WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee 15,
UT Martin 1
@Butler 4,
Morehead State 2
Northern Kentucky 14,
@Eastern Kentucky 6
Austin Peay 14, @Murray State 11
@#25 Tennessee Tech 14, Middle Tennessee 2
Western Illinois 4,
@SIUE 3 (10 innings)
TENNESSEE 15, UT MARTIN 1
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team suffered a 15-1 loss this afternoon to Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee.
UT Martin (5-25, 2-13 OVC) was led by Blake Davis (two hits and one RBI) as he drove in the squad’s only run in the contest while also drawing a walk. Tyler Albright showed great patience at the plate as he worked the count three times to earn a free base and scored on Davis’ double. Collin Edwards tallied a base knock in the matchup while Jordan Stoner, Anthony Adduci and Caleb Brewer also drew free passes from the Volunteer pitching staff.
Dalton Westfall (0-3) started on the bump today and tossed 2.2 innings. He gave up four earned runs but fanned a total of six batters in his time on the mound. Austen Bullington pitched 0.2 inning while allowing two earned runs in that span. David Hussey went 2.2 innings and rung up four Tennessee batsmen in the process while conceding just one earned run. Jefferey O’Doherty logged one full inning of work and allowed no earned runs in his appearance. Austin Buzick came on for 0.1 inning and was tagged for seven earned runs in that time. Seth Rayburn finished the game out with 0.2 inning and recorded both outs via the punchout while not allowing any runs to cross the plate.
With two outs in the first, Albright worked his first free base of the day on seven pitches to get a runne r on for the Skyhawks but to no avail.Westfall came out guns-a-blazing in the first as he retired the side in order on strikeouts on 13 pitches.
Davis tallied his first hit of the day in the second frame as he rapped out a single to left field on the first pitch he saw but the UT Martin bats were unable to bring him home.
Tennessee took a 3-0 lead in the second but not before Westfall mowed down a pair of Volunteers and Davis caught a runner trying to steal second to get out of the inning.
Over the next three innings, Tennessee would pick up four runs to extend its lead out to 7-0. Hussey would come on in the fourth with a pair of runners on and just one out. He worked his way around a walk to force a pair of popups.
Edwards picked up a single to lead off the fifth but was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double. Davis then worked a five-pitch walk but would be stranded on the basepaths. Hussey sat down a couple of Volunteers in the fifth on strikeouts, both of the swinging variety.
Working a four-pitch walk, Stoner gave the Skyhawks a base runner in the sixth but a ground ball would end the inning. Picking up two more strikeouts in the sixth, Hussey was also able to keep Tennessee off of the scoreboard.
The top of the seventh looked bright for UT Martin as both Albright and Adduci were able to draw a walk each to lead off the frame but to no avail. The Volunteers put up one run in the seventh inning and then struck for seven in the eighth to claim a 15-0 advantage. Rayburn came on in the eighth and worked around some trouble to sit down two Tennessee batsmen via strikeout to end the frame.
Albright drew a four-pitch walk in the ninth to get something started for the Skyhawks. Pinch hitting, Brewer then worked a five-pitch walk to pressure the Volunteers even more. Davis then stepped into the batter’s box and ripped a double to left field to plate Albright and put UT Martin in the scoring column, 15-1.
BUTLER 4, MOREHEAD STATE 2
INDIANAPOLIS - Despite rallying to tie the game in the eighth inning, Morehead State baseball team saw Butler plate two runs with two outs in the bottom of the frame to pull out a 4-2 win over the Eagles at Bulldog Park Wednesday.
A sacrifice fly off the bat of junior center-fielder Connor Pauly plated junior left-fielder Niko Hulsizer with the tying run in the eighth, but Butler took advantage of an infield single and a wild pitch to get runners on second and third in the home half of the eighth. A two-out, two-strike single plated the go-ahead and insurance runs.
MSU trailed 2-0 before a two-out fielding error in the fourth allowed Hulsizer to scamper home to cut the deficit in half. Despite not getting a hit, Hulsizer scored both runs as he got on via an error and walked too.
