SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 7-9, @Eastern Illinois 3-10
@Murray State 6, Southeast Missouri 5
Morehead State 4, @Austin Peay 3
Belmont 7-4, @Jacksonville State 1-9
@SIUE 3-6, UT Martin 2-0
Central Arkansas 11,
@Tennessee Tech 5
EASTERN KENTUCKY 7-9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 3-10
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team split an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader on Saturday to secure a series win over Eastern Illinois University at Coaches Stadium in Charleston, Illinois.
The Colonels (22-15, 9-6 OVC) won the first game, 7-3, before dropping game two, 10-9. EKU has won four straight conference series.
In game one, Eastern Kentucky jumped out to a 4-0 lead and that’s all starter Kaven Brown would need. The senior entered the weekend tied for the national lead in wins with seven. He picked up his eighth after allowing three runs on nine hits over seven innings. He walked three and struck out four. It was his fourth straight quality start and fifth of the season. He’s thrown seven or more innings in each of his past four starts. Brown’s eight wins are the most by an EKU pitcher since Matt Fyffe went 9-1 in 2012.
A run scoring single by Nick Howie and a sacrifice fly from Chris Botsoe put the Colonels in front 2-0 in the first inning. Botsoe doubled the lead with a two-run home run in the top of the third inning. It was his fourth of the season.
A three-run home run by Hunter Morris in the bottom of the third got the Panthers back in the game, but that’s all they would get. Daniel Harris IV hit a two-run home run for the Colonels in the top of the sixth to make it a 6-3 game.
Brown gave way to Aaron Ochsenbein in the eighth and the EKU closer secured the win with his sixth save of the season. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five over the final two innings.
Botsoe finished 1-for-4 with a run and three RBIs. Will Johnson went 3-for-5 and scored twice.
In game two, Logan Thomason turned a 1-0 Eastern Kentucky deficit into a 3-1 lead when he drove the first pitch he saw over the wall in left center in the top of the second inning. After EIU scored another run in the bottom of the third, the Colonels pulled away with four in the top of the third. A.J. Lewis got it started with a sacrifice fly. Harris drove in a run with a single up the middle and scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to make it a 7-2 game.
Johnson hit a solo home run in the sixth, his 11th of the season. Lewis added an RBI ground out in the seventh to stretch the margin to 9-2.
The Panthers rallied, scoring five in the bottom of the seventh and one in the eighth to get back into the game. Grant Emme had a two-run single in the big inning for the home team. His sacrifice fly in the eighth made it one-run game, 9-8. EIU completed the comeback in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and a runner on second, Keith Kerrigan tied it with a single. Trey Sweeney followed with a game-winning single through the left side. Sweeney finished 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs.
MURRAY STATE 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State baseball team capped their weekend with its fifth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference series victory after taking the rubber game against Southeast Missouri, 6-5, Saturday afternoon at Reagan Field.
The Racers improve to 16-17 overall and 10-5 in the OVC while SEMO falls to 16-20 and 6-12 in conference play.
Shane Burns pitched one of the best games of his young career as he threw 7.2 innings, striking out seven against one walk while allowing just three runs.
Jaron Robinson and Jordan Cozart combined for five of the six Murray State hits in the game while Robinson contributed three RBI and Cozart scored two runs. Wes Schad had the only other hit in the game for the Racers and Jordan Holly had two RBI.
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, SEMO took the lead with a run in the second. However, the lead did not last long as the Racers answered in the bottom of the inning with four runs to take the lead.
Two singles by Schad and Cozart sandwiched Ryan Perkins getting hit by a pitch to open the inning and set up bases loaded no outs for Robinson. The senior blasted a 1-0 pitch to left, just missing a grand slam, settling for a two-run single off the wall. After Bryan Chilton was hit by a pitch, Holly walked to force in the third run before Jake Slunder hit a sacrifice fly to finish off the inning.
The Redhawks got a run back in the third, but again the Racers responded as Perkins reached on an error before coming around to score on a sacrifice fly by Robinson to make it 5-2.
Burns kept mowing the Redhawks down, not allowing a hit for the next three innings. Holly gave the Racers an important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as he hit a sacrifice fly to knock in Cozart, who had doubled to lead off the frame.
