TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 6, Chicago State 3
Western Kentucky 12,
@Belmont 7
@Austin Peay 12, Southern Illinois 9
Evansville 16,
@Murray State 12
@#22 Tennessee 3,
Morehead State 1
@SIUE 13, Western Illinois 3
@Tennessee Tech 28, Alabama A&M 8
@Arkansas State 8,
Southeast Missouri 4
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, CHICAGO STATE 3
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team hosted Chicago State for a non-conference mid-week matchup on Tuesday. The Panthers were able to defeat the Cougars 6-3 to improve to 18-19 on the season.
Carson Haws made his third start of the season for the Panthers this afternoon. Haws improved to 2-0 on the season after tossing 6.0 innings with eight strikeouts and one run. Haws kicked off the game striking out four straight Chicago State batters.
Alex Stevenson earned his third save of the season after pitching 0.1 innings with a strikeout.
The Panthers were able to get on the board first in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jimmy Govern drove in the Panthers first run of the game when he reached on a fielder's choice to score Keith Kerrigan. Grant Emme drove in the second run of the inning with a one run single up the middle.
Andy Gaytan tied up the game for Chicago State in the top of the seventh with a two run single up the middle.
Ryan Knernschield gave the Panthers the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning with a two run single down the right field line.
EIU was able to add two more runs to their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Govern one run double to center and an Emme sacrifice fly.
Alex Stevenson earned his third save of the season after pitching 0.1 innings with a strikeout.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 12, BELMONT 7
NASHVILLE - Belmont University Baseball dropped a 12-7 decision Tuesday night to Western Kentucky University. With a breeze out to left field, the day was highlighted by six homeruns between the two squads. Senior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) had a hot bat, hammering two home runs in back-to-back plate appearances.
The Hilltoppers wasted no time getting on the board, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first after a three-run home run.
The Bruins broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the second with a home run of its own. Senior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) led off the inning with a base knock to center field and stole second to get in scoring position. Freshman Grayson Taylor (Cullman, Ala.) notched the first home run of his career to score himself and Gardner to cut the WKU lead 3-2.
After a scoreless third, WKU extended its lead further in the top of the fourth. Four runs, including another three-run long ball, gave WKU a 7-2 lead. WKU scored its eighth run of the night in the top of the sixth after a leadoff walk eventually scored for an 8-2 lead. Another run in the top of the seventh after a leadoff double put BU behind 9-2.
Belmont made up some ground in the bottom of the seventh. Freshman Tommy Crider (Madison, Ala.) put the leadoff man aboard when he reached on an error. Holland then scored two more runs with a two-out home run to left field to cut into WKU's lead 9-4.
The Bruins continued to chip away in the bottom of the eighth. Senior Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) led off with a base hit and junior Chandler Adkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) followed that with a walk. The duo completed a double steal and Hadden scored on a throwing error by the Hilltoppers' catcher, who was trying to catch Adkins Stealing.
Western Kentucky took a 9-5 lead into the ninth inning and continued its impressive offensive day with yet another three-run homer to take a 12-5 lead.
Belmont continued to battle in the bottom of the ninth, scoring two more runs to round things out. Freshman John Behrends (Chattanooga, Tenn.) worked a leadoff walk, giving BU a base runner. Holland then hammered his second home run of the night to plate two more. Holland's home run rounded out BU's offense for the night as the Bruins fell 12-7.
AUSTIN PEAY 12, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 9
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University's Matthew Joslin entered Tuesday's contest quickly gaining notoriety as a clutch hitter. With one swing of his bat, he only added to his growing legend with his pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam giving the Governors a stunning 12-9 nonconference victory against Southern Illinois on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (19-16) entered the ninth inning facing a 9-7 deficit. And if that wasn’t daunting enough, Southern Illinois handed the ball to closer Trey McDaniel, who began the day ranked sixth nationally in saves.
After a strikeout began the inning, the Governors saw four consecutive batters reach base safely. Right fielder Parker Phillips, the third batter in that parade, hit a single to drive in designated hitter Malcolm Tipler, cutting the deficit to one run, 9-8.
Southern Illinois (17-16) walked first baseman Andrew Flaherty to load the bases and get to the bottom of the Austin Peay order. The Salukis got an out away from escaping the danger with a strikeout of the next Governors hitter to the plate.
But Austin Peay had a weapon waiting in its dugout, and head coach turned to Joslin in a pinch-hit role. Joslin quickly fell behind in the count, 1-2, but took the next offering over the wall in straightaway center field for the game-winning grand slam.
Joslin improved to 6-for-8 with 12 RBI in bases-loaded situations for the Governors. The grand slam joins the freshman’s personal highlight reel that began with a two-out, game-tying two-run single that forced extra-innings in Austin Peay’s upset win at then-No. 1 Vanderbilt in February.
Tipler, Phillips and center fielder Garrett Spain each had two RBI to support the 12-run outburst. Spain went 2-for-4 at the plate to boost his batting average to .358 – tops among Ohio Valley Conference freshmen.
