get any offensive momentum until Belmont struck in the bottom of the third. After Day was hit by a pitch to advance to first, junior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) blasted his first long ball of the season past the left field fence for a two-run homer to give BU an early advantage.
The Colonels responded quickly, starting off the fourth inning with two base hits and taking advantage of a wild pitch to get back a run. Eastern Kentucky kept things going in the top of the fifth, scoring two more runs after a two-run homer of their own. After scoring again in the top of the sixth, the Colonels found themselves with a 4-2 lead after six innings.
The Bruins responded with a big seventh inning to earn the victory. Sophomore Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) started the inning off with a single to right field to become BU's first base runner of the inning. The next three Belmont batters were hit by a pitch and walked which send Cogen home to put the pressure on the Colonels' defense.
Senior Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. Conger blasted a clutch single to left field that drove in Hadden and senior Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) to regain the lead. Belmont would round out the scoring with another single RBI by junior Zach Ehrhart (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) to score senior Austin Reynolds (Smyrna, Tenn.).
Sophomore Jack Rettig (Mahomet, Ill.) pitched an inning of relief for the Bruins. Freshman Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) pitched an inning and a third, only allowing one along with no hits and no walks to earn the victory on the night. Logan Bowen (Bowling Green, Ky.) threw the final inning for the Bruins, retiring the Colonels in order to earn his third save of his freshman campaign.
Belmont out-hit EKU 12-7 and recorded 10 strike outs.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 10-4, MOREHEAD STATE 3-8
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Morehead State baseball split its doubleheader on Saturday at Southeast Missouri. The Eagles dropped the front end of the twin billing 10-3 before capturing the back end 8-4 to avoid the series sweep.
In the two games, the Eagles (7-8/1-2 OVC) knocked around 26 hits, including six extra-base hits. Two of the Eagles' multi-base hits left the yard as Hunter Fain and Trevor Snyder both crushed home runs.
Southeast Missouri jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before Morehead State answered with a run in the top of the fifth. Senior second baseman Braxton Morris slashed a pitch down the left-field line to score freshman designated hitter Bryce Hensor, who singled earlier in the frame.
The Redhawks scored seven runs in the bottom half of the sixth to extend their lead. Six hits with two outs tallied the seven runs in the inning for Southeast Missouri, which added one more run in the seventh to push its lead to 10-1.
Morehead State added a pair of runs late in the game to run its total to three. A bases-loaded walk to Hensor plated junior shortstop Reid Leonard for the Eagles in the eighth. Junior first baseman Trevor Snyder bounced into a double play in the ninth as Morris scored to tally the final run.
Redshirt sophomore Dalton Stambaugh received the start for the Eagles, tossing five innings and striking out five. Sophomore Grant Crosby and freshman Will Lozinak combined to toss three innings out of the pen for the Eagles.
After dropping the first two games of the series, Morehead State's offense exploded in a big way during the nightcap.
The Eagles fell behind 2-0 early but tied the game in the third and never looked back. Shortstop Reid Leonard drew a one-out walk to set the table for senior center-fielder Tyler Niemann. Niemann lined a pitch down the right field line, tripling while driving in Leonard. Morris added a sac fly to center, plating Niemann to tie the game at two apiece.
Morehead State extended the lead in the fourth when junior backstop Hunter Fain smoked a ball off the top of the Capaha Field scoreboard, plating junior designated hitter Adam Rapp and junior Jake Hammon. The round tripper pushed the Eagle lead to 5-2.
First baseman Trevor Snyder touched them all in the fifth, lining a two-run shot off the left field foul pole for his third home run of the season.
Southeast Missouri added two runs in the seventh, but Morehead State added a run in the eighth to expand the lead to 8-4. Fain collected his fourth RBI of the game, singling up the middle to plate Hammon.
Sophomore righty Jake Ziegelmeyer started on the mound for Morehead State, settling down after the two-run first to throw seven complete innings. He scattered nine hits, surrendering four runs, while punching out seven and walking one. Redshirt freshman Cory Conway relieved Ziegelmeyer, tossing two hitless innings and striking out three.
Hensor set the school single-game mark by getting hit by three pitches.
AUSTIN PEAY 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4
OXFORD, Ala. - Catcher David Martinez’ tie-breaking RBI single in the sixth inning salvaged a fine start from starting pitcher Jacques Pucheu as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team downed Jacksonville State, 6-4, Saturday in Ohio Valley Conference action at Choccolocco Park.
Pucheu (2-0) got off to a perfect start, needing just 25 pitches to retire the first nine batters he faced. However, he ran into trouble in the fourth inning as he made his way through the Gamecocks batting order a second time.
Jacksonville State (9-5, 0-2 OVC) touched the Govs lefty for three runs in the fourth, opening with catcher Nic Gaddis’ RBI single. One batter later, designated hitter Trent Simpson hit his second home run of the series, a two-run shot that gave JSU a 3-2 lead.
Pucheu would settle back in and struck out the next two batters to end the fourth. Those two outs were the first of nine consecutive batters he would retire to give the Governors a chance to recover the lead.
Austin Peay (10-5, 2-0) wouldn’t let Jacksonville State enjoy the lead for long, tying the game on right fielder Nick Walker’s ground out in the fifth. One inning later, third baseman Malcolm Tipler singled with one out and Martinez would follow with a two-out single that allowed Tipler to score the go-ahead run.
After Jacksonville State left the bases loaded in the seventh, Austin Peay tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth with Martinez and center fielder Imani Willis each suppling a RBI single following a Gamecocks error, extending the APSU lead to 6-3.
Jacksonville State would have one last golden opportunity to regain the lead in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with three singles. However, reliever Harley Gollert only would allow one run as he induced a RBI ground out and a foul out to end JSU’s final threat.
Pucheu (2-0) picked up the win after allowing three runs on four hits – all in the fourth inning – as he tied his longest career outing with 6.2 innings pitched. He would allow two walks in the seventh while striking out six batters in the contest. Gollert went the final 2.1 innings, allowing a run, to notch his first collegiate save.
Martinez led the Govs with a 2-for-4, two RBI outing while Nick Walker chipped in a 2-for-4, two RBI outing. Shortstop Garrett Kueber scored twice in his 3-for-5 performance while center fielder Imani Willis walked three times and had a hit in his four plate appearances.
Jacksonville State starter Derrick Adams was left with no decision after allowing three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings. Reliever Christian Edwards (0-1) surrendered the game-winning run in his 2.1-inning outing.
Simpson’s 2-for-4, two RBI effort paced Jacksonville State’s offense which saw the top five batters in the order account for all seven of the Gamecocks hits.