FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 6, SIUE 2
@Southeast Missouri 9, Belmont 8 (10 innings)
@Murray State 14, Morehead State 8
@#19 Tennessee Tech 12, Eastern Kentucky 6
@Jacksonville State 9, UT Martin 3
Austin Peay 6, @#5 Clemson 3
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, SIUE 2
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois was able to take game one of their final three games at Coaches Stadium this season. EIU defeated SIUE, 6-2 Friday afternoon.
With the win Eastern Illinois advances to 19-29 (8-17 OVC), while SIUE drops to 14-33 (5-20 OVC).
Jones got the start on the mound for the Panthers to open up the series against SIUE. Jones tossed 6.1 innings, with six hits, five strikeouts, three walks, and two runs. Jones had retired a total 11 straight batters from the top of the third inning until the top of the seventh. Jones earned his sixth win of the season improving to 6-3.
The Panthers go on the board in the bottom of the second inning jumping out to a 1-0 lead. Ryan Knernschield drove in the first run of the game with a single through the right side to score Jimmy Govern.
Eastern Illinois would add to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning scoring five runs. Logan Beaman got the Panthers fifth inning rally started with a one-out single up the middle. Dougie Parks followed up with a single down the left field line. Hunter Morris would load the bases for the Panthers hitting a single to left center. Govern would drive in two runs hitting a two run single to center. After a pitching change for SIUE, Jimmy Huber kept the hit parade alive driving a one run single to right. The Panthers would send Hunter Beetley into the game to pinch hit for Matt Albert. Govern would make his way home, scoring on a passed ball and Huber would advance to third. Beetley would drive in sixth run of the game hitting a sacrifice fly to center.
SIUE would get on the board in the top of the seventh when they would rally to score two runs. Garret Carmichael would drive in the Cougars first run of the game with a single up the middle. Eric Giltz would drive in the second run of the inning for SIUE with a single to right field.
Blake Malatestinic would earn his third save of the season tossing 2.2 innings of relief. Malatestinic finished with two walks, two strikeouts, and a hit.
Govern finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs, and a walk. Knernschield finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, BELMONT 8 (10)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Alex Canty ripped a one-out single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Southeast Missouri (22-26, 16-9) a 9-8 walk-off victory over Belmont (16-33, 10-18) Friday night at Capaha Field.
Belmont's only error of the game was costly as Justin Dirden singled and moved into scoring position when pitcher Kyle Brennan mis-handled Danny Wright's grounder. Canty followed with the game-winning hit and Dirden scored to complete SEMO's come-from-behind thriller.
SEMO trailed 8-4 after six-and-a-half innings before tying the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Connor Basler drew a two-out walk and Devon Wilson singled to right field. Peyton Faulkner added a single and Basler scored. On the next play, Trevor Ezell doubled home Wilson. Triusten Gagan then hit Brennan's third pitch for a two-RBI double to tie the game shortly after a pitching change.
The Redhawks wound up erasing a five-run deficit after Belmont used a three-run home run by Kyle Conger in the first inning and two more home runs to key a four-run fourth inning. SEMO was behind, 7-2, following the long balls.
It was then in the sixth when Dirden narrowed the Bruins lead to three on a two-RBI single. The momentum from Dirden's hit carried over to SEMO's big seventh inning.
Left-hander Daniel Bergtholdt (1-4) earned his first win of the season out of the bullpen. Bergtholdt struck out three and walked none in 2.1 scoreless innings.
In the first Friday start of his career, Carlos Vega worked 3.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Vega gave up six runs on five hits, including three home runs, in his no-decision.
SEMO outhit Belmont, 14-10.
Dirden had a huge night going 4-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI and the game-winning run. Gagan and Ezell contributed two hits each and combined for three runs. Both of Ezell's hits were doubles. Faulkner scored two runs, as well.
Brennan (2-3) suffered the loss for Belmont. He allowed a run on three hits, struck out three and walked one in 2.2 innings of relief.
The Bruins finished with 10 hits.
MURRAY STATE 14, MOREHEAD STATE 8
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State bats were popping Friday night at Reagan Field as the Racers opened their series with Morehead State with a 14-8 victory, belting out 17 hits, eight of which went for extra bases, including four home runs.
Ramsey Scott and Grant Wood led MSU (23-25, 10-15 OVC) with three-hit nights in the victory. Mike Farnell, Brandon Gutzler, Ryan Perkins, Davis Sims and Gavin Wehby all had two hits on the evening. Farnell and Gutzler scored three runs each to lead the way while Farnell, Gutzler and Scott all recorded three RBIs.
