SUNDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 3-1, @Southeast Missouri 0-0
Austin Peay 2-3, @Murray State 0-11
@Belmont 2-3, Morehead State 0-4
@Jacksonville State 12, Eastern Illinois 5
@Tennessee Tech 12-7, SIUE 6-6
@Eastern Kentucky 16-2, Oakland 10-1
UT MARTIN 3-1, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0-0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball program swept today’s doubleheader against Southeast Missouri with a pair of shutouts. The Skyhawks blanked the Redhawks in Game 1 by a 3-0 margin while shutting out Southeast Missouri 1-0 in Game 2.
UT Martin (6-9) tied its Division-I record of four shutouts on the season, matching the 1996 squad. The Skyhawks tallied a pair of 1-0 victories over North Alabama earlier in the season.
Leading the way on the day was the bat of Ethan Whitley (three hits and two RBIs) while Jordan Stoner (four hits and one RBI) and Blake Daniels (one RBI) also gave UT Martin the run support it needed to come out victorious in the twin bill.
In Game 1, Sam Folks (3-0) tossed the program’s first complete game since Patrick Bernard did so on April 23, 2016 against Jackson State and the first complete game shutout since Calen Sutton tossed a seven-inning clean sheet on April 26, 2008. The last time that a Skyhawk pitcher threw a nine-inning shutout was when Derek Link went the distance against Mississippi Valley State on April 27, 2006. Folks’ day ended up with him not allowing an extra-base hit in the contest while fanning a trio of Redhawks along the way.
Game 2 was a seven-inning affair and saw David Hussey (1-2) log 6.1 innings of work. He allowed seven hits but sat down four Southeast Missouri batters in his time toeing the rubber. Nick Wohlbold tallied his fourth save of the season as he tossed 0.2 inning.
The first game of the day saw Whitley (two hits and two RBIs) and Stoner (three hits and one RBI) provide the offensive thrust needed to jolt ahead of the Redhawks. Casey Harford collected a pair of base knocks while Robert Worley, Blake Davis and Creighton Eldridge all tallied one apiece.
In his big day, Folks allowed just four hits and issued three walks in his complete game shutout as he whiffed three Southeast Missouri batsmen.
Folks would not allow a hit through the first four frames of action as he chewed through the lineup in the aforementioned span.
UT Martin got on the scoreboard in the eighth as Harford led off the inning with a first-pitch single up the middle. Later, a Davis walk would put a pair of runners on in time for a Whitley double down the left field line to plate both teammates and give the Skyhawks a 2-0 lead.
Adding on another run for some insurance, UT Martin opened the ninth with a Sean Dixson free base. Blake Daniels moved Dixson over via a sacrifice bunt just before Stoner pelted a single up the middle to plate Dixson and put the lead out to 3-0.
Folks kept his composure in the waning moments of the game as he forced a flyout to open the ninth inning. He then induced a couple of pop ups to second to finish off what he started and give UT Martin the victory.
Daniels provided the lone Skyhawk run in Game 2 while Stoner, Davis, Whitley and Tyson Cox all chipped in for a base knock each.
Hussey’s 6.1-inning start was highlighted by his four strikeouts as he allowed seven hits and issued a pair of free bases. Wohlbold came on in the abbreviated game to close out his fourth game of the young season.
Hussey worked out of trouble in his opening frame of work as he gave up a leadoff single to retire the next two batters via the punchout. Another Redhawk would strike for a single but Hussey sat down the next batter on strikes to avoid the big inning.
The Skyhawks struck in the fifth as Whitley led off the frame with a knock up the middle. Cox then laid down a sacrifice bunt to shift Whitley over and then a Dixson fielder’s choice allowed him to move up to third. Then Daniels’ worked out a fielder’s choice of his own to plate Whitley and provide the lone run of the contest.
The Southeast Missouri fifth opened with a single but the runner would be erased on a Davis throw down to second to catch the attempted base stealer. Hussey then found a pair of friendly fly balls to get out the frame. In the sixth, Hussey kept chugging along as he retired the side in order via a foul out and a couple of groundouts to make quick work of the inning.
