SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee Tech 9, Belmont 6
@Murray State 9, Eastern Kentucky 7
@Austin Peay 7, SIUE 1
@Jacksonville State 11, Morehead State 3
Southeast Missouri 3, @Purdue 2
TENNESSEE TECH 9, BELMONT 6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The long ball and the bullpen set the tone for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles pulled even in its Ohio Valley Conference series with in-state rival Belmont following a 9-6 victory.
Tech (18-23, 6-14) used four home runs and nine total hits to provide the damage offensively in the contest, tagging Cookeville native and Belmont (21-21, 15-8) hurler Joshua South for seven runs over seven innings.
The Bruins took the lead early in the back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes, plating one in the top of the second on an RBI double down the left field line. Tech answered back in force in the bottom of the third.
Second baseman Nathan McMeans ripped a double down the left field line on the first pitch of the frame. Freshman catcher Will Long followed suit, lacing his own two-bagger down the left field stripe to tie things at 1-1 and drive in his first collegiate run.
The hero of the contest, freshman JD Funk, kept the double train rolling on the next offering, rifling one down the right field line to give Tech a 2-1 lead. A sacrifice bunt moved him over and All-American Kevin Strohschein drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left center field for a 3-1 advantage.
In the fourth, Belmont jumped back on top with a couple of dingers scoring three and making it a 4-3 contest in favor of the visitors. In the bottom half, it was junior Gavin Johns who helped keep a historical streak intact. With two outs, he blasted a solo shot to left field to tie the game at 4-4.
It represented the Golden Eagles' 17th consecutive game with at least one home run, extending the program record. A two-run top of the sixth put the Bruins back on top once more, providing a 6-4 advantage.
The Golden Eagles took one run back in the bottom half of the frame, as freshman John Dyer pulverized an 0-1 offering to left field to make it a 6-5 game. It marked the youngster's seventh round-tripper of the year.
Johns led off the seventh inning with a single, trying to breathe life into the offense, but two quick outs seemed to put a damper on Tech's chances of scoring. A failed pickoff attempt by South allowed an alert Johns to scamper all the way to third and provide some late pressure on the freshman pitcher with Funk at the dish.
After missing his first two swings of the at bat, Funk just got a piece of an outside pitch to keep the at bat alive. He watched the next pitch miss the zone before uncorking an absolute moon shot for a two-run, no-doubt bomb over the batter's eye in center field. The two-out dinger marked the rookie's fourth of the year and put Tech back on top, 7-6.
In the eighth, junior Anthony Carrera added some clutch insurance after Strohschein led off the frame with a single. With two outs and a 1-2 count, the left fielder hammered his own two-run jack to center field, this one clanging off the top of the batter's eye to make it a 9-6 ball game in favor of the purple and gold. It represented Carrera's 12th wall-clearing hit of the season.
Redshirt freshman southpaw Connor Adams (2-1) earned the win on the day, completing one and two third frames out of the bullpen. Senior right-hander Zack Wilcox picked up his first save of the season, shutting down the final two innings with just a single base runner allowed.
Funk paced the Tech offense with a 2-for-2 showing that included two runs, three RBI and a walk. Johns also notched a pair of hits and runs scored. Seven different Golden Eagles registered both at least one hit and one run scored in the contest.
MURRAY STATE 9, EASTERN KENTUCKY 7
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State baseball team erased a six-run deficit against Eastern Kentucky, Saturday, en route to a 9-7 victory at Reagan Field.
The Racers received one of their best performances from their bullpen as Gray Dorsey and Jake Jones combined to throw five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four.
On offense, Jaron Robinson went 2-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI. Jordan Cozart also added two hits and Wes Schad and Ryan Perkins each scored two runs.
After a scoreless first inning, the Racers took a 1-0 lead in the second as Schad doubled to lead off the inning before coming around to score on a single by Robinson.
However, the lead did not last long as Eastern Kentucky scored five runs in the third on a couple of home runs before adding two more runs in the fourth to take a 7-1 lead.
Those were the last runs the Colonels would score in the game as the Racers made their comeback in the fifth, scoring six runs to tie the game.
Robinson and Jordan Holly both singled to begin the rally before coming around to score on a single by Perkins, who eventually came around to score himself on a single by Brock Anderson. After Anderson advanced to third on a wild pitch and passed ball, Cozart drove him in with a single to make it 7-5. Murray State then tied the game as two consecutive errors by the EKU middle infield allowed Schad and Cozart to cross the plate.
The Racers took the lead in the sixth. After Perkins walked, he advanced to third on a single by Slunder, but when the throw got away from the third baseman, he made a mad dash to the plate, just beating the throw home.
MSU added an insurance run in the seventh as Robinson stole home when CJ Bush got himself caught in a rundown between first and second.
The two-run cushion proved to be more than enough as Jones earned the save with two perfect innings.
AUSTIN PEAY 7, SIUE 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Right fielder Parker Phillips hit two late home runs as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team pulled away for a 7-1 Ohio Valley Conference victory against SIUE, Saturday afternoon on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
SIUE (16-24, 8-12 OVC) would strike first in Saturday’s game, taking advantage of an uneven start by Govs starter Jacques Pucheu. Shortstop Jordan Ross led off the inning with a double and the Cougars quickly worked to take advantage, using a sacrifice bunt to move Ross to third. After a walk, SIUE would use another sacrifice, this time by right fielder Dustin Woodcock, to drive in the run and take a 1-0 lead.