The Eagles (30-20, 16-9 OVC) struck first in the contest, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the second to take a 2-0 lead. MSU wasted little time behind however, as Gutzler scored on a Morehead error in the bottom half of the inning to make it 2-1 and in the third, home runs by Gutzler and Jaron Robinson gave the Racers a 5-2 lead.
After a Wehby triple to right center in the fourth made it 6-2, Morehead was able to cut the Racer lead in half to 6-4 with a two-run homer in the fifth. In the bottom half of the fifth, Farnell belted a solo homer to center field and three batters later, Perkins got a sacrifice fly RBI to left field and the Racers were back up 8-4.
A four-run top of the sixth for the Eagles tied the game up at 8-8 but MSU would quickly regain the lead in the bottom half on a Sims RBI single and a Farnell sac fly that scored Wood to make it 10-8. In the eighth, the Racers got four insurance runs as Farnell got an RBI base knock and in the next at-bat, Scott delivered a three-run blast over the right field wall to put the nail in the coffin.
Chance Carner picked up the win to move his record to 3-2 on the year. Carner pitched 1.2 innings of relief and allowed one unearned run. Caleb Hicks and Connor Holden also made appearances out of the bullpen. Trevor McMurray got the start on the hill for MSU and went 5.1 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits.
#19 TENNESSEE TECH 12, EASTERN KENTUCKY 6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - For the second time in as many years, the No. 19 ranked Tennessee Tech baseball team has claimed the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship, taking home the 2018 title following a 12-6 victory over Eastern Kentucky Friday evening.
The team's 10th overall title came on a night where history was meant to be broken. The Golden Eagles (42-6, 23-2) set the program record for wins with the six-run victory over the Colonels (26-24, 15-10), collecting their 42nd win of the season to break the previous mark set last season.
Tossing at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex for the final time in his four-year career, senior Travis Moths turned in gem for the Golden Eagles, tossing seven innings with just three earned runs allowed. The right-hander tied his season-high with nine strikeouts without walking a batter.
Moving to an OVC-best 11-1 on the year, Moths tied the Tech career record for victories with his 23rd overall win, matching the effort turned in by Tristan Archer (2010-13).
The Golden Eagle offense jumped out early to provide Moths with a five-run lead he could cruise with comfortably the rest of the way. The Louisville, Tenn. native surrendered just three earned runs on the night, all on solo home runs
After Eastern Kentucky recorded two outs in the bottom of the second, with two men on, the Tech bats really went to work. Redshirt freshman Zell Walkerlaced a single through the left side to drive in the first run of the ball game.
Center fielder Alex Junior followed with a walk to load the bases, setting up senior Brennon Kaleiwahea for a two-run single to left field. After a walk to junior Kevin Strohschein, senior Chase Chambers delivered key knock, ripping a single up the middle to drive in two more for the 5-0 lead.
The Colonels gathered solo shots in the third and fifth inning, but Tech answered in the bottom of the fifth. Senior shortstop David Garza led off the frame with a double down the right field line. Senior Collin Harris then uncorked a two-run missile to left center field, his seventh home run of the season.
Not only did the bomb put the lead back to five runs, it also represented another milestone for Tech on the night. It marked the team's 107th long ball of the season, setting a new national, single-season record for most dingers during the BBCOR bat era.
EKU snagged another solo blast in the sixth, but once again, the Golden Eagle offense was up to the task of matching it and more. Strohschein drove in a run on a ground out to kick off the scoring, but it was a mighty swing from a newbie into the contest that delivered the crippling blow.
Pinch hitting in the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Anthony Carrera hammered a three-run jack-job to right field that not only cleared the fence, but landed on Tech Softball Field for a no-doubt shot. Eastern Kentucky scored three times in the ninth to go down with a fight, but Grant Phillips posted the final two outs before the dogpile on the mound could ensue.
Kaleiwahea led Tech offensively with a 3-for-3 showing that included two RBI, two runs scored and getting plunked twice.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 9, UT MARTIN 3
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Redshirt sophomore Garrett Farmer turned in a career high 12 strikeouts and senior Clayton Daniel collected three hits to lead Jacksonville State to a 9-3 win over UT Martin on Friday night in the opening game of the Ohio Valley Conference weekend series at Choccolocco park.