Hussey forced the first batter of the seventh to flyout before giving up his final hit of his outing. Wohlbold then came on to close the door as he found a groundout to short and second, respectively to secure the win.
AUSTIN PEAY 2-3, MURRAY STATE 0-11
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State baseball team opened up Ohio Valley Conference play with a doubleheader against Austin Peay, Sunday at Reagan Field. After the Governors took game one in a pitcher's duel, 2-0, the Racers exploded in the second game, winning 11-3.
The Racers move to 4-9 on the season and 1-1 in the OVC while Austin Peay goes to 5-7 and also 1-1 in conference play. The Racers also move won step closer to claiming the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border as they now lead 26-11.
Trevor McMurray was the tough-luck loser in game one as he pitched a gem, throwing seven innings of four-hit ball, allowing just one run while striking out seven. OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Jacque Pucheu pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing just two hits to earn the win.
The Governors scored in the second inning to take the lead, which turned out to be enough for Pucheu. They added an insurance run in the eighth before handing the ball over to Brett Newberg for the ninth, earning the save.
Brock Anderson and Jordan Holly were the only two Racers to record hits. The best chance for Murray State came in the fifth when Dylan Letellier reached second base on a throwing error with two outs but was stranded.
In game two, Shane Burns had a lot more room for error but did not need it, as he also threw seven innings, allowing just three runs on four hits while striking out six.
Tyler Duke and Brock Anderson were the stars of game two at the plate as Duke went 3-4 with a leadoff home run and two RBI while Anderson was 3-5 with two home runs and three runs batted in. Anderson became the first Racer to have a multi-home run game since Jaron Robinson hit two against Eastern Illinois on March 24 of last season.
After Duke led off the game with a home run to dead center, Anderson followed two batters later with a two-run home run right down the right-field line. The Racers were not done in the first as they sent 12 batters to the plate, getting RBI singles from Robinson, Holly, and Duke.
The Governors got on the board with a single run in the second, but Murray State answered back in the home half as Wes Schad doubled and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. The Racers scored their eighth run of the game in the fourth when Ryan Perkins knocked in Jake Slunder on a groundout.
In the sixth, Anderson clobbered his second home run of the day to right field. Perkins followed with a walk before stealing second and third and coming into score on a sacrifice fly by Sean Darmafall. Darmafall drove in Perkins again in the eighth as he singled off the first baseman's glove to knock in Perkins from third.
Justin Thomas pitched the final two innings, allowing no runs and just two hits.
BELMONT 2-3, MOREHEAD STATE 0-4
NASHVILLE - Morehead State baseball battled Belmont in a doubleheader Sunday with both teams taking a game each in a closely contested OVC dogfight. The Bruins took the first game 2-0 before the Eagles edged Belmont 4-3 in the seven-inning nightcap.
In game one, freshman pitcher Landon Weins stymied Belmont for 5.1 innings, allowing just two hits and no runs, but the offense was held in check too. MSU totaled seven hits to Belmont's four, but the Eagles also whiffed five times at the plate.
Belmont scored the game's only runs in the bottom of the third as Devon Gardner's RBI single up the middle plated the first run, and a ground out on a double play scored the other.
Senior shortstop Reid Leonard and junior Ryan Layne connected on two hits each. Senior left-fielder Jake Hammon extended his reached-base streak to 35 games, but senior center-fielder Connor Pauly saw his lengthy reached-base streak come to an end at 41.
Joshua South tossed a complete game shutout to improve to 2-1. MSU starter Garret Rogers cruised through two frames but then issued three walks after and exited. He fell to 1-1.
In game two, MSU scored the eventual winning run on a RBI ground out by Pauly in the top of the seventh.
The Eagles opened the scoring in the top of the second as senior catcher Hunter Fain delivered a soft single to center field to score senior Trevor Snyder, who had doubled.