Things got dicey for MSU in the eighth as the first two runners reached base, but Burns buckled down to strike out the next two batters, including a 13-pitch battle for out number two. However, Burns could not get through the inning as the next batter reached on a bunt single, ending the freshman's day after 115 pitches.
Braydon Cook came out of the pen to get the final out and after walking a batter to force in a run, got the final out with a comebacker, preserving a three-run lead with just one inning to play.
The ninth inning was not stress-free either as the Redhawks put the first two runners on with a walk and a double, but Cook got the next three batters out on two groundouts and a fly out as the Racers held on for a 6-5 victory.
MOREHEAD STATE 4, AUSTIN PEAY 3
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - A late-inning two-run homer by sophomore Ryan Layne, game-winning RBI single by senior Hunter Fain, and a game-saving catch by senior Connor Pauly helped the Morehead State baseball team rally and fend off host Austin Peay 4-3 Saturday in an OVC series finale at Hand Park.
Morehead State staked itself to a 1-0 lead in the second inning. With the bases loaded, junior DH Jon Burghardt lifted a sac fly to shallow left field, but sophomore first baseman Stephen Hill's speed beat the throw to the plate and he slid in around the tag.
The Govs bolted into the lead in the third when Garret Spain belted a three-run opposite-field homer.
A three-run seventh inning lifted the Eagles back into the advantage. Layne provided a big blow with a two-run round-tripper to right field, his first bomb of the season, to tie the game 3-3 . It followed Hill's double off the wall in center field. Fain drove in the go-ahead run with a single to left field to score junior Dom Peroni. Senior left-fielder Jake Hammon kept the inning going by beating out a throw on a wild pitch on a third strike but was called out trying to score on Fain's single.
Pauly robbed the Govs of the potential go-ahead home run in the seventh inning off the bat of Aaron Campbell.
Layne led the seven-hit attack with two. Senior shortstop Reid Leonard also had a single to push his reached-base streak to 34 games.
On the mound, junior starter Jason Goe worked 6.1 innings and recorded eight strikeouts. Closer Jake Ziegelmeyer picked up his seventh save, the most by an Eagle since Tyler Keele in 2016, by recording the final eight outs with four punchouts.
BELMONT 7-4, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1-9
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State claimed the nightcap of a Saturday doubleheader with Belmont to win its third Ohio Valley Conference weekend in a row with a bounce-back 9-4 decision on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Gamecocks entered the weekend in a logjam at the top of the OVC standings and after reaching the midpoint of the conference race, they are tied with Murray State with identical 10-5 marks in the OVC. Jax State improved to 19-16 overall, while the Bruins finished the weekend 16-19 on the season and 11-7 against conference competition. The Bruins forced a third-and-deciding game in the series with a 7-1 win in the opening game.
Jax State used two big innings in the final game of the series as it broke a scoreless contest with a five-run second inning and a four-run third frame. The highlight of the second inning was a two-out, bases-clearing triple by junior Devin Brown. Redshirt freshman Nash Adams laid down an RBI bunt single and sophomore Cole Frederick kept the inning alive with a double just inside the third base bag.
Brown, a transfer from Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, collected four hits on the night and accumulated four RBI. The Smiths, Alabama native posted his fourth RBI with a single to centerfield in the third. He added singles in the fifth and the seventh. Brown is the third Gamecock within a week to have a four-hit outing at the plate. Frederick and junior Alex Webb had four hits each against Southeast Missouri last Sunday in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
JSU, who entered the weekend leading the OVC in triple and ranked 12th in NCAA Division I Baseball in triples, added its 16th triple of the season with Frederick's triple to the gap in right center to extend the lead to 9-1 after three innings. As a team, Jax State totaled 11 hits in the affair as Adams, and Frederick all had multiple hits.
Four Gamecock pitchers combined to allow just one earned run by Belmont. Dylan Hathcock tossed the first 2.1 innings, followed by Christian Edwards, Jackson Tavel and Austin Brewster. Edwards, who was stretched to 2.2 innings of work, registered the win and moved to 4-3 on the season. Belmont starter Korey Bell suffered the loss in the second game.
