FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 8, #16 Tennessee Tech 7
Jacksonville State 7, @SIUE 5
Murray State 11, @UT Martin 3
Belmont 6, @Northwestern 5 (10 innings)
Southeast Missouri 7, @Eastern Kentucky 6
Eastern Illinois 19, @Austin Peay 4
MOREHEAD STATE 8, #16 TENNESSEE TECH 7
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Senior Tyler Niemann's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of ninth inning Friday lifted the Morehead State baseball team to an 8-7 victory over No. 16 Tennessee Tech at Allen Field.
The win, the program's seventh triumph over a nationally-ranked team in the last five seasons, moved MSU to 18-11 in the OVC and 32-22 overall. It also marked the fourth straight season of surpassing the previous school wins mark of 31, set by the 1993 team and originally eclipsed by the 2015 squad. For the second straight day the teams had to endure a weather delay of more than two hours. Tech is now 45-7.
Niemann, who finished with four RBI, knocked four of the final five Eagle runs in after MSU fell behind 6-3 in the sixth. In the bottom of the frame, he smacked a towering two-run run homer down the right-field line to plate junior center-fielder Connor Pauly. He also tied the game in the eighth inning with a sac fly to score senior third baseman Eli Boggess, who had brought the Eagles to within 7-6 with a ferocious RBI double into the left-field corner.
In the ninth, junior first baseman Trevor Snyder got the rally going with a one-out single off TTU reliever Tyler Sylvester. Pauly then slashed a single to right field to put the winning run 180 feet away. Following a fielder's choice ground out, Niemann ripped a 2-0 pitch from reliever Nick Osborne into right field. Pauly raced around second and slid into the plate under a high throw from the outfield to set off the victory celebration in center field.
Junior shortstop Reid Leonard added on to his school-record reached-base streak (46) with a leadoff solo round-tripper in the first inning. Snyder followed suit in the same frame with his team-best 18th four-bagger.
Tech pushed ahead 5-2 before junior right-fielder Jake Hammon cranked his seventh homer of the season to right field in the fifth.
Meanwhile, senior pitcher Kyle Cantu came in after the rain delay and held TTU's vaunted bats to just two runs in 4.2 innings. Left Cory Conway struck out the only two batters he faced with runners in scoring position in the eighth, and sophomore Dom Masullo (3-1) collected the win with a near-perfect ninth frame.
Leonard had three hits, while Pauly, Snyder, Niemann and Hammon had two.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 7, SIUE 5
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Jacksonville State positioned itself to finish the regular season with a sweep and improve its final standing in the Ohio Valley Conference with a series-clinching, 7-5, win over SIU Edwardsville in a persistent rain at the Simmons Complex.
The win secures JSU's sixth OVC weekend series of the season and improved to 29-23 overall and 17-12 in OVC action. Entering the final day of the regular season, tournament seeds, No. 2-6 have yet to be determined. The Cougars fell to 15-37 on the season and 6-23 against conference foes.
The Gamecocks broke open a 1-1 game with back-to-back three-spots in the fifth and sixth. Freshman Isaac Alexander, who was one of three JSU hitters with three hits on the night, delivered a two-out, two-RBI triple in the fifth to give Jax State a lead that it would not relinquish the rest of the way. Sophomore Andrew Naismith, who joined Alexander with a three-hit night, followed him with an RBI single.
Jax State posted three more runs in its next trip to the plate, highlighted by senior Trent Simpson's two-out RBI double. Junior Nic Gaddis, who has touched SIUE pitching for six hits in two games, finished Friday night with a three-hit day, including a two-out triple in the third and scored on Simpson's ball that was misplayed by the Cougar infield. Gaddis drove in the first run in the sixth.
Senior Clayton Daniel moved within one hit of the JSU and OVC record for hits in a career with two hits on Friday night. He will enter the regular season finale one hit shy of matching the record, held by former Gamecock Bert Smith. Smith accumulated 323 career hits from 2006-2010.