MSU plated another pair in the third. Leonard doubled to right field and later scored on a wild pitch. On the same pitch, Hammon motored to second. Later in the frame, Snyder sent a slow roller to third base that resulted in a hit and also scored Hammon as the ball scooted under the third baseman's glove, and Hammon beat the ensuing throw to the plate.
In the top of the fifth, however, Belmont tied the game on Jackson Campbell's three-run homer to left field.
Sophomore Will Lozinak tossed the first 5.2 innings, allowing six hits. Junior Jake Ziegelmeyer then relieved him, getting the final out of the inning on a grounder with a runner at third.
Ziegelmeyer (2-0) picked up the win, getting the final two outs in the seventh after runners reached second and third. He got a strike out and a fly out to end it.
Snyder finished 3-for-3 in the final game.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 12, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State claimed the opening series of Ohio Valley Conference play after erupting for eight runs over the last four innings to down Eastern Illinois, 12-5, on Sunday afternoon at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
Coupled with Jax State's 12th-inning walk off win, it has now won eight straight series over the Panthers, dating back to 2012. The Gamecocks improved to 7-10 overall and 2-1 after the first weekend of conference activity. EIU dropped to 4-9 on the season and 1-2 in the OVC.
Junior Chase Robinson broke up a 4-4 deadlock in the fifth with a two-out double in to the right field corner, plating senior Nic Gaddis and sophomore Alex Strachan. Gaddis, who finished Sunday 3-for-4 at the plate, had a one-out single, followed by Strachan's double inside the third base line. Robinson posted a .333 batting average in the first OVC set with four hits, including a home run on Friday. Gaddis, from Trenton, Georgia, capped off his first league weekend of the season with a three-run home run that broke open the game in the home half of the eighth.
The lead was extended to 8-4 in the seventh on the second of three home runs on the day by U after junior Taylor Craven belted his OVC-best sixth home run of the season. The Wadley, Alabama native entered the weekend as the conference leader in home runs but started Sunday as the co-leader in the OVC with Morehead State's Hunter Fain. Sophomore Cole Frederick, who connected on the walk off home run on Friday, tallied his second home run on the weekend in the fourth. Frederick's solo dinger equalized the contest at 4-4.
It was a battle of the bullpens between EIU and JSU as both Sunday starters exited before the end of the first inning. EIU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning without recording a hit off of Dylan Hathcock. EIU starter, Ryan Ignoffo, could not finish the first frame as JSU plated two runs off of an errant throw by the Panther shortstop.
Sophomore Colin Casey turned in a career-long 3.2 innings to settle in to the contest before junior Alex London recorded the final two outs in the fifth. London picked up his first win as a Gamecock. Junior Corley Woods tossed the final four frames notched his first career save. Woods picked up a win in Friday's 5-4 extended game. JSU roughed up EIU reliever Josh Cooper for four innings as he allowed four runs on four hits.
EIU took a 3-2 lead in the second on Jimmy Govern's third home run of the weekend. JSU answered with another unearned run in the bottom of the inning as Frederick's fly ball to right field was mishandled and the Tuscaloosa, Alabama product raced to the third. Sophomore Isaac Alexander picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Junior Alex Webb finished the weekend on a high note with a pair of hits and threw out a runner trying to take second base. Webb's second hit of the day drove in a run.
TENNESSEE TECH 12-7, SIUE 6-6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a doubleheader sweep for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Sunday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles claimed its opening Ohio Valley Conference series after defeating SIUE in a nine-inning contest and seven-inning game at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
After falling to the Cougars (4-7, 1-2) in a tight, 9-8 contest in the series opener on Friday, the Golden Eagles (9-5, 2-1) made a statement in the first match-up on Sunday. Tech overcame an early deficit to win decisively, 12-6. Game two was more of a battle, featuring three lead changes before the Golden Eagles made another comeback to win, 7-6.
In the first contest of the day, it was the Tech offense and a stellar relief performance that did the job. Sluggers Jason Hinchman and John Dyer both went bananas during the game, combining for six hits, including four for extra bases, and 10 RBI.