Ryan Kouba (1-0) was the beneficiary of the walk-off heroics, securing his first win after allowing one run in the top of the ninth while striking out the side. It was a rough night for the Govs pitching staff with seven pitchers combining to surrender a season-high tying 10 walks while striking out eight.
The Salukis posted just five hits in the contest, third baseman Grey Epps leading the way with a 2-for-3, two RBI outing. McDaniel (1-3), the fifth Salukis pitcher of the day, suffered the loss after allowing five runs in two-thirds of an inning.
EVANSVILLE 16, MURRAY STATE 12
MURRAY, Ky. - In a high-scoring midweek affair, the Murray State baseball team fell to Evansville, 16-12, Tuesday evening at Reagan Field.
The Racers jumped out to a 4-1 lead after one inning, but the Murray State pitchers could not stop the Purple Aces from putting up two runs in the second and fourth inning before an eight-run fifth put the game out of reach.
Tyler Duke had a strong game at the plate for the Racers (16-18), going 4-6 with two home runs, three RBI, and two runs scored. Brock Anderson and Ryan Perkins also hit home runs for the MSU while Anderson scored three runs and Perkins had four RBI.
After the Aces jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Racers answered quickly in the bottom of the inning. Duke led off with a double which was followed by two walks to Jake Slunder and Anderson before Wes Schad was hit by a pitch to knot the game at one. Perkins gave the Racers the lead one pitch later on a two-run double over the right fielder's head and Schad extended the lead to 4-1 by scoring on a wild pitch.
Evansville scored two runs in the second and fourth on a couple of home runs, but the Racers responded in the bottom of the fourth as Duke hit his first home run of the night, a two-run shot to left-center. Slunder nearly went back-to-back, hitting a ball to the warning track before Anderson cleared the wall for a solo shot to give the Racers a 7-5 lead after four innings.
The fifth inning proved to be the difference maker as the Aces scored eight runs to take a 13-7 lead.
However, as they have done all year, the Racers kept fighting. Schad got one run back in the sixth with an RBI single and even after Evansville tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh, the Racers tried to make it a game again in the eighth as they scored four runs.
Duke led off the inning with his second home run before Perkins followed a couple of batters later with a two-run shot to right field. Cole Womack and Dylan Letellier tried to keep the rally going as they hit a double and single, respectively, to bring the Racers to within four, but that was as close Murray State would get the rest of the game.
#22 TENNESSEE 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Despite a valiant effort at No. 22 Tennessee Tuesday night, the Morehead State baseball team came up short in falling 3-1 to the Vols at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Eagles (24-14) held the nationally-ranked UT (27-11) squad to only five hits. The Eagles did walk 10 batters but made sure not many of them scored. UT stranded 13 runners on base.
Senior catcher Hunter Fain vaulted his team to a quick 1-0 lead two batters into the game. The Mount Clare, W.Va., native belted an offering from UT starter Camden Sewell more than 400 feet over the wall in left field, his team-best eighth blast of the season.
The home team managed to scratch across solo tallies in the second, third and fourth frames despite leaving 10 runners on base during that span.
MSU righty starter Alex Garbrick (2-4) was saddled with the loss, being charged with seven walks. Zack Smith, Landon Weins, David Looney, Blake Preston and Cory Conway all got walk in on the mound too for the Eagle pitching staff.
Sewell, who walked three himself, was credited with the victory. He was the first of seven Vol pitchers on the night.
Senior shortstop Reid Leonard did reach on an error to extend his reached-base streak to 35 games.
SIUE 13, WESTERN ILLINOIS 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE scored eight times in the fourth inning Tuesday on its way to a 13-3 win over Western Illinois in seven innings.
The Cougars have won four straight and improved to 13-21 overall. Western Illinois dropped to 14-20.
The 13 runs scored are a season high for the Cougars who hit three home runs in the contest.
With the game tied 1-1, the Cougars regained the lead in the third inning. Eric Giltz drove an RBI-triple to the gap in left center to score Brendan Ryan, and then scored himself on a wild pitch. Dustin Woodcock walked and Brock Weimer crushed a 1-0 pitch from Western Illinois reliever Alex Dorethy over the left field fence to make it 5-1.
The home runs in the 31st in Weimer's career, moving him into second place all alone. He is two away from tying the all-time mark of 33 career home runs held by Devin Caldwell.
Western Illiniois starter Chandler Fochs took the loss and fell to 1-2. He allowed three runs in two innings of work.
In the fourth, the Cougars used two hits and hit batter to load the bases. Woodcock forced in the first run with a groundout. Weimer was intentionally walked and then Peyton Cordova-Smith walked to force in another run. Raul Elguezabal followed with a double to wall in left center to clear the bases and give SIUE a 10-1 lead.
Justin Perkins followed Elguezabal with a two-run home run, his third of the year to chase reliever Alex Dorethy. Dorethy surrendered nine runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Jackson Layton greeted new pitcher Austin Emmanuel with a pinch hit solo home run to left for the 13th run of the night.
Ryan Byrd (2-1) started and worked the first four innings allowing a run on three hits. He walked four, but struck out five.