It was another quality OVC outing for junior Derrick Adams on the mound en route to picking up his fifth win of the season - all coming against OVC clubs. The Decatur, Alabama lefty issued one run in five innings of work and scattered seven hits. Adams recorded a pair of strikeouts and worked his way out of early inning trouble on multiple occasions.
SIUE clawed its way back in to the game in the seventh with a four-run frame after stringing together four hits. Senior Grant Chandler, who made his 93rd appearance on the mound, finished the seventh and pitched the eighth. Freshman Christian Edwards made his second showing of the weekend and finished the contest for his third save of the year.
MURRAY STATE 11, UT MARTIN 3
MARTIN, Tenn. - Brandon Gutzler hit a seventh inning grand slam to bust the game open Friday night in Martin, Tenn., as Murray State defeated UT Martin, 11-3 to win its fourth consecutive series to close the regular season. The bases-loaded bomb was the second grand slam in as many days for the Racers.
Gutzler, along with Ryan Perkins and Davis Sims led the Racers (26-27, 13-16 OVC) with three-hit nights. Gutzler also led MSU with five ribbies and three runs in the win. Mike Farnell went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of runs scored on the night while Perkins and Sims also scored twice.
MSU jumped out to an early lead for the second straight night as it plated three runs in the top of the second. Gutzler scored the first run as he came home on a wild pitch before Perkins’ first of two doubles made it 2-0. Later in the inning, an RBI groundout by Jaron Robinson made it 3-0.
A Robinson sacrifice fly in the fourth pushed the Racer lead to 4-0 before the Skyhawks (11-40, 7-22 OVC) would get on the board with a run in the fifth and sixth innings to cut the Racers’ lead to 4-2. Gutzler’s ninth homer of the season put a swift end to any thoughts of a UTM comeback.
The Skyhawks made it 8-3 with a run in the bottom of the seventh. In the ninth, the Racers got a three-run inning as Gutzler got an RBI single that was followed by a two-run double by Perkins to make it 11-3.
Gray Dorsey got the win in the predetermined split start. Dorsey improved to 3-0 on the year after going three innings and allowing just a pair of hits with a strikeout. Alec Whaley notched the save as he went the final three innings and allowed one run on three hits while striking out four batters. Luke Brown and Braydon Cook also made relief appearances on the night.
BELMONT 6, NORTHWESTERN 5 (10)
EVANSTON, Ill. - Belmont Baseball defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 6-5 in extra innings on Friday afternoon.
The Bruins fell behind early after allowing a run each in the bottom of the first and second innings.
After two complete innings, freshman Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) took over the mound for the Bruins and forced two-consecutive three-up three down innings to keep the Bruins' in striking distance.
After struggling to get on the board, senior Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) gave the Bruins their first lead of the series with a three-run homer over the right field fence. The Bruins increased their lead when senior Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) smoked a ball over the right field fence for a two-out solo home run, giving the Bruins a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Northwestern wasted little time knotting things back up after scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 4-4 ball game.
After the Bruins were retired in order in the top of the sixth, Brennan continued his impressive performance on the mound, sitting Northwestern down in order in the bottom of the inning to keep things tied.
After a scoreless seventh, the Bruins retook the lead in the top of the eighth. Sophomore Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) leadoff with a single through the right side and stole a base to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Senior Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) then delivered a one-out, infield hit to push Cogen just 90 feet from home plate. On the next play, Cogen was tagged out at home plate, but the Bruins had runners on first and second with two outs. Senior Austin Reynolds (Smyrna, Tenn.) delivered a clutch single to right field to load the bases. Junior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) worked a bases loaded walk to take a 5-4 lead.
Freshman Logan Bowen (Bowling Green, Ky.) entered the game in the bottom of the eighth to try and preserve the narrow Belmont lead. After the first batter reached base after being hit by a pitch, Bowen came up with three-consecutive strikeouts to keep the Wildcats off the board.
The Bruins would try to add to their lead in the top of the ninth but were retired in order and would take a narrow lead into the bottom of the ninth.