The Gamecocks improved to 25-21 overall and 14-11 in OVC play, while the Skyhawks dropped to 10-36 on the season and 6-19 in league games. JSU has now won 21 of the last 24 meetings with UTM dating back to 2011. The final OVC home series continues on Saturday with a start time of 3 p.m. Jax State will honor its seven seniors prior to the start of the contest.
Farmer, who went 8.0 innings for the third time this season, was economical on the mound en route to notching his sixth win of the season. The Huntsville, Alabama native scattered 10 UTM hits and allowed three runs. He was one strikeout from matching a season high for strikeouts in a single game this season by an OVC pitcher. Tennessee Tech's Marcus Evey fanned 13 Skyhawks on March 9. Farmer now has three OVC games in which he has posted double digit strikeouts. His previous career high was 10 against Southeast Missouri on April 13 and the following Friday at Belmont.
Daniel's chase for the program's all-time career hits record and the OVC's career hits mark reached single digits with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. He now has accumulated 314 career hits and is chasing former Gamecock Bert Smith, who has the program and league all-time mark of 323 career hits. The Guntersville, Alabama infielder broke JSU's career doubles record last weekend at Morehead State, a record held by former Gamecock Sam Eberle (62) and tied the OVC's all-time double mark in a career on Wednesday against Samford. He matched former Southeast Missouri standout Jeremy Johnson's record of 65. Johnson has held the record since 2000.
It didn't take long for Daniel to become the all-time leader in doubles as a player in the OVC with a bases-clearing double to centerfield to cap off a seven-run first inning for the Gamecocks. JSU took advantage of UTM starter, Dom Bazzani's ineffectiveness. JSU chased him in the first inning after issuing five walks and a two RBI double by senior Trent Simpson. Daniel's two-bagger came off of UTM reliever Austen Bullington. Bullington did a good job of saving the UTM bullpen with seven complete innings and allowed seven Jax State hits and a pair of runs.
JSU extended the lead to 8-1 in the third on Daniel's second double of the day. The final run recorded by the Gamecocks came in the eighth as senior Hayden White had a pinch hit RBI single. The hit extended his on-base streak to 30 games.
Simpson and Isaac Alexander joined Daniel to combine for seven of the nine hits by JSU. UTM out-hit Jax State10-9. Simpson and Alexander each had a two-hit game.
Junior Austin Brewster pitched the ninth and tallied a pair of strikeouts. Farmer and Brewster combined for 14 strikeouts.
AUSTIN PEAY 6, #5 CLEMSON 3
CLEMSON, S.C. - Pitchers Michael Costanzo and Brett Newberg did not allow a run after the fourth inning as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team used an early offensive onslaught to down No. 5 Clemson, 6-3, in nonconference action, Friday night, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Austin Peay (30-20) broke out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings, using four singles to score two runs in the first before hitting a pair of solo home runs in the fourth inning. Freshman shortstop Bobby Head hit his first collegiate home run in the fourth followed by Garrett Giovannelli’s sixth homer this season.
Clemson (37-13) would answer back in the third inning. Tigers shortstop Logan Davidson reached base on an infield single, bringing right fielder Seth Beer to the plate. Beer would cut the Govs lead in half with a home run to right field.
The teams would trade runs in the fourth inning. Austin Peay hit back-to-back doubles, Head again supplying an RBI, in the top of the inning. The Tigers responded with a double and a single in the bottom of the inning.
Austin Peay would get a key insurance run in the ninth inning when first baseman Parker Philips drove his 18th home run of the season. He is now one shy of tying the Governors single-season home run record set by Nate Manning in 1996.
Costanzo (9-1) made the most of the early run support, scattering eight hits over his six-inning outing. He got stronger late, retiring the Tigers in order in fifth and striking out the final two batters he faced in the sixth inning.
Newberg would enter the game to start the seventh inning and would work out of jams in the seventh and ninth innings. Clemson would get the tying run aboard in the seventh after a leadoff single and a walk only to see Newberg strike out a batter to end the threat.
Clemson would piece together a bigger threat to the Governors lead in the ninth, using back-to-back two-out singles to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of cleanup hitter Chas Williams. But Newberg induced a line drive out to center field, ending the game for his season’s sixth save.
Head would pace the Governors offense with his 3-for-4 outing that saw him fall a triple shy of the cycle while batting in two runs. Giovannelli went 2-for-5 with a RBI and scored twice in the win.
Clemson starter Jacob Hennessy made just two turns through the Governors order in the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in his 3.1 innings. Beer went 2-for-4 with two RBI while Davidson and catcher Kyle Wilkie each had three hits.