TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Illinois State 3,
Eastern Illinois 0
@Ohio 12,
Morehead State 3
@ #28 Tennessee 6,
Belmont 2
@Lipscomb 9,
Austin Peay 8
@Middle Tennessee 8,
Murray State 5 (13 innings)
Missouri State 8,
@Southeast Missouri 2
ILLINOIS STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
NORMAL, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team traveled to Normal, Illinois Tuesday afternoon to take on Illinois State in a midweek contest. A strong pitching performance got the best of the Panthers as EIU fell 0-3.
With the loss EIU drops to 14-14 on the season.
Jack Wolfe got the start for the Panthers on the hill in their midweek contest. Wolfe tossed 3.0 innings with three runs, and two strikeouts. Wolfe suffered his second loss of the season falling to 1-2 on the season.
Hunter Morris was the lone Panther on the afternoon to have an extra base hit. Morris drove a double to left center in the top of the seventh. Grant Emme and Christian Pena had the two other hits for the Panthers throughout the game.
Brett Wicklund earned the win on the mound for Illinois State, improving to 3-1 on the season. Wicklund tossed a complete game with three strikeouts.
OHIO 12, MOREHEAD STATE 3
ATHENS, Ohio - Six runs allowed in the first three frames and last two frames proved to be too much of a margin to ultimately overcome for the Morehead State baseball team at Ohio Tuesday. The Eagles fell 12-3 at Bob Wren Stadium.
Morehead State regressed to 18-11 on the season. Ohio won its third straight to move to 8-18.
The Bobcats' big hit came in the bottom of the second with two outs and the bases loaded. Left-fielder Trevor Lukkes smacked a double into the right field gap off Eagle starter Alex Garbrick (1-3) to score two, while a third run crossed the plate on an outfield fielding miscue on the hit. The hosts later added another four-spot in the runs column in the seventh inning and their final tallies in the eighth.
Morehead State was able to plate a run in the top of the fifth. Junior right-fielder Ryan Layne came across when senior center-fielder Connor Pauly beat out an infield single on the turf surface, the second infield one-bagger he reached on.
Pinch hitter Chase Sortor added two more to the Eagles' run column on the scoreboard with a two-run round-tripper to left field in the eighth inning. It marked the junior transfer's fourth homer of the 2019 season.
Pauly led the Eagles with two hits, joined by senior left-fielder Jake Hammon with two. While he didn't get a hit, senior shortstop Reid Leonard extended his reached-base streak to 26 games.
#28 TENNESSEE 6, BELMONT 2
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont University Baseball dropped a hard-fought 6-2 decision to University of Tennessee on Tuesday night.
Senior Zach Ehrhart (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) got the night started on a good note for the Bruins, working a four pitch walk to give Belmont an early base runner, but a caught stealing and double play ended the inning scoreless for the Bruins.
The Volunteers wasted no time taking the lead in the bottom of the fifth. UT scored three runs on two hits to take an early 3-0 lead. Tennessee plated two more runs in the bottom of the second, taking a 5-0 lead after two complete innings.
Belmont got on the board in the top of the third. Freshman Grayson Taylor (Cullman, Ala.) notched Belmont's second hit of the contest with a one out single to shallow center field, putting a man aboard for the Bruins. Taylor was out on the fielder's choice on the next play, but sophomore Jackson reached first base, keeping a base runner for the Bruins. Ehrhart then stepped up to the plate and delivered a two-out triple to the right field corner to score Campbell and cut the lead 5-1.
Junior Max Marcotte (Coventry, R.I.) took over the mound in the bottom of the third and kept Tennessee of the board for the first time, retiring the Vols in order. He remained on the mound for the fourth inning, pitching his second scoreless inning to keep the score 5-1 after four.
After a scoreless fifth inning, UT scored what would be its final run of the evening in the bottom of the sixth. The Bruins did a good job of holding the Volunteers to just one run in the inning with UT sending seven men to the plate.
The Bruins scored another run in the top of the seventh, cutting the UT lead 6-2. With one out, senior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.), who was playing in front of a hometown crowd, ripped a single up the middle. With two outs and junior Hagan Severance (Brentwood, Tenn.) at the plate, Gardner used his speed to steal second, putting himself in scoring position. Severance took advantage, notching his first hit of the night to plate Gardner.
Both teams were retired in order in the eighth, sending the game to the final ninth inning. Belmont had a base runner when senior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) was hit by a pitch, but he was stranded as Belmont dropped a 6-2 decision.
LIPSCOMB 9, AUSTIN PEAY 8
NASHVILLE - First baseman David Martinez hit a two-run home run, but Austin Peay State University's baseball team could not hold off a late Lipscomb rally in a 9-8 nonconference loss, Tuesday, at Dugan Field.
Martinez’ home run in the first inning gave Austin Peay (14-13) an early two-run lead. Lipscomb responded with two runs in its half of the first then three runs in the third to take a 5-2 lead. Bisons first baseman Cade Sorrells hit a two-run home run and center fielder Maddux Houghton added a solo shot in the third.
