SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 7, Jacksonville State 5
@UT Martin 6-4, Austin Peay 3-5
@Belmont 4, Murray State 3
@Southeast Missouri 9, Tennessee Tech 4
@SIUE 4-16, Valparaiso 3-6
EASTERN KENTUCKY 7, JACKSONVILLE STATE 5
RICHMOND, Ky. - With the game tied, one on and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Nick Howie deposited the ball over the right field wall to send the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team to a 7-5 win over first place Jacksonville State University in the series finale on Saturday at Earle Combs Stadium.
The Colonels (23-17, 10-8 OVC) went in front in the bottom of the first and led until the Gamecocks tied it in the top of the seventh. Will Johnson led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, but he was put out at second on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Ryland Kerr. With a 3-1 count, Howie drove the ball over the wall in right to end the game.
Howie finished the day 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs and two RBIs. Logan Thomason had a 2-for-4 day with a run and two driven in.
After falling behind 2-0, EKU scored four runs in the bottom of the first. A.J. Lewis doubled down to right center to score Kerr and get Eastern on the board. Thomason followed with a 2-run double down the left field line. Daniel Harris singled through the left side to plate Thomason and make it 4-2 in favor of the home team.
Johnson’s RBI double to left in the bottom of the fourth kept the margin at two, 5-3. Jacksonville State cut it to one on Cole Frederick’s run scoring single in the top of the fifth. The Gamecocks tied it, 5-5, on Carson Crowe’s leadoff home run in the top of the seventh.
Crowe finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for Jacksonville State (21-17, 12-6 OVC).
Aaron Ochsenbein (4-0) earned the win for Eastern Kentucky after pitching the final two innings. He gave up two hits and struck out two.
UT MARTIN 6-4, AUSTIN PEAY 3-5
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad split today’s doubleheader against Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay as the Skyhawks claimed a 6-3 victory in Game 1 before dropping a narrow 5-4 decision in Game 2.
Offensively, UT Martin (15-23, 5-12 OVC) was led on the day by Tyson Cox and Sean Dixson as both plated a pair of runs between the two contests. The trio of Casey Harford, Jordan Stoner and Creighton Eldridge drove in one run apiece. Pacing the club in knocks was the grouping of Hayden Cooper, Harford and Stoner as all three tallied four hits on the day. Eldridge legged out a three-bagger to put him at nine for his career which is good for second-most in program history as he is tied with Donnie Mitchell (1980-81). Cox belted his second homer of his career which also happens to be the second of the week as he has found a hot bat as of late.
On the rubber, Austen Bullington (2-6) picked up a victory as he logged 6.2 innings of work. The bullpen foursome of Zach Denney, Nick Wohlbold, David Hussey and Jeff O’Doherty made sure to not allow a single run as they combined for 5.1 scoreless innings of relief between the two games. In all, the six Skyhawk arms fanned 15 batters on the day and allowed just four extra-base hits.
The first contest of the day saw Dixson swing the big bat as the Norman, Okla. native tallied one base knock but drove in a game-best two runs. The pairing of Stoner and Harford each connected for three hits and an RBI while Cox rounded out the scoring column with run driven in on one hit. Also collecting hits in the game were Cooper (two), Blake Davis, Ethan Whitley and Eldridge (all with one).
Bullington was superb in his 6.2-inning start as he allowed just two earned runs. The righty from Newburgh, Ind. fanned five Governors as he conceded nine knocks and issued two walks. Denney notched his second save of the season as he came into the game in a tight spot and finished things off with 2.1 innings tossed. He went on to allow just two hits and a pair of free bases as he forced two Austin Peay whiffs while shutting the door.
The Governors got on the scoreboard first as they put up a run in the top of the second to jump out to a 1-0 lead.
UT Martin answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the second as Eldridge opened the frame up with a single up the middle. Whitley then reached on a fielder’s choice groundball but the third baseman threw the ball away, allowing for runners at the corners. Later, Cox poked a knock through the right side to plate Eldridge and knot the score up 1-1.
Bullington made fairly quick work of Austin Peay in the third inning as he forced the first batter of the frame to groundout. He then issued a seven-pitch walk before the runner was caught in a pickoff attempt by backstop Davis. Bullington then fanned the next batter to get out of the inning.
The top of the fourth saw Bullington have great success as he retired the side in order on a groundout followed by a pair of strikeouts.
