MONDAY'S SCORES
Miami (Ohio) 10,
@Murray State 3
@Louisiana-Monroe 4,
SIUE 1
Eastern Illinois 8, @Western Kentucky 1
MIAMI (OHIO) 10, MURRAY STATE 3
MURRAY, Ky. - Looking for a series win, Murray State took on Miami (OH) in the rubber game, Monday afternoon at Reagan Field, but the RedHawks prevailed with a 10-3 victory.
The major highlight of the game for the Racers came in the eighth inning as Murray State pulled off a 5-4-3 triple play, going around the horn, to get out of a jam. It is just the third triple play in MSU history having also done so on March 29, 2016, against Kentucky State and March 8, 2006, at Ole Miss.
Brock Anderson went 2-2 with a home run and two RBI, Monday while Bryan Chilton added two hits and an RBI as well.
Jake Jones pitched five innings in relief and allowed just two runs and had three strikeouts to keep the Racers in the game through the middle innings.
It was a bit of a rough start for MSU as the RedHawks scored four runs before the Racers came to bat. Anderson got a run back in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to score Jaron Robinson, who had walked earlier.
After Miami added two more runs in the fourth, the Racers tacked on a run in the bottom of the inning. Wes Schad singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch before coming around to score on a single by Chilton.
The RedHawks put the game away in the eighth with four runs before the triple play ended the inning. In the bottom half, Anderson connected for a solo shot the opposite way for his second home run in as many days.
LOUISIANA-MONROE 4, SIUE 1
MONROE, La. - SIUE baseball dropped the final game of a three-game series 4-1 Monday at Louisiana-Monroe.
The Cougars dipped to 1-5 for the season. ULM improved to 3-3.
The Warhawks took a 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning before the Cougars evened the score with their lone run in the fifth inning. Peyton Cordova-Smith opened the inning with a walk. Eric Giltz singled with one out and then Jack Rigoni singled with two outs to drive home Cordova-Smith.
ULM chased SIUE starter David Llorens with a three-run sixth inning. Llorens fell to 0-2 with the loss. He allowed four runs, three earned, in 5 2/3 innings.
The Cougars managed just four hits against ULM starter Kayleb Sanderson (1-0) and two relievers. Sanderson allowed just the run on four hits in seven innings. He struck out seven. Rigoni finished 2 for 4 with the RBI.
Colin Gordon was 2 for 3 for Louisiana-Monroe.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 8, WESTERN KENTUCKY 1
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team closed out their series against Western Kentucky on Monday. EIU secured their first win of their season defeating WKU 8-1.
With the win EIU advances to 1-5, while WKU drops to 5-2.
Spenser Dexter was dominant on the mound for the Panthers tossing 8.1 innings. Dexter recorded seven strikeouts and only allowed one run on the afternoon. Dexter picked up his first win of the 2019 season and advanced to 1-0.
EIU broke into the scoring column in the top of the first inning when Matt Mackey would drive an RBI double down the left field line. The Panthers continued their offensive push in the second inning adding another run to their lead. Dane Toppel would drive in the Panthers second run of the game when he grounded out to short to score Ryan Knernschield.
The Panthers added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning with five runs. Jimmy Huber led off the inning with a leadoff homerun to right field. Knernschield followed up with a single to center. Grant Emme would draw a walk to give the Panthers runner on the corners after Knernschield advanced to third on a wild pitch. Toppel would drive in Knernschield with a double down the left field line. Kieth Kerrigan would keep the Panther rally alive with a two run single up the middle. Mackey would earn his second RBI of the afternoon with a sacrifice fly to right center.
Kerrigan would earn his third RBI on the afternoon with a one run single to right field to score Emme in the top of the seventh.
Western Kentucky was able to break the shutout with a run in the bottom of the ninth.
Kerrigan finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs. Toppel went 2-for-5 with two RBIS, a double, and a run.