In game one, the Bruins' Joshua South tossed a complete game to lead Belmont to the win. South kept the Gamecocks off-balanced all nine innings and scattered three hits. JSU's lone run came by way of a Carson Crowe home run in the sixth. It was Crowe's third of the season and second against OVC pitching. Adams and Alexander had the other two hits.
SIUE 3-6, UT MARTIN 2-0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The SIUE Baseball team picked up a series sweep of UT Martin, defeating the Skyhawks 3-2 and 6-0 Saturday, behind solid pitching efforts each game.
With the two wins, SIUE improves to 12-21 on the season and 8-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference. UT Martin drops to 13-22 overall and 4-11 in OVC play.
SIUE's Collin Baumgartner picked up his first win on the season in game two of the series, pitching six complete innings and striking out eight batters. Reliever Cole Milam pitched three innings, preserving the cougars lead and earning his third save on the season. Milam also had eight strikeouts.
In game three of the series, Kenny Serwa made his second appearance of the year for the Cougars. He lasted five innings, striking out six, allowing no runs, earning his first win on the year. Adam Drewry, Ryan Byrd and Braydon Bone all made relief appearances, combining for five strikeouts and preserving the shutout for SIUE.
Alongside strong pitching, the Cougars bats were hot Saturday.
In game two of the series, SIUE's Raul Elguezabal started the scoring with a single to left field, driving in Brock Weimer. In the fourth inning, the Skyhawks scored their only run of the day with a Blake Davins singles, which drove in Blake Daniels.
The Cougars scored two runs in the sixth inning to round off the scoring for the game. Justin Perkins batted in Peyton Cordova-Smith from a sacrifice fly, and Jack Rigoni drove in Elguezabal from a single to center.
Already up 1-0 in the series finale, SIUE put up four runs in the fourth inning. Rigoni, Jordan Ross, Eric Giltz and Dustin Woodcock all drove in runs to extend the Cougars lead to 6-0.
Cordova-Smith finished the series going 5-10 from the plate, with three runs and two RBIs.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 11, TENNESSEE TECH 5
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was another late, tough loss for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Saturday afternoon, as Central Arkansas rallied to take the series with an 11-5 victory at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The Bears (17-19) scored once in the eighth inning to tie the contest at 4-4. Then in the ninth, the visitors took advantage of a pair of Golden Eagle errors to strike for seven runs and put the game out of reach.
The Golden Eagles (14-19) kicked the off the game in style, with starter Caleb Morgan striking out the side. The offense took its turn in the bottom of the first, providing an early 3-0 lead behind some clutch hitting.
Shortstop Hunter Higdon led off the frame with a walk. After recording two outs, the Bears plunked junior Anthony Carrera, brining freshman John Dyer to the plate. Falling behind 0-2 after fouling off the first pitches, the third baseman rallied for a 2-2 count. After fouling off one more pitch, the rookie ripped a laser just inside the foul pole down the left field line, clearing the wall for a three-run home run.
In the third, Central Arkansas answered after a Tech error with two outs left the door open. The visitors rallied in the frame to plate three runs and square the contest at 3-3.
Morgan shoved over the next four frames, retiring as many as nine straight Bear batters. He finished the contest with five strikeouts while covering seven frames and allowing just five hits, three unearned runs and one walk.
In the bottom of the seventh, Tech took back control with their own two-out rally. Dyer drew a walk on a full-count approach between strikeouts. Two batters later, second baseman Nathan McMeans ripped a two-out double down the left field line. Dyer turned on the jets and dented home plate for the go-ahead run.
Central Arkansas answered in the eighth, scoring on a ground-out after the leadoff batter reached on a walk and advanced twice on a pair of wild pitches. The Bears then batted around in the ninth, scoring seven runs, including three unearned, to take a commanding 11-4 lead.
Tech looked to mount its own rally in the bottom half, gathering three straight hits to lead off the inning. Jason Hinchman smashed a double to center field and advanced to third after a Carrera single to center field. Dyer laced a single through the left side to drive in a run, but that would be the extent of the Tech offense as the Bears recorded three straight outs to end the game.