A UT Martin flurry of runs came in the bottom of the fourth as four runs were pushed across the plate. Getting things started was Whitley as he beat out a single back to the pitcher. Cooper then worked a four-pitch walk before Cox grounded into a fielder’s choice to take Whitley out of the equation. With runners at first and second, Dixson then hit a knock to left that allowed Cooper to come home. A Stoner single up the middle then brought in Cox before a Harford hit to left field pushed Dixson across the plate. Davis ended the scoring run with an infield single to short and brought Stoner in but the frame would end on Harford taking advantage of an errant throw as he was eventually tagged out at third but not before the Skyhawks went up by a 5-1 margin.
Eldridge opened the fifth with a five-pitch free base before Whitley drew a five-pitch walk of his own. Cooper then laid down a bunt single to juice the bases. Later, Dixson reached on a fielder’s choice and pushed Eldridge across home plate to put UT martin up 6-1.
Bullington worked around a one-out single as he then induced a 6-4-3 double play ball to coast through the sixth inning.
Austin Peay would add on two runs in the seventh to inch back by the eventual final score of 6-3.
Denney made fairly quick work of the Governors in the eighth as he fanned the first batter he saw. He allowed a first-pitch infield single but kept his composure to induce a popout followed by a groundout and needed just seven pitches to get through the inning. Denney kept chugging along in the ninth as he worked around a leadoff single to force a pair of groundouts and catch the final batter of the contest looking.
Leading the pack in the second game of the day was Cox and Eldridge as both collected a hit (Eldridge a triple and Cox a homer) as well as the two Skyhawk RBIs of the contest. Cooper led the team in hits as he once again tallied a two-hit performance. The trio of Stoner, Harford and Whitley rapped out one knock apiece.
Left-handed pitcher Sam Folks (3-5) drew the starting nod in the back end of the twin bill. He was very efficient early on as he carried a no hitter into the fourth inning with two outs in the frame. The southpaw out of Franklin, Tenn. allowed six hits and five earned runs while conceding a pair of walks, but he did rack up eight strikeouts before his day was through. O’Doherty, Wohlbold and Hussey combined for the remaining three innings of time on the mound and the trio scattered two hits and two walks between them in a scoreless trio of frames.
Folks found himself in a slight bit of trouble in the opening inning as he saw the second batter he faced get on via an error. Keeping a cool head, Folks forced a pair of groundouts to escape any danger. He was dealing in the second inning as he retired the side via the punchout, catching one batter looking while the other two went down swinging.
UT Martin cracked into the scoring column first as it brought in a pair of runs in the frame. Cooper got the action started with a single through the left side on the first pitch he saw. Then Blake Daniels worked a five-pitch walk. Whitley moved both men into scoring position via a groundout before Cox drew a four-pitch free base to load of the bases. A Dixson fielder’s choice followed by a throwing error by the Governor shortstop was good enough to let both Cooper and Daniels come home and give the Skyhawks a 2-0 advantage.
Folks kept up the good work in the third as ground balls once again ruled the inning as he needed just 13 pitches to cruise through the frame.
Austin Peay put up its first run in the fourth as it broke up Folks’ no-hit bid with a two-out single bunted just out of the pitcher’s reach which led to the Governors narrowing the score 2-1.
Folks regained his composure in the fifth as he fanned the first Austin Peay batter of the frame. He conceded a single through the left side to the next batter but got some help from backstop Davis to catch the runner stealing. Folks retired the final batsman of the frame on a looking strikeout.
The Skyhawks added on a run in the fifth as Harford got things started with a one-out single up the middle. He then swiped second base before Eldridge roped a triple to right center that brought in Harford and made the score 3-1 in UT Martin’s favor.
Folks needed a mere eight pitches to coast through the sixth as he forced a lineout, flyout and recorded a strikeout, respectively.
Another UT Martin run came in the sixth inning as Cox issued a two-out long ball to left field to push the Skyhawk lead out to 4-1.
Austin Peay solved its hitting problem in the seventh as the Governors pushed four runs across the plate to take a 5-4 lead, the eventual final score.
BELMONT 4, MURRAY STATE 3
NASHVILLE - Another come-from-behind victory secured Belmont University Baseball's series sweep over Murray State on Saturday. A big eighth inning cemented the Bruins' 4-3 victory.
Murray State took an early 1-0 lead after a leadoff double came around to score on a wild pitch, giving the Racers the early momentum.
Even though the Belmont offense struggled to get going early, starting pitcher, freshman Joshua South (Cookeville, Tenn.), dug in and put up three straight scoreless innings to keep the score 1-0 after four complete innings of play.
The Racers extended its lead in the top of the fifth by scoring two unearned runs to take a 3-0 lead.
After stranding one in the bottom of the fifth and consecutive three up, three down innings for the Belmont offense, things looked bleak for the Bruins.
Belmont, however, never gave up and started mounting a comeback in the eighth inning. The Bruins started gaining momentum in the top of the eighth, with a non-traditional double play. The fly ball and play at the plate ended the top of the inning with Belmont still in striking distance.
