WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 11, Alabama A&M 5
Eastern Kentucky 17, @Northern Kentucky 2
@Murray State 12, Middle Tennessee 6
@UT Martin 18, Christian Brothers 2
MOREHEAD STATE 11, ALABAMA A&M 5
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State baseball belted three first-inning home runs and added a three-run round-tripper later on as the Eagles took care of Alabama A&M 11-5 Wednesday for the program's fifth consecutive victory. The game was an Education Day contest played in front of the largest crowd of the season.
MSU improved to 23-11 and 17-1 at home in 2019, while the Bulldogs fell to 12-24. In the Eagles' five consecutive home wins, they reached the double-digit plateau in runs in all five.
Senior catcher Hunter Fain started the long-ball party with a solo shot in the opening inning, his seventh of the season. Two batters henceforth, senior shortstop Reid Leonard peppered a pitch from Yavier Febus over the center-field wall to make it 2-0. Senior first baseman Trevor Snyder followed a walk with his 31st career home run, a two-run job to left center-field.
Sophomore third baseman Stephen Hill pushed the Eagles' lead to 6-1 with a seeing-eye two-run single in the third. Senior center-fielder Connor Pauly then busted the contest wide open (9-1) with a three-run Ruthian blast in the fourth.
In the sixth frame MSU scored its final runs when junior Arthur Sells doubled to the wall in right center-field and scored later on a passed ball. Leonard added another RBI with a single.
On the mound, the home team utilized eight pitchers who teamed up to strike out 14 AAMU hitters. In the two-game series, the Bulldogs hitters whiffed 31 times against Eagle pitchers. Starter Will Lozinak (4-1) only tossed the first inning but was credited with the win, striking out two.
Morehead State pelted the Bulldog pitchers for 12 hits, including three each from Leonard and Hill. Leonard, who holds the MSU record for a consecutive games reached-base streak at 50, upped his current streak to 31. Pauly has now reached in 20 straight games.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 17, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 2
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team scored 10 runs in the first three innings as the Colonels cruised to a 17-2 win at Northern Kentucky University on Wednesday. It was EKU’s 20th win of the season.
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A two-run double by Daniel Harris IV highlighted a four-run first inning for the Colonels (20-14). A.J. Lewis extended the lead to 6-0 with a two-run double down the left field line in the top of the second inning. Will Johnson and Nick Howie each hit two-run home runs in the top of the third to give the visitors a 10-0 advantage.
Johnson and Howie also had RBI hits in the fifth. Johnson went 4-for-5 with a walk, four runs scored, four RBIs and his team-best 10th home run of the season. In his last three games, the senior outfielder is hitting .714 (10-for-14) with three home runs, eight RBIs and eight runs scored. EKU has won all three.
Howie was 3-for-4 with a run, a walk, four RBIs and his ninth dinger of the season. Lewis drove in four runs with two hits in three at bats. Harris was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
Freshman Jacob Ferris (4-2) started on the mound and allowed only three hits and one walk in five innings of work.
Brennan Gick was 2-for-4 with a run scored for Northern Kentucky (8-24).
MURRAY STATE 12, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 6
MURRAY, Ky. - Using a seven-run seventh inning, the Murray State baseball team defeated Middle Tennessee, 12-6, Wednesday evening at Reagan Field, avenging a loss to the Blue Raiders last week.
Having to use seven pitchers in the game, the Racers depended on their offense to win the game, pounding out 16 hits, with nine different players recording a base knock as MSU improved to 14-16 on the season.
Tyler Duke had two hits including his fifth home run of the season and three RBI while Jordan Holly also added two hits and three RBI of his own. Jaron Robinson tallied a season-high three hits and drove in two runs.
Middle Tennessee jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first without recording a hit, but the Racers came back to tie the game in the second with four singles, the last two by Holly and Duke driving in runs.
The Blue Raiders reclaimed the lead in the top of the third, but again the Racers answered in the bottom of the inning as Ryan Perkins walked to lead off the inning before coming around to score on a sacrifice fly by Robinson.
With Joe Ivey on the mound throwing three scoreless innings, Ryan Perkins gave the Racers the lead in the fifth as he doubled and subsequently stole third. When the throw down to third got away, Perkins hesitated but made a mad dash to plate, sliding in ahead of the tag to give Murray State a 4-3 lead after five innings.
Both teams were kept off the board in the sixth, but MTSU took the lead in the top of the seventh with three runs.
The lead did not last long as the Racers responded with their biggest inning of the season, scoring seven runs. Holly started the rally by reaching on an error before being able to trot home when Duke launched a game-tying two-run home run to left field.
After tying the game, the Racers did not stop as Wes Schad gave them the lead with a two-run double in right-center field gap, driving in Dylan Letellier and Perkins who had both singled earlier in the inning. Sean Darmafall knocked in Schad with a single before Holly capped the inning with a two-run single.
Robinson added an insurance run in the eighth with a single, which proved to be plenty of breathing room as Blake Clynes and Justin Thomas each threw a scoreless inning to finish the game and secure the win.