However, Pucheu quickly locked in after surrendering the run. He would retire 13 of the next 15 batters he faced and saw the only batter who reached in that stretch wiped out by a double play. Pucheu would stretch his start into the eighth inning where a one-out single would end his day.
Pucheu’s performance after giving up the run gave the Govs offense plenty of time to help out their starter and they broke through in the fifth inning. Third baseman Gino Avros opened the frame with a single and quickly advanced to second on a wild pitch. Second baseman Malcolm Tipler followed with a single through the right side. The Cougars would help the Govs as Avros scored after the SIUE right fielder misplayed the ball. Tipler would later score the go-ahead run after a trio of wild pitches allowed him to move around the bases, giving the Govs a 2-1 lead.
Austin Peay (23-18, 15-8 OVC) would extend its lead in the seventh and eighth innings thanks to Phillips’ home runs. His two run blast to right center in the seventh gave the Govs a 4-1 lead. In the eighth, designated hitter John McDonald led off the inning with a home run and four batters later Phillips would add his second two-run homer of the afternoon, extending the lead to 7-1.
Pucheu (6-2) picked up his season’s sixth victory after holding SIUE to one run while scattering two hits over 7.1 innings. He would work around five walks while striking out five batters. The Govs bullpen combined for 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out two.
Phillips ended the day 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBI and was walked twice. Second baseman Malcolm Tipler went 4-for-4 and scored twice. Avros and McDonald also had two hits each.
SIUE starter Kenny Serwa suffered his first loss this season after allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over four-plus innings. The Cougars offense was held to three hits on the day.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 11, MOREHEAD STATE 3
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State evened the series with Morehead State behind a superb pitching performance by freshman Isaiah Magwood and a four-hit night for junior Alex Webb as the Gamecocks posted an 11-3 win on Saturday night on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Gamecocks bounced back after a tough night offensively against the Eagles in a 5-0 setback. JSU improved to 22-20 on the season and 13-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference. MSU dropped to 28-16 overall and 12-8 in conference play. Jax State is percentage points behind Belmont and Austin Peay, who have identical 15-8 records in the league. The rubber game of the series is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available at JSUGamecocksports.com. All JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free. Sunday will be 'Kids Day' at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium as kids will be able to run the bases following the conclusion of the contest.
Magwood shook off an unearned run in the first inning by the Eagles to toss a season-long six innings and a season-best nine strikeouts en route to notching his first win as a Gamecock. After the run by MSU in the first plate appearance, the Hazel Green, Alabama righty retired 14 of the next 17 Eagles he faced. After a one-out double by MSU's Stephen Hill, Magwood did not allow an Eagle hit until a leadoff single in the seventh. He walked one and hit a batter during that stretch from the second inning to the sixth inning.
Webb collected his third four-hit contest and second against OVC competition, including a clutch two-out, two-run double down the right field line in Jax State's seven-run eighth inning that broke open a 4-3 contest entering the frame. The seven runs by JSU was the biggest run-producing inning of the season. Webb delivered his first of two doubles in the first, followed by singles in the third and fifth. Freshman Carson Crowe had first three-hit night of his career, including an RBI single in fourth to extend the JSU lead to 4-1. Sophomores Cole Frederick and Isaac Alexander had multi-hits in the win as the duo had RBI singles in the four-hit eighth.
Sophomore Alex Strachan and junior Tre Kirklin had RBI in the third inning and sixth inning.
Junior Jackson Tavel and senior Austin Brewster finished the final three innings with Tavel recording four strikeouts and Brewster capping off a 14-strikeout night for the pitching staff, matching the season-high in total strikeouts in a contest this season. Brewster recorded his third save of the season. JSU pitchers fanned 14 against Florida International.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, PURDUE 2
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Freshman Andrew Keck's solo home run in the seventh inning was the difference as Southeast Missouri (20-24) evened its series with a 3-2 win over Purdue (16-26) Saturday.
Keck's second home run of the season, which sailed over the left field wall, came after Purdue tied the game in the bottom of the sixth.
Tyler Wilber, the Ohio Valley Conference leader in batting average, hit a two-RBI single through the left side to grab SEMO a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Peyton Faulkner and Danny Wright scored on the play.
Purdue cut the Redhawks lead in half with a RBI-single by Milo Beam in the bottom of the fifth inning. Beam's single came after Justin Fugitt tripled.
The Boilermakers tied things up at 2-2 on a two-out run-scoring hit by Zac Fascia in the sixth. Cole McKenzie walked and stole second before scoring the tying run on Fascia's single.
SEMO had chances to expand its lead, but left the bases loaded in the eighth and stranded two more runners in the ninth inning.
Aaron Stretch retired the Boilermakers in order in the ninth inning to claim his team-high fourth save of the year. Stretch tossed 1.2 scoreless, no-hit innings with a strikeout out of the bullpen.
Austin Sachse brought his record to 5-5 on the mound in 2019. Sachse struck out six and gave up two runs on five hits in six innings of work.
Andrew Bohm suffered the loss. Bohm recorded eight strikeouts, allowed three runs, gave up three hits and walked three in 6.1 frames.
Both teams finished with six hits for the day. Wilber led SEMO with two hits, while Austin Blazevic, Keck, Faulkner and Connor Basler followed with one apiece.