Freshman righthander Will Lozinak gave the Eages four strong innings in relief of starter Kyle Cantu, who surrendered two runs in the opening two farmes. Lozinak only gave up two hits and struck out three. Cory Conway (4-2) ultimately was tagged with the loss, giving up two hits in the eighth, including a chopper back to him that the Butler baserunner beat out to first base to start their rally.
MSU was limited to four hits. Junior shortstop Reid Leonard had one of the hits to extend his reached-base streak to 26 games. Senior second baseman Braxton Morris was 0-for-4 and saw his team-best 34-game reached base finally thwarted.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 14, EASTERN KENTUCKY 6
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University’s four-game winning streak was snapped with a 14-6 loss to visiting Northern Kentucky University on Wednesday at Earle Combs Stadium.
Both teams scored one run in the first inning. Chris Botsoe tied it for EKU with a single through the left side.
NKU pulled away in the top of the fourth. Griffin Doersching capped the six-run inning with a grand slam over the wall in left center, putting the visitors in front 7-1.
The Colonels cut into a 9-1 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded and two outs, Daniel Harris IV ripped a double into left field to clear the bases. Harris then came home on Jacob Abbott’s single to left to make it a 9-5 game.
Will Johnson finished 2-for-2 for EKU. Alex Holderbach went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Nick Howie had a 2-for-3 day with two walks and scored a run. Harris was 1-for-5 with a run and three driven in.
Will Haueter led the Norse with four hits in four at bats, scored twice and drove in two runs. Chad Roberts finished 3-for-6 with three runs and three RBIs. Doersching’s lone hit was the game-changing grand slam. He was 1-for-4 with two walks and four RBIs.
AUSTIN PEAY 14, MURRAY STATE 11
MURRAY, Ky. - Pitcher Ethan Clark provided 2.2 innings of scoreless relief and second baseman Garrett Giovannelli supplied the game-winning two-run double in the ninth as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team scored five times in the ninth inning to post a 14-11 nonconference victory against Murray State, Wednesday night at Reagan Field.
Austin Peay (19-15) ran out to an early 8-3 lead only to watch Murray State rally for eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take an 11-8 lead. But amidst the Racer’s five-run sixth inning, Clark entered the game and struck out two batters and left the bases loaded to stem a larger outburst.
The Governors would get one run back in the eighth. Designated hitter Brett Newberg led off with a double and Giovannelli followed one batter later with a pinch-hit double to drive in Newberg, cutting the deficit to 11-9.
Austin Peay would save the true comeback for the ninth. The first three batters reached safely to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, Newberg supplied a run with a single to shallow right field. Then, with two out, Giovannelli laced a double to the right center gap to drive in two runs for a 12-11 lead. Center fielder Imani Willis followed with a double to left center for two more runs and a 14-11 advantage.
The late burst handed Clark (1-0) his first collegiate win. He faced 12 batters in 2.2 innings of relief, striking out a career-high five. He made way for Brandon Vial in the ninth, who induced three consecutive ground outs to notch his second save.
Giovannelli led the Govs with three RBI and two doubles in his only two plate appearances off the bench. Newberg and outfielder Nick Walker each had two hits and two RBI.
Murray State (17-15) lost despite hitting the game’s only three home runs. Second baseman Grant Wood hit a three-run home run in the first for the Racers first runs. Designated hitter Mike Farnell added a two-run home run in the fifth. Shortstop Jaron Robinson gave Murray State the lead with his sixth-inning grand slam.
Caleb Hicks (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing the first three batters in the ninth to reach base, all three scoring for the only runs he allowed in one inning of work.
#25 TENNESSEE TECH 14, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - On the heels of earning its highest ever national ranking, the No. 25 Tennessee Tech baseball team kept its offense rolling at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex Wednesday evening.
The Golden Eagles (26-5) dropped the hammer early to defeat in-state rival Middle Tennessee (18-16) and extend the nation's longest winning streak to 17 straight games. Pounding out 17 hits, Tech earned a 14-2 victory after scoring 11 runs over the first three frames.