Senior Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) started the big bottom of the eighth with a walk. Junior Chandler Adkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) worked another walk and senior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) wore a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Senior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) put Belmont in the scoring column when he worked a bases loaded walk to put BU within a couple of runs. The biggest hit of the day came from freshman Grayson Taylor (Madison, Ala.). Down to his final strike, Taylor hammered a double down the left field line to tie the game 3-3. Senior Hagan Severance (Brentwood, Tenn.) then plated the winning run for the Bruins with a sacrifice fly for a 4-3 lead.
Heading into the top of the ninth, sophomore Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) trotted to the mound to try and secure his third save in as many days. Brennan came up big, notching a strikeout and forcing two ground balls to secure the victory.
With the win, the Bruins are now tied for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 14-7 record.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, TENNESSEE TECH 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (17-23, 7-14) defeated Tennessee Tech (17-20, 5-13), 9-4, in its series finale Saturday afternoon at Capaha Field.
SEMO scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead and never looked back.
Down, 4-3, after three-and-a-half innings, Tyler Wilber drove in Danny Wright on a one-out single to left field. Wright was hit by a pitch and stole second before touching home on Wilber's base hit. On the next play, Austin Blazevic belted a three-run home run to right field to put SEMO ahead, 7-4. Blazevic homered in his third game back after missing five weeks with a fractured thumb.
Devon Wilson tacked on another run for the Redhawks when he scored on a sacrifice bunt by Connor Basler. Basler then doubled down the left field line to start the bottom of the eighth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Peyton Faulkner to cap the 9-4 victory.
SEMO's bullpen was strong holding TTU scoreless for the final five innings of the contest.
Logan Winder (1-1), who recorded his first win of the season, struck out five, walked two and allowed four hits in 4.2 innings. Winder gave way to Aaron Stretch in the ninth inning. Stretch struck out Nathan McMeans for the last out of the game.
Caleb Morgan (1-5) suffered the loss. Morgan allowed seven runs on six hits and walked one in four innings.
SEMO finished with 10 hits for the day with five coming from Wilson and Blazevic. Wilson went 3-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored, while Blazevic followed at 2-for-4 with a double, home run, three RBI and one run scored. Andrew Keck added two hits, as well. Eight of the Redhawks nine starters scored.
The Redhawks evened their record to 13-13 at home this season.
SIUE 4-16, VALPARAISO 3-6
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE swept a doubleheader from Valparaiso Sunday winning 4-3 and 16-6, in eight innings, Saturday at Simmons Baseball Complex.
After dropping the opener, the Cougars won the nonconference series from the Crusaders with the Saturday sweep. SIUE has won six of its last seven games and improved to 15-22 overall, Valparaiso fell to 8-26. The Cougars scored the win in game two by virtue of the 10-run rule.
Collin Baumgartner pitched seven strong innings in game one, allowing a run on four hits. He struck out five. The seven-inning outing is a career-long for Baumgartner.
The Cougars took a 2-0 lead on a Brock Weimer two-run home run in the first inning. The homer was the 32nd of his career moving him to within one of tying Devin Caldwell's career record. Eric Giltz tripled to drive home a run in the fifth to put the Cougars up 3-1.
The Crusaders scored twice in the eighth against SIUE reliever Cole Milam to tie the score, but SIUE collected the game-winner in the ninth when Jordan Ross was walked with the bases loaded.
Milam (1-2) earned the win, while Braydon Bone pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.
In game two, the Cougars again took a first-inning lead courtesy of Brock Weimer. Brendan Ryan led off the inning with a double and Weimer drilled a two-out double to the wall in left center to score Ryan to make it 1-0.
Blake Billinger homered in the second to tie the score for Valpo, but SIUE answered. Justin Perkins led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to put SIUE on top 2-1.
The Cougars took control in the third inning, scoring six times on just two hits to lead 8-1. Valpo starter Zach Fricke walked three and hit two batters in the inning. Valparaiso trimmed the lead to 8-3 when Dustin Woodcock struck for a three-run home run in the fifth to extend SIUE's lead to 11-3.
SIUE scored twice in the sixth to lead 13-3. The Crusaders extended the game in the seventh when Billinger hit his second homer of the game, a three-run shot to make it 13-6. The Cougars scored a run in the bottom of the seventh and then two more in the eighth to go up 16-6, forcing the end of the game.
The 16 runs are a season high for the Cougars, who finished with 13 hits. Woodcock finished 2-4. Peyton Cordova-Smith was 3-4. Perkins was 2-3 for game two with the homer and three RBIs. Weimer was 1-4 with the RBI.