TUESDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 23, @Alabama A&M 2
Samford 5,
@Jacksonville State 3
@#15 Auburn 15,
UT Martin 9
@Austin Peay 12, Lipscomb 11
TENNESSEE TECH 23, ALABAMA A&M 2
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The bats of the Tennessee Tech baseball team were singing Tuesday afternoon, accounting for 19 hits, 23 RBI and four home runs in a dominant, 23-2 victory at Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Ala.
The offense was quick to act at Bulldog Field, accounting for three runs in the first inning alone. Junior shortstop Jay Meuse reached on an error at first base to kick off the action, advancing all the way to third on the miscue.
Junior third baseman Cody Littlejohn followed with a sacrifice fly to left field for the first run of the game. After a single by senior outfielder Kevin Strohschein, and the first out of the contest on a subsequent ground out, sophomore Jason Hinchman created some fireworks. The slugger hammered his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to give Tech a 3-0 lead after one.
Tech got back after it in the third, with a Strohschein walk setting up junior outfielder Anthony Carrerafor a pair of RBI. The left-handed bat cranked out his own two-run blast, his third on the year, to make it 5-0 in favor of the visitors. An RBI double from redshirt freshman Nathan McMeans and run-scoring single off the bat of freshman catcher Jack Schad put a ribbon on the third, one that showed a 7-0 Tech lead.
The Golden Eagles didn't let up, pounding five more runs across the plate in the fourth, starting with a big one to lead off the frame. Freshman first baseman Jason Hogan connected for his first collegiate long ball for the first run.
Meuse followed with a double to left field and later came home after Strohschein reached on an error by the Alabama A&M shortstop. Later in the frame, McMeans plated two more for the Golden Eagles with a double. Schad made it back-to-back two-baggers, driving in McMeans for a 12-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs got on the board with single runs in the fourth and fifth, but the purple and gold had a response all set for the seventh inning.
Tech saw three of its first four batters reach base, loading the bags for Littlejohn with one out. The junior inked a single in the box score, driving in two Tech runs while setting up Strohschein for more Golden Eagle fireworks.
The All-American demolished the Alabama A&M offering to him, turning in his second home run of the year to drive in three. Tech scored two more runs in the frame, blowing the contest wide open for a 19-2 lead.
In the eighth, freshman John Dyer drove in a run with an RBI single. Sophomore Hunter Higdon got on the board with an RBI double in the ninth. Late in the frame, Strohschein wrapped up the Golden Eagle scoring for the day with a two-run single.
The hit represented yet another chapter rewritten by the McDonough, Ga. native in the Tech record books. Marking the 286th base knock of his career, Strohschein became the Golden Eagle program's all-time hits leader. He finished the contest 4-for-5 with a game-high six RBI, two walks and three runs scored.
McMeans and Littlejohn each posted three RBI while three more Golden Eagles recorded multi-RBI days. Five Tech players earned multi-hit performances and seven scored at least twice in the contest.
Sophomore hurler Grant Phillips earned the victory on the hill for Tech, tossing four complete innings while allowing just four hits and one earned run. He struck out two as well. Jacob Parham covered the fifth inning, surrendering just a lone, unearned run.
Redshirt freshman Daniel Holley took over for the sixth, punching out a pair without allowing a baserunner. Ty King, Zach Wilcox and Jacob Cole combined for the next two innings, totaling just one baserunner allowed and four strikeouts.
Sophomore Tyler Sylvester rounded things out with a scoreless ninth, fanning one without allowing a Bulldog to reach.
SAMFORD 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 3
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State baseball team came up on the short end of a 5-3 contest with Samford at a chilly Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
The loss drops the Gamecocks to 5-8 on the season, while the Bulldogs improved to 8-3 overall. The meeting in Jacksonville was the first of two meetings between the two programs this season. JSU will visit Birmingham on April 30.
Samford opened the contest with four early runs and its starter, Gene Hurst tossed five complete innings and allowed four hits and the first JSU run of the contest in the fifth inning. The Bulldogs touched Jax State starter, Colin Casey in the four-run first inning and posted six of their hits off Casey. Junior Corley Woods pitched two innings and allowed the fifth run of the contest in the third.
The Bulldogs strung together four hits in the first plate appearance, highlighted by a two-out RBI single by Taylor Garris, followed by a two-run double from Preston Moore. Samford manufactured the third inning run with a fielder's choice RBI by Max Pinto.
JSU inserted freshman Michael Gilliland with out in the fourth and silenced a Samford threat with back-to-back outs. Gilliland held the Bulldog offense in check over the next 4.2 innings and give the Jax State bats a chance to warm up. The Boaz, Alabama lefty finished with five strikeouts in the 13 batters he faced in just his second outing as a Gamecock. Gilliland would retire the final 11 hitters he faced.
The Gamecocks put their first run on the board with an RBI with two outs in the fifth. Sophomore Cole Frederick beat out an infield hit to the left side of the diamond with two outs and took second on a wild pitch. Junior Chase Robinson, who has four hits in his last three games, singled to right field for the RBI. Junior Tre Kirklin laced a double down the left field line, but Hurst was able to minimize scoring.