After one quick out, the Wildcats strung together consecutive base-hits and took advantage of a Belmont error to tie things up 5-5 with only one out. Bowen kept the Bruins alive, forcing two ground balls to send the game into extra innings.
After a quick out, Kocher recorded his second hit of the ninth with a single up the middle to put the go-ahead run aboard. Senior Cully Day (Mahomet, Ill.) followed him up with a huge RBI double to right field to plate Kocher and give the Bruins a 6-5 lead. After Reynolds worked a walk, and Holland delivered a single through the left side, BU threatened to extend their lead with the bases loaded and just one out. They weren't able to plate any more runs as the next two batters struck out.
With another narrow lead, junior Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) entered the game to try and record his first save of the season. After a leadoff hit and a hit-batsmen, the Wildcats had the tying run in scoring position with one out, Klotz forced a pop up and a fly out to secure the 6-5 victory.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7, EASTERN KENTUCKY 6
RICHMOND, Ky. - Southeast Missouri topped Eastern Kentucky 7-6 in a game that started on Friday and concluded on Saturday after play was suspended due to weather.
SEMO broke a 5-5 tie with two runs in the top of the ninth inning to take game one.
The Redhawks scored both of their final runs on bases loaded walks. Peyton Faulkner singled, Trevor Ezell reached on a base hit and Tristen Gagan walked to put Redhawks at every base. Justin Dirden followed with a walk and Faulkner scored. Wade Stauss later drew a two-out walk and Gagan scored to give SEMO a two-run edge.
A two-out double by Chris Botsoe made it a one-run game in the bottom of the ninth, but that was as close as EKU would get.
Left-hander Aaron Stretch (2-2) picked up the win in relief. Stretch gave up one run on four hits in two innings.
Logan Teague (6-6) suffered the loss. Teague allowed two runs and two hits, and did not get an out.
SEMO collected 10 hits with six coming from Danny Wright and Faulkner at the top of the Redhawks order. Both Wright and Faulkner went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Wright also had three RBI.
The Redhawks hit three home runs and scored in every inning of their game two victory. SEMO scored twice in each of the first, third, fourth and sixth frames.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 19, AUSTIN PEAY 4
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois and Austin Peay had several lightning delays Friday night which ended up suspending play. The two teams continued their game Saturday afternoon picking up in the top of the eighth inning. Eastern Illinois was able to defeat Austin Peay 19-4 to secure the eighth seed in the OVC tournament.
The Panthers would get on the board first in the top of the fourth inning. Dougie Parks would be the Panthers first baserunner of the inning when he reached on a single to left center. Jimmy Huber would drive in Parks with a two-out double to right center. Ryan Knernschield would drive in the Panthers second run of the inning with a double of his own.
The Panthers added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning when Parks belted a two-run homer to left field marking his 14th home run on the season.
David Martinez got the Governor's on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to left field.
Bobby Head would drive in the second run of the game for Austin Peay in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly to left field.
EIU would extend their lead in the top of the seventh inning when Hunter Morris would drive a two-run single up the middle to score Jimmy Govern and Andrew Curran.
Josh Turnock would start the Panthers eighth inning rally off with a hit by pitch. Frankie Perrone would move Turnock into scoring position with a two-out single to short. Curran would drive in the first run of the inning with a single to right field. Joseph Duncan would follow up with a three-run homer to left center. Govern would keep the rally alive reaching on a single to center. Morris would earn his third RBI of the night, driving in Govern with a single to right. Parks would follow up with his second homer of the game and 15th of the season to give the Panthers a 14-2 lead.
Perrone added to the Panther lead in the top of the ninth blasting a three run homer to right center. Morris earned another RBI on the day hitting a one run single through the right side. The Panthers would score their fifth run of the inning when Govern would score on a passed ball.
Tyler Jones earned the win on the mound for the Panthers improving to 7-3 on the season. Jones tossed 6.0 innings, with five hits, five walks, six strikeouts, and two runs. Alex Stevenson earned his first save of the season tossing three innings of relief. Stevenson finished with six hits, two runs, and two strikeouts.