FRIDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 9, @Belmont 6
@Morehead State 10, SIUE 1
Austin Peay 8, @Eastern Kentucky 1
Jacksonville State 4, @Southeast Missouri 3 (10 innings)
Murray State 7, @Tennessee Tech 3
@Samford 14,
UT Martin 4
EASTERN ILLINOIS 9, BELMONT 3
NASHVILLE - The Eastern Illinois baseball team traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to take on Belmont Friday afternoon. The Panthers were able to defeat the Bruins in the series opener 9-3.
With the win, EIU improves to 16-14 (8-5 OVC).
The Panthers got on the board first in the top of the second inning. Keith Kerrigan was able to give EIU a one run lead with an RBI double to left field.
Hagan Severance tied up the game with a one-run triple to right center in the bottom of the second.
EIU kept the offensive pressure alive, grabbing the lead from the Bruins in the top of the third inning. Hunter Morris drove in the first run of the inning grounding out to second to drive in Tyler Tesmond. Ryan Knernschield would give the Panthers their second run of the inning with a one-run single through the left side.
Belmont was able to cut the lead down to one run in the bottom of the fifth when Jackson Campbell hit a solo homerun. Chas Hadden drove in the Bruins second run of the inning with a single up the middle.
Matt Waznis helped the Panthers respond in the top of the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Knernschield. EIU would add two more runs in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 6-3.
Govern extended the lead for the Panthers in the top of the eighth inning with a two run homer to left center to give EIU the 8-3 lead. An error at shortstop would drive in the final run in the game for the Panthers making the score 9-3.
Chandler Adkins would cut the Panther lead to three runs in the bottom of the eighth with a three run homer to right field.
Michael YaSenka got the start for the Panthers on the mound in the series opener. YaSenka improved to 3-3 on the season with the win in today's game. YaSenka tossed 7.0 innings with eight strikeouts and three runs.
Alex Stevenson picked up his second save of the season tossing 1.1 innings with a strikeout.
MOREHEAD STATE 10, SIUE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Junior lefty Dalton Stambaugh struck out a season-high 10 over 7.2 innings, while the Morehead State baseball bats struck for six doubles and two home runs en route to a 10-1 victory over visiting SIU Edwardsville in an OVC series opening game at Allen Field Friday.
The Eagles (19-11/6-4 OVC) have now registered 109 runs against the Cougars (9-18/5-8) in the last seven games in the series - all Eagle wins.
Junior DH Jon Burghardt, who entered the game with just two extra base hits in 2019, cranked a school-record tying three doubles and drove in a team-best two runs from the eight-spot in the batting order. His effort rubbed off on the five, six and seven hitters too. Sophomore third baseman Stephen Hill, senior first baseman Trevor Snyder and junior second baseman Dom Peroni combined for seven more of the Eagles' 16 hits and four RBI. Snyder and Peroni each smashed third third homers of the year too.
Senior left-fielder Jake Hammon also had two hits, including an RBI double.
MSU scored two in the first off Burghardt's two-run single and advance on the throw and added two more in the third on run scoring singles from Snyder and Hill. It was a three-spot on the scoreboard in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Stambaugh improved to 4-1 by striking out at least two SIUE hitters in four of his 7.2 innings on 104 pitches while surrendering just three hits. Freshman Zack Smith came on to close the game with one more punchout.
Collin Baumgartner allowed five runs in four frames to slip to 0-4.
AUSTIN PEAY 8, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - Starting pitcher Josh Rye struck out a career-best eight batters over 7.2 innings, and Austin Peay State University’s offense supplied five home runs in an 8-1 Ohio Valley Conference series-opening victory against Eastern Kentucky, Friday night at Earle Combs Stadium.
Rye (4-3) opened the game by retiring the first six batters he faced and allowed just two base runner through the opening five innings. His lone blip on the day was a solo home run to open the sixth inning, but he responded by retiring seven of the next eight batters he faced – five via strikeout.
Austin Peay (15-13, 9-4 OVC) would support Rye’s performance with a five-homer barrage. Center fielder Garrett Spain opened the salvo with a leadoff shot in the second, his season's second home run. One inning later, first baseman John McDonald hit his season’s first home run with a second-straight leadoff home run.
With the Governors leading 3-1 entering the fourth, left fielder Malcolm Tipler and designated hitter Matthew Joslin hit back-to-back one-out homers in the fourth. It was Tipler’s first home run this season and Joslin’s second.
Catcher David Martinez would secure the victory in the ninth, hitting a two-run home run to set the final score. It was Martinez’ fifth home run this season, all coming in his last seven games.
Eastern Kentucky (17-14, 5-5 OVC) could not solve Rye until third baseman Logan Thomason’s leadoff home run in the sixth. The Colonels would get two aboard with two out in the eighth to end Rye’s outing, but APSU reliever Ryan Kouba struck out the first batter he faced to end the threat. EKU would load the bases in the ninth but could not score.
Rye posted career bests in innings pitched (7.2) and strikeouts (eight) while walking only one batter and scattering five hits. Kouba would hit a pair of batters in the ninth but struck out two, including the game’s final batter.
Martinez led Austin Peay with a 3-for-5, three RBI outing that also included an RBI single in the third. McDonald went 2-for-3 with a fourth-inning double joining his home run. Second baseman Bobby Head extended his hit streak to 10 games with a sixth-inning single.
Eastern Kentucky starter Jake Lewis (0-2) suffered the loss in his season's first start, going three innings while allowing three runs on four hits. At the plate, Thomason led the EKU offense with a 2-for-3 outing.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3 (10)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Jacksonville State picked up its fourth win in a row and third win in extra innings this season with a 4-3, 10-inning decision over Southeast Missouri on Friday night at Capaha Field.