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the second, Hinchman kicked off the first rally of the day for the Golden Eagles. Following a leadoff walk to left fielder Anthony Carrera, the first baseman crushed a two-run blast to left center field, cutting the deficit to one. It marked his second long ball of the series and third in as many games.
Tech scored later in the frame on a balk, tying the score at 3-3. In the third, the Golden Eagles took the lead for good as Hinchman continued his heroic performance.
All-American Kevin Strohschein singled to lead off the frame and Carrera followed behind with a clutch, six-pitch walk. Hinchman took his turn at the plate, providing more fireworks with a three-run shot off the batter's eye in center field.
SIUE scored single runs in fourth and fifth, but Dyer took his turn crushing the baseball for a while. In the bottom half of the fifth, the designated hitter ripped a two-run double to left center field, making it an 8-5 advantage.
He got back to it in the seventh, hammering a three-run round-tripper to right center field to blow the game wide open. He finished the game with five RBI on two hits while Hinchman posted a 4-for-5 performance with five RBI and three extra-base hits.
Jacob Cole had a strong showing out of the bullpen, tossing four and two thirds innings with just one, unearned run allowed. He scattered two hits and struck out four while earning his first win in the purple and gold.
Game two began much like the first contest, with the Cougars jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Tech answered with a single run in the bottom of the second, an RBI single from Dyer. The Golden Eagles added four more in the third, with Carrera's infield, RBI single of the chest of the first baseman the first of the frame.
Dyer drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs and two more men would score on a SIUE error before the inning would end. The Cougars scored the next three runs in the ball game, highlighted by a go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth.
Tech answered one last time, scoring twice in the bottom half of the sixth without recording a hit. Freshman Jason Hogan kicked things off with a walk and second baseman Nathan McMeans followed with his own free pass. Both advanced on a ground out and the Cougars elected to load the bases again for Carrera, intentionally walking Strohschein.
Carrera responded with a sacrifice line out to right field, tying the game at 6-6 and advancing McMeans to third base. With two outs, the advance to third turned out to be critical as the redshirt freshman would sprint home and give the Golden Eagles the lead on a wild pitch, 7-6.
Sophomore Tyler Sylvester came on and finished the game for the purple and gold, closing the contest out while covering the final frame with a strikeout. He earned his second save of the year. Reliever Zach Wilcox earned the victory, his first of the season.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 16-2, OAKLAND 10-1
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team won both games of a doubleheader to complete a three-game sweep of Oakland University on Sunday at Earle Combs Stadium.
The Colonels (10-5) won by scores of 16-10 and 2-1.
In game one, EKU broke open a close game with six runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Colonels were up 7-6 when A.J. Lewis began the inning with an infield single. Nick Howie followed with a two-run home run over the wall in right field. Will Johnson capped the inning with a two-run home run of his own that put the home team on top 13-6.
Blake Griffith hit a three-run homer for Oakland in the top of the seventh to make it 15-9.
Howie finished 1-for-2 with three walks, three runs and two RBIs. Brent Lovell had a 3-for-4 game with a run and two RBIs.
Griffith went 2-for-5 with two runs and five RBIs for the Golden Grizzlies.
In game two, Oakland broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth on Drew Demumbrum’s bases loaded infield single. Chris Botsoe had the answer for the Colonels in the bottom half of the sixth inning. He led off the frame with his second home run of the season and his second of the day.
Freshman Christian Lucio broke the 1-1 tie when he led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run over the wall in right center. It was his third of the season.
Those two solo home runs along with an infield single from Johnson were Eastern’s only three hits of the game.
Brennan Kelly started and allowed just one run on three hits in five and two-thirds innings. He walked three and struck out eight. Aaron Ochsenbein pitched the final three and one-third innings for the win. He allowed one hit, did not walk a batter and struck out five.
Beau Keathley (0-3) allowed two runs on three hits in seven innings of work for the Golden Grizzlies (0-13). He walked three and struck out seven. Demumbrum was 2-for-4 with an RBI.