The Governors got two runs back in the fourth inning, catcher Alex Sala driving in a run with a sacrifice fly and third baseman Gino Avros’ delivering a run with a double. Austin Peay would regain the lead with another two runs in the sixth inning. Again it was Avros supplying a two-out run-scoring single to tie the game. Garrett Kueber followed with another run-scoring single, and the Govs led 6-5.
After Austin Peay added an insurance run in the seventh, Lipscomb threatened in the eighth. Houghton led off the inning with a single and third baseman David Graves would scoring him with a double into left field. The Govs would call on reliever Ross Walker who responded by retiring the next two batters without the runner advancing. Another pitching change brought on Greg Leban who got a fielder’s choice to end the threat.
Lipscomb (15-12) would not be denied in the ninth. The Bisons saw all six of its batters reach bases safely in the inning. Sorrells tied the game with a two-run single. After another pair of singles loaded the bases, Graves delivered the winning play with a ground ball that the drawn-in, five-man Governors infield could not handle, allowing the walk-off run to score.
Martinez finished the day 1-for-4 with two RBI while Avros was 2-for- with two RBI. In addition, designated hitter Matt Joslin went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Governors closer Brett Newberg (1-4) surrendered three runs on four hits and a walk in the ninth inning. Starter Tyler Thompson allowed five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Sorrells paced Lipscomb with a 2-for-4 outing that included four RBI and saw him score three times. Reliever Tyler Sills picked up the win, surrendering a run in the ninth inning.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 8, MURRAY STATE 5 (13)
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Murray State baseball team played for the first time in nearly a week at Middle Tennessee, Tuesday evening, falling to the Blue Raiders 8-5 in 13 innings.
The Racers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in before MTSU came to bat, but could only manage one run the rest of the way as the home team mounted their comeback.
Ryan Perkins, Jordan Cozart, and Jordan Holly each had two hits and Sean Darmafall had three runs batted in to lead the Racer offense.
Joe Ivey started the game on the mound and pitched 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs while striking out four. Gray Dorsey pitched 3.2 innings after MTSU tied the game in the ninth and kept the game tied until Peyton Wigginton ended the game with a walk-off three-run home run in the 13th.
Tyler Duke led off with a double on the first pitch of the game to start the Racers big first inning. After a hit batter and a walk, Jaron Robinson gave the Racers the early lead with an run-scoring groundout. Darmafall then delivered the big hit of the inning as he laced a two-run double to left-center. Cozart followed with an RBI single to wrap up the four-run inning.
The Blue Raiders got a run back in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run but Ivey settled down by allowing just one baserunner from the second to fifth inning.
The Racers added a run in the sixth when Robinson led off the inning with a bunt single and advanced to third when the throw to first sailed and went down the line. Darmafall followed by driving in his third run of the night with a sacrifice fly.
Middle Tennessee cut their deficit to one run in the bottom of the sixth with three runs before Connor Holden came in to shut down the rally.
Justin Thomas came out of the pen for the Racers and pitched two scoreless innings, but the Blue Raiders tied the game in the ninth off Peyton Hayes with a leadoff double followed by an RBI single.
The Racers had a good chance to score in the 13th, but a failed squeeze play halted the scoring opportunity.
Dorsey got out of a runner on third, less than two out situation in the 12th and looked like he was about to do it again in the thirteenth, but Wigginton had other ideas as sent everybody home with a home run to right field.
MISSOURI STATE 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Right-hander Forrest Barnes retired 19-straight hitters and did not allow a hit for seven innings as Missouri State (8-19) beat Southeast Missouri (14-15), 8-2, Tuesday night at Capaha Field.
Barnes, who entered the game with a 7.50 ERA, retired 21 of the final 23 hitters he faced.
SEMO got ahead on Barnes early scoring once in the first and second innings, but that was it.
Danny Wright drove in Connor Basler on a one-out single to left field for the game's first run. Basler led off the bottom of the first with a single to left and stole second to get into scoring position.
Trent Pobst doubled to left with one out in the second inning, went to third on a wild pitch and stole home for the Redhawks other tally.
MSU broke through with four runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead and that's all Barnes needed.
Jordan Fitzpatrick walked and advanced to second on a one-out single by Logan Geha. Drew Millas followed with a triple to tie the game. Millas was thrown out at the plate on the play. Back-to-back home runs by Dakota Kotowski and Joey Polak came after that putting the Bears ahead, 4-2.
Kotowski came to the plate again in the top of the seventh and belted his second home run of the game to left center extending MSU's lead to 5-2.
The Bears put up another run in the eighth with a RBI-single by John Privitera. An inning later, Privitera knocked in two more runs on a two-out double to complete the scoring.
Barnes' dominating complete game effort resulted in him getting his first win of the season. He finished with 11 strikeouts for the night and struck out the side in the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Tyler Wilber reached on a one-out error and Turner Fritts was hit by a pitch to give the Redhawks their first baserunners since the second inning. Neither Wilber or Fritts scored.
Barnes (1-2) allowed just three hits and walked one, while throwing a total of 123 pitches.
Blake Cisneros (1-1) took the loss in relief. Cisneros allowed two runs on three hits in one-third of an inning.
MSU registered 12 hits with seven coming from the top of its lineup. Millas went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBI, Kotowski went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs, two runs scored and two RBI, and Polak finished at 2-for-5 with a home run, double, run scored and one RBI.