TENNESSEE TECH 28, ALABAMA A&M 8
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The offense was on full display for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 28-8 victory over Alabama A&M under the lights of Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The Tech bats crushed eight home runs on the night, tying for the second-most in a single game in program history and the most since setting the single-game mark of 11 early last season. For the night, the Golden Eagles (15-19) racked up 20 hits and nine walks to account for a season-high 28 runs.
Alabama A&M (12-28) was the first on the board in the contest, using a solo home run to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning. It took the Golden Eagles a couple of frames to find their mojo, but when they did, it showed out in full force.
Tech snagged five runs in the third, with catcher Will Long gathering his first collegiate hit to kick off the frame. Shortstop Hunter Higdon gave his squad the lead two batters later, smashing a moon shot to right center for his third home run of the year.
With two outs and a runner on third, the Bulldogs opted to intentionally walk junior Anthony Carrera, bringing freshman John Dyer to the dish. The third baseman made them pay, uncorking a three-run blast to left field for a 5-1 Tech lead.
The Bulldogs answered in the fourth, scoring four times to tie things at five, but Tech delivered the pivotal blow in the bottom half to put the game essentially out of reach.
The Golden Eagles sent 11 runners to the plate in the frame, scoring eight runs to take a commanding 13-5 lead. The inning was highlighted by a three-run long ball off the bat of All-American Kevin Strohshein, a laser down the right field line.
Later in the frame, Dyer created some déjà vu, unleashing his second, three-run bomb of the game to left center field. It brought the rookie's round-tripper total to six on the season. With two outs in the inning, fellow freshman JD Funk took his turn with the slow trot around the bags, crushing a two-run dinger over the scoreboard in right field for his first collegiate long ball.
Tech put an exclamation point on the contest in the fifth, leaving no doubt with six more runs to make it a 19-5 affair. Sophomore slugger Jason Hinchman, the Ohio Valley Conference's home run leader and one of the nation's top-five leaders in the category, provided the brunt of the damage, clearing the wall in right center field for a grand slam. It marked his 16th blast of the season.
Carrera and Dyer turned in back-to-back doubles in the frame, with the latter plating a run. Second baseman Nathan McMeans collected the final RBI of the inning, lacing a single to left field.
The Bulldogs scored three times in the sixth to put a wrap on its offense for the night, but Tech still had some more to give. The purple and gold dented home plate three times in the seventh, using a bases-loaded walk, an error and a ground-ball out to push the tally above 20 for the night.
Then, in the eighth, the Golden Eagles broke out the offense one last time, scoring six times with a few more fireworks. Strohschein led things off by picking up his second double of the contest. Two batters later, he scratched across home plate thanks to a no-doubter to right field off the bat of Carrera. The left fielder's ninth dinger of the year cleared not only the wall, but landed in left field of nearby Tech Softball field.
Just two batters after Carrera, fellow junior Cody Littlejohn copied his teammate's efforts with a solo jack to almost the exact same location on the softball field. Freshman Jack Schad added an RBI single, as did Higdon and Strohschein, who recorded his second hit of the frame.
Dyer led the offensive charge on the night, finishing 4-for-6 with seven RBI and four runs scored. Strohschein also put together a 4-for-6 performance, driving in four and scoring four times. Hinchman drove in four and scored twice while Higdon recorded three RBI and three runs with a 3-for-6 night.
Ten different Golden Eagles recorded hits on the night, while 12 scored at least one run.
Reliever Grant Phillips earned the victory for Tech, tossing one and a third innings out of the bullpen. Connor Adams struck out five in two innings while Zack Wilcox fanned three with just one baserunner allowed in one and thirds frames of work.
ARKANSAS STATE 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
JONESBORO, Ark. - Jaylon Deshazier hit a two-out grand slam as part of a six-run sixth inning to lead Arkansas State (22-16) to an 8-4 victory over Southeast Missouri (16-21) Tuesday.
Tied, 1-1, after five innings, Will Zimmerman scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. With two outs and the bases loaded, Tyler Duncan walked and Sky-Lar Culver scored. On the next play Deshazier drove a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall to grab ASU a 7-1 lead.
SEMO answered with an unearned run in the top of the seventh when Devon Wilson touched home on a two-out error.
An inning later, the Redhawks tacked on two more runs. Connor Basler led off the eighth with a single to center and moved into scoring position on a base hit by Peyton Faulkner. Alex Nielsen later reached on a one-out error and Basler scored. Faulkner touched home on a bases loaded walk by Andrew Keck to narrow the Red Wolves lead to 7-4.
Jake Karst scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Deshazier to cap the scoring the bottom half of the eighth.
The Redhawks scored the game's first run in the top of the second inning. Hunter Southerland reached on a one-out double, advanced to third on a single by Danny Wright and scored when Keck hit into a fielder's choice.
Karst tied the game at 1-1 with his single to left center in the fifth.
Noah Stone (1-0) picked up his first win of the season. Stone allowed just one run on four hits, struck out two and walked one in six innings.
Daniel Lloyd (0-2) took the loss in relief. Lloyd gave up three runs on one hit, struck out one and walked two in two-thirds of an inning.
SEMO outhit ASU, 7-5. Wright and Trent Pobst each had two hits to lead the Redhawks.