UT MARTIN 18, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad issued an 18-2 rout to regional rival Christian Brothers this evening. The team's 18 runs plated are the most this season and are the most scored since the Skyhawks defeated Bethel 19-13 on March 7, 2017.
UT Martin (13-19) was led Blake Davis, who swung a red-hot stick as he belted a pair of home runs and notched a six-RBI night. Casey Harford tallied a pair of knocks and plated four runs while Ethan Whitley drove in three. Sean Dixson rounded out the multiple-RBI batters as he racked up a three-hit performance with a pair of RBIs in the contest. Jordan Stoner collected three knocks and drove in a run while Blake Daniels and Creighton Eldridge each tallied a hit and pushed a run across the plate. Billy Edwards notched a two-hit outing to round out the hit column. Although he would not join the hit parade, Noah Thigpen worked his way onto the base paths as he drew a walk.
Righty Seth Petry (2-1) drew the starting nod and was credited with the victory as he tossed three innings. He was tagged for one earned run as he allowed three hits and issued one walk but he fanned five Buccaneers before his day was over. The six-man troop of Sam Folks, Marcus Eusebio, Jonah Brody, Jeff O'Doherty, David Hussey and Zach Denney all combined to concede just two knocks, issue a pair of walks and record 10 strikeouts over the remainder of the game.
Christian Brothers would draw first blood as the Buccaneers struck for a run in the opening frame to take an early 1-0 lead.
The Skyhawks answered back with loud seven-run home half of the first. Dixson worked a seven-pitch free base to lead things off before Daniels reached on an error. A passed ball on a Stoner strikeout would be enough to move the runners up a base each. Harford then roped a two-bagger to left center to plate both Dixson and Daniels. Eldridge battled to get on base as he drew five pitches just before Davis issued a long ball to right center to clear the bases. Whitley then Thigpen worked a walk each before a wild pitch would move both runners advanced. A Dixson double to left field brought both Whitley and Thigpen home to give UT Martin a commanding 7-1 lead early on in the game.
Petry made fairly quick work of the Buccaneers in the second as he worked around a one-out walk to fan the next two batters, both swinging.
UT Martin added on a run in the second as Stoner led things off with a first-pitch single through the left side. Harford then drew a four-pitch walk before Davis received a free base as well. Whitley sacrificed himself for a run as he flied out to left to bring Stoner in and give his team an 8-1 lead.
Christian Brothers put up another run in the third to inch back with the score 8-2.
Folks would come on in the fourth and worked around a leadoff walk to find a friendly groundball for the 4-6-3 double play followed by another groundout to cruise through the inning.
The Skyhawks tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth (all with two outs) as Eldridge should have been the third out of what would have been a quick inning. He reached on a throwing error by the catcher after a dropped third strike. Eldridge then swiped second base and moved up to third on another throwing error by the Buccaneer backstop. A two-run shot from Davis down the left field line would wipe the base paths clean and put UT Martin up by a 10-2 margin.
In the fifth, Eusebio would answer the call and worked around a leadoff walk to record a pair of swinging strikeouts. He fanned the next batter of the frame but he reached first on a passed ball. Eusebio would get out of the inning unscathed on a groundout to first base to keep things status quo.
A run crossed home in the fifth for the Skyhawks as Edwards opened the frame with an infield single to the shortstop. Daniels then worked a six-pitch free base followed by Stoner being plunked by a pitch to load up the bases. A Harford lineout to deep left field would be good enough to bring in Edwards and push UT Martin's lead out to 11-2.
Brody entered the contest in the sixth and needed just 12 pitches to get through the frame. He forced a first-pitch lineout to Christian Brothers' leadoff man followed by a popout to second base. Brody conceded a base knock to left field before sitting down the next batter on strikes.
In the seventh, O'Doherty opened the frame with a whiff but the runner would reach first on a wild pitch. Unfazed, he forced a flyout with the next batter followed by another strikeout. O'Doherty conceded a two-out single up the middle but rung up the final batter he faced to get out of the inning.
A three-run seventh inning started when Stoner launched a solo homer to right field. Harford then legged out a triple as he poked a ball into right center. An Eldridge two-bagger moved Harford home before Eldridge moved over to third on a wild pitch. Davis then roped a single to left field to plate Eldridge and give push UT Martin's lead out to 14-2.
Hussey entered the contest in the eighth inning and eased his way through the frame. He received a popout to short followed by a groundout to third before fanning the next batter to retire the side in order.
Four more Skyhawk runs would be added to the scoreboard in the home half of the eighth as Dixson doubled to right field to get things started. Daniels then roped a two-bagger of his own to plate Dixson. Another double came off the bat of Stoner as Daniels moved over to third. Harford then flied out to center which allowed Daniels to come home. Eldridge worked a seven-pitch free base followed by Davis being hit by the first pitch he saw to juice the bases. Whitley then stepped into the batter's box and poked a single through the right side to plate both Stoner and Eldridge to put UT Martin up 18-2.
Denney made quick work of the Buccaneers in the ninth as he fanned the first two batters he faced. He then forced the last batter of the ballgame to lineout to short to end the contest.