Robinson figured in to JSU's two-run eighth inning with a leadoff walk. Kirklin collected his second extra base hit of the game with a triple to the gap in right center, plating Robinson. Kirklin scored on an RBI ground out by Alex Webb.
Senior Nic Gaddis joined Kirklin with a multi-hit game as he turned in a double and a single in the setback.
#15 AUBURN 15, UT MARTIN 9
AUBURN, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball program struck early and often but fell to No. 15 Auburn this evening by a 15-9 score.
UT Martin (4-7) was led by the electric play of Casey Harford who tallied the program’s first 5-for-5 performance since Miles Hartsfield did so on March 4, 2009 against Bethel, the first five-hit performance since current volunteer assistant coach Tyler Albright did so against Bethel on March 7, 2017 and the first five-RBI game since Whitley did so against Morehead State on April 6, 2018. Robert Worley plated a pair of runs while Sean Dixson pushed one run across the plate. Jordan Stoner belted out two hits as the trio of Creighton Eldridge, Tyson Cox and Worley all collected one base knock apiece.
David Hussey drew the starting nod against a ranked opponent for the second straight week as he logged three complete innings, gave up five earned runs and struck out one Tiger along the way. Winston Cannon tossed one inning and conceded an earned run. Jeff O’Doherty (0-1) was credited with the loss as he came on in relief for three innings of work, allowed six earned runs but sat down five via the whiff while Seth Petry clocked in for one inning as he allowed three earned runs.
Blake Daniels got things started in the first frame as he drew a one-out walk followed by a Stoner single through the left side. Worley then stepped up and roped a two-bagger down the right field line to bring both Daniels and Stoner home. A Harford base knock would be good enough to plate Worley to give the Skyhawks an early 3-0 advantage.
Auburn retaliated for a run in the bottom half of the first to inch back 3-1.
UT Martin fired again in the second as Daniels worked a two-out free base as Stoner followed up with a walk himself. Worley would reach on an error that allowed Daniels to score. Harford then tallied a single to right to push both Stoner and Worley across the plate and move the Skyhawk lead out to 6-1.
The Tigers added four runs in the third inning and one in the fourth to knot things up at 6-6.
Billy Edwards would be the first runner to reach in the UT Martin fifth before Cox doubled to left center. A Dixson flyout was enough to bring in Edwards as the Skyhawks reclaimed the lead, 7-6.
Auburn tied the score up again in the fifth at a score of 7-7.
UT Martin took the lead back in the sixth as Stoner led the frame off with a double to right field followed by a Worley groundout to move him over to third. Another Harford single up the middle would bring Stoner home and allow the Skyhawks to take an 8-7 advantage.
The Tigers struck for five runs across the sixth and seventh innings to take their first lead of the ballgame by a score of 12-8.
The Skyhawks added on one more run in the eighth inning as Stoner reached after being plunked by a pitch. Harford’s final base hit of the evening (a double) would allow Stoner to scoot across home plate and allow UT Martin to inch closer by a 12-9 margin.
Another three-run Auburn barrage came in the eighth as the Tigers produced the eventual final score of 15-9.
AUSTIN PEAY 12, LIPSCOMB 11
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Center fielder Garrett Spain picked the perfect time to hit his first collegiate home run, his eighth-inning blast giving Austin Peay State University’s baseball team a 12-11 come-from-behind win against Lipscomb, Tuesday, on Joe and Cathi Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
The victory was the 200th career win for Austin Peay head coach Travis Janssen, who also notched his 96th victory as the Governors head coach.
Austin Peay (4-6) trailed by seven runs, 9-2, after Lipscomb scored four runs in the top of the sixth. The Govs would get two of those runs back in their half of the sixth, but the Bisons responded with two in the seventh to take an 11-4 lead at the stretch.
The Governors took care of a big chunk of that deficit with a six-run seventh inning. After right fielder Parker Phillips provided a run with a single, Spain kept the rally going with a two-run single, cutting the Lipscomb lead to 11-7. Designated hitter David Martinez supplied a RBI double, Spain scored on a wild pitch and late substitute Max Remy chipped in a run-scoring ground out as APSU closed to 11-10.
One inning later, the Govs game-winning rally started with a walk issued to third baseman Malcolm Tipler. A wild pitch and a dropped third strike allowed Tipler to get to third representing the tying run. But Spain had other ideas, taking the first pitch he saw over the wall in right-center field to give the Govs a 12-11 lead.
Reliever Greg Leban (1-0) closed the door while working around a two-out walk in the ninth to record the win. He struck out four of the seven batters he faced in a two-inning outing.
Phillips, Martinez and second baseman Garrett Kueber each had three-hit days for a Govs offense that posted a 12-hit outing. Spain went 2-for-4 with a team-best four RBI.
Robbie Knox surrendered five runs over the final two innings, allowing four hits and two walks and suffered the loss.
Left fielder Tevin Symonette went 2-for-4 with five RBI. His two-run double in the third gave Lipscomb a 2-1 lead and his three-run home run in the sixth extended the lead to 9-2.