Sophomore Isaac Alexander delivered the game-winning RBI in the top of the 10th with a bases-loaded single through the middle and sophomore Christian Edwards struck out the SEMO side to start the road series with a win. The Gamecocks moved to 15-14 overall and 7-3 in Ohio Valley Conference contests, while SEMO dropped to 14-16 on the season and 4-9 in league play. The two clubs return to action on Saturday.
The two programs will make a decision on Saturday morning whether to play an afternoon twinbill with a threat of heavy rains in the Cape Girardeau, Missouri area on Sunday. If JSU and SEMO finish the weekend set on Saturday, the doubleheader will get started at 1 p.m. All game time changes will be posted on JSUGamecockSports.com and on JSU's social media platforms.
Sophomore Cole Frederick, who had a home run in the second inning, collected his second extra base hit of the night with a leadoff double in the 10th. A wild pitch and back-to-back walks by junior Alex Webb and senior Nic Gaddis loaded the bases for Alexander. Frederick's home run extended JSU's lead to 2-0 in the third inning after an RBI sophomore Alex Strachan in the second off of SEMO starter Rylan Dodd.
Redshirt junior Garrett Farmer turned in another valiant effort on the mound with eight innings of work and touched for seven hits. The Huntsville, Alabama right hander tallied six strikeouts in another no decision. The Redhawks strung together five hits, of the seven total hits, to right field off of Farmer in the sixth and scored all three of their runs in the one frame to take a 3-2 lead in the contest. Edwards tossed the ninth and tenth and collected five strikeouts in two innings of work. Dating back to last season's outing with SEMO, Farmer has allowed three runs in 16 innings to the Redhawks. Last season at Choccolocco Park, Farmer tuned in eight shutout innings and touched for two hits.
SEMO's one-run advantage didn't last the first Gamecock in the seventh as junior Chase Robinson equalized with a solo home run to right center field to start the inning.
Redshirt freshman Nash Adams joined Frederick with multiple hits in the contest. Adams had a leadoff double in the ninth but was stranded on the base paths.
SEMO's Tyler Wilbur and Alex Nielson had two hits each in the setback.
MURRAY STATE 7, TENNESSEE TECH 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Trevor McMurray was outstanding on the mound and Tyler Duke came up clutch once again as the Murray State baseball team defeated Tennessee Tech, 7-3, Friday evening in Cookeville, Tennessee for the first time since 2008.
McMurray went the distance while tying a career high with seven strikeouts and allowing just one earned run to improve the Racers to 12-15 overall and 7-3 in OVC play. It was the first complete game in a win for Murray State since Brad Boegel tossed one in 2015 against Eastern Illinois.
Duke only had one hit on the night but it was a big one, blasting a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh inning after just barely missing a go-ahead home run in his previous at-bat. He also added a sacrifice fly later in the game to give him a career-high four RBI. It is also the third-straight win in OVC play that Duke provided the game-winning hit after walking off Jacksonville State twice two weeks ago.
After both teams went down easily in the first, the Racers took the lead in the second. With Ryan Perkins on first after a bunt single, he advanced all the way to third after the TTU third baseman could not handle a grounder from Jaron Robinson. However, Perkins was not done running as he saw home plate vacated when the catcher went to cover third, allowing Perkins to score from first on a ball that did not leave the infield.
McMurray got through the second unscathed, but the Golden Eagles took the lead in the third with three runs on two home runs.
Wes Schad got a run back in the fourth when he hit an opposite-field home run, his third of the season before Duke put the Racers ahead for good in the seventh.
After allowing the two home runs in the third, McMurray got into a groove, retiring 13 of the next 14 batters to come to the plate. He allowed a single on the first pitch he threw in the eighth, but the runner was erased when Duke cut him down at second trying to advance. McMurray then retired the next two batters on the first pitch as well for a three-pitch inning, giving him a chance to go all nine.
A couple of runners got on in the ninth, but Skirka let him finish what he started, inducing a flyout to right field to end the game.
SAMFORD 14, UT MARTIN 4
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team held a three-run lead midway through tonight's nonconference contest at Samford but the host Bulldogs rallied for a 14-4 win in the series opener at JL Griffin Field.
Casey Harford reached base safely three times this evening, scoring a pair of runs to go along with two RBI's. The sophomore from Cordova, Tenn. belted his first round tripper of the season to give the Skyhawks (11-18) a 4-1 advantage in the top of the third inning. Freshman Noah Thigpen also delivered the first multi-hit game of his young career but Samford (21-9) was able to score nine runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and UT Martin would not recover.
On the mound, Austen Bullington drew the start but received the loss (2-4) after allowing five runs over 4.1 innings. David Hussey (0.1 innings), Marcus Eusebio (1.1 innings) and Jeff O'Doherty (two innings) each made relief appearances for the Skyhawks tonight.
Bullington pitched around a two-out double in the bottom of the first to set the scene for the first score of the night. Harford drew a leadoff walk in the second and advanced to third after a Blake Davis single. Ethan Whitley accounted for the first RBI of the contest with a groundout that plated Harford while Reid Pope knocked in Davis with an RBI single to make the score 2-0.
The Bulldogs trimmed their deficit in half with a two-out run in the bottom of the second. UT Martin wasted little time expanding its lead as Sean Dixson led the top of the third off with a single. Three batters later, Harford launched a two-run jack to straightaway center to nudge the Skyhawks ahead by a 4-1 margin.
Bullington breezed through scoreless third and fourth frames but Samford was able to tack on nine runs in the fifth inning. The Bulldogs scored two more runs in the sixth before O'Doherty completed a clean frame in the bottom of the seventh.
Samford added a pair of runs in the eighth to provide the final scoring margin of 14-4. UT Martin had a chance to ignite a rally in the top of the ninth but the offense was stymied in its attempt.