The offense seemed to forget that batting practice ended prior to first pitch, gathering four straight hits to kick off the game. Center fielder Alex Junior led off the game with a single to his counterpart. Returning to the lineup after missing two games with an injury, senior Trevor Putizg blasted the first pitch he saw clear over the wall in right center field for a 2-0 lead.
Almost immediately, junior Kevin Strohschein hammered a 2-1 pitch for a solo bomb to center field to make it 3-0. The two players have now connected back-to-back for each of their last home runs apiece. Both also have 10 dingers on the year, tied for the team lead.
In the third, Tech continued to roll. Junior led off the frame with another base hit and Putzig followed with a single through the left side. Strohschein drew a walk, setting up senior Chase Chambers for some fireworks. The first baseman torched a 3-2 pitch to right center field for a grand slam, his ninth long ball of the year. The veteran would finish the day an impressive 4-for-4 before being subbed out late in the contest.
Tech would go on to score another four runs in the frame, putting the game away early with an 11-0 lead. Junior would go yard in the bottom of the fifth inning with his sixth dinger of the year. He gathered four hits in five at bats, finishing just a triple shy of the cycle. Freshman first baseman Jason Hinchman, who relieved Chambers in the eighth frame at first, turned in his third home run of the year, crushing a line drive over the wall in right center field.
On the mound, Nic Dye was very effective through five innings, earning his third victory of the season while allowing just one run. He scattered four hits, two walks and two hit batsman thanks to some great defense. The sophomore southpaw fanned five in the contest as well.
Tech turned three double plays on the night, including two with Dye on the mound. Catcher Brennon Kaleiwahea was a defensive stalwart on the night as well, throwing out a Blue Raider runner attempting to steal second and back picking a runner off first base.
Grant Phillips, Jacob Parham, Zack Wilcox, Seth Noel and Nick Osborne combined to wrap up the final four innings for the Golden Eagles, combining for seven strikeouts and just one run. Osborne came out of right field for the ninth and struck out the side to clinch Tech's 17th consecutive victory.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 4, SIUE 3 (10)
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Western Illinois edged SIUE baseball 4-3 in 10 innings Wednesday night at Simmons Complex to claim the first of two scheduled meetings between the two teams.
WIU first baseman Bailey Montgomery singled to start the 10th inning and scored on a one-out double by Mitch Ellis. SIUE dropped to 7-23 overall. Western Illinois improved to 7-19.
Michael Shereyk (0-2) pitched the 10th inning and suffered the loss. He allowed the two hits and struck out one.
The Cougars had tied the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Garret Carmichael tripled to open the inning and scored on a fielder's choice from Jordan Ross with one out to even the score 3-3.
Western Illinois took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Drue Galassi. The Leathernecks made it 3-0 in the third inning, when Ellis drove in his first run of the game.
Ellis and Galassi each had two hits for Western Illinois.
SIUE scored twice in the third inning on three consecutive two-out hits. Eric Giltz tripled, Jared McCunn doubled and Brock Weimer singled to cut the lead to 3-2. It stayed that way until the eighth.
SIUE had several opportunities for more runs. The Cougars left 15 runners on base. After loading the bases in the fifth inning with one out, the Cougars failed to score. SIUE loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning before a double play ball.
The Cougars left runners at second and third when the game ended.
Freshman Collin Baumgartner allowed two runs in two innings in his first. He struck out two and allowed four hits.
Eight different relievers, including Shereyk, threw one inning out of the bullpen. Bret Taucher allowed the run in the third inning. A.J. Johnson, Tristan Walters, Mike Miller, Braydon Bone, Mason McReaken and Chris Robinson each collected a scoreless inning.
Western Illinois also used nine pitchers. Jordan Mikel (0-2) earned the win in relief.
Giltz, McCunn and Carmichael each had three hits for the Cougars, who outhit the Leathernecks 11-10.