SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Belmont 9-5, Eastern Illinois 7-1
@Morehead State 11-11, SIUE 9-9
@Eastern Kentucky 9-11, Austin Peay 3-3
@Southeast Missouri 9, Jacksonville State 8
@Tennessee Tech 10-7, Murray State 4-14
@Samford 6,
UT Martin 3
BELMONT 9-5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 7-1
NASHVILLE - Hot bats lifted Belmont University Baseball to a pair of victories on Saturday over Ohio Valley Conference opponent Eastern Illinois at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins took game one of the double header 9-7 and game two 5-1. The day was highlighted by junior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) who went six-for-nine on the day and blasted three home runs in game two. The Bruins improved to 10-6 in OVC play with the two victories.
Game one of the double header was filled with offensive energy with 16 runs scored and 20 hits between the two squads.
After a scoreless first inning, Belmont had momentum after the top of the second when it took freshman Joshua South (Cookeville, Tenn.) just four pitches to retire the Panthers in order.
Belmont's bats woke up in the bottom of the second inning, taking an early 4-0 run after four hits and a couple walks. Senior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) got the big inning started with a one-out double to left field. Freshman Tommy Crider (Madison, Ala.) and junior Hagan Severance (Brentwood, Tenn.) then notched consecutive base hits to score Holland and give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. With runners on the corners and just one out, freshman Grayson Taylor (Cullman, Ala.) worked a walk to load the bases. With one out left in the inning and the bases full of Bruins, senior Zach Ehrhart (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) had a nice at-bat and worked a walk to push another run across the plate. Belmont wasn't done yet as senior Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) delivered a single that plated two more runs and BU took a 4-0 lead after two complete innings.
Eastern Illinois responded in the top of the third with two runs of its own, cutting Belmont's lead 4-2.
After a quiet fourth inning, Belmont scored again in the bottom of the fifth. Base hits by Taylor and Gardner put two aboard with one out. Holland then wore a pitch loading the bases. Crider, put the ball in play, grounding out but not before the Bruins' fifth run crossed the plate. The third out would strand two Belmont runners, but the damage was done, and Belmont had a 5-2 lead after five.
The back-and-forth action continued with EIU scoring its third run of the game to keep the pressure on the Bruins.
With a 5-3 lead, Belmont blew things open in the bottom of the sixth. Belmont had two early base runners when sophomore Jackson Campbell (Russellville, Ky.) was hit by a pitch and Ehrhart reached on a fielder's choice. Hadden then delivered another RBI single, plating Campbell for a 6-3 lead. With runners on the corners, Gardner delivered a clutch RBI double to right center field, clearing the bases and tacking on some insurance runs for the Bruins. The final run of the inning was scored when Holland notched a single to center field that drove Gardner home and gave Belmont a commanding 9-3 lead.
A solo home run in the top of the seventh and a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth cut BU's lead 9-5 after eight complete innings.
Sophomore closer Logan Bowen (Bowling Green, Ky.) relieved South in the top of the ninth to try and close things out for the Bruins. EIU tried to claw back, scoring two runs in the top of the ninth, but Bowen dug in and got the three outs needed to secure the 9-7 Belmont victory.
Game two of the twin bill was a much lower scoring affair, but Belmont had the same offensive firepower as in game one.
Sophomore Korey Bell (Brentwood, Tenn.) and the Belmont defense set the tone early, retiring the Panthers in order in the top of the first. Although EIU notched a base runner early who made his way to third after a stolen base and a balk, an unconventional double play ended the inning. Gardner chased down a foul ball past the right field line for one out and then flung a dart to Campbell who was waiting at the plate and tagged the runner out at home plate completing the double play.
Belmont then took an early lead in the bottom of the first. After two quick outs, junior Chandler Adkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) sent a base knock through the left side, putting an early runner on base. Gardner then stepped up to the plate, swinging on the first pitch he saw, and blasted a two-run home run well past the left field fence, giving Belmont an early 2-0 lead.
Bell worked around a walk and a base hit in the top of the second and forced an important fly ball to left field for the third out of EIU's half of the inning, preserving the Belmont lead.
The Bruins' bats went cold in the third and fourth innings, but Bell kept Belmont in it defensively, keeping Eastern Illinois off the board.
BU got back on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Severance worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt laid down by Taylor. Campbell and Ehrhart then notched back-to-back hits that pushed Severance across the plate giving Belmont a 3-0 lead.
EIU scored its only run of the second game in the top of the sixth to cut the Belmont lead 3-1.
Gardner continued his impressive day in the bottom of the sixth with his second long ball of the game. His leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth gave Belmont a 4-1 lead.
After a scoreless seventh, Gardner capped off his outing with yet another leadoff home run in the bottom of the eighth. Swinging on the second pitch of the inning, Gardner sailed another ball past the outfield fence for a 5-1 Belmont lead.
Relief pitcher sophomore Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) threw the final three and a third innings for the Bruins, allowing no runs to secure the 5-1 victory and his second save of the season.
MOREHEAD STATE 11-11, SIUE 9-9
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State baseball Eagles took a doubleheader decision, defeating SIUE on the twin bill 11-9 in both contests during an all-day baseball bonanza at Allen Field.
Returning to the friendly confines of home seemed to bring about the offensive groove the Eagles have been accustomed to in recent years, tabbing 25 hits total for the evening.
Leading the charge offensively for Morehead State was senior Jake Hammon, who went 5-for-9 combined on the day's action, logging a 4-for-6 effort in the nightcap. The Smyrna, Tennessee native scored four times and batted in seven RBI.
This evening's first victory also marks head coach Mike McGuire's 350th collegiate win for his career.
Freshman Landon Weins picked up the win in game one for Morehead State, moving to 3-0, while senior David Looney earned the win in game two, earning his first victory of the year (1-0). Picking up the save in both tilts was junior Jake Ziegelmeyer, who now has six on the season.
The Eagles came out with bats blazing in the matinee, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after the third inning. A three-run dinger by Hammon, a solo shot by senior Connor Pauly, a two-RBI single by junior Chase Sortor, and a throwing error that later plated Sortor got MSU going early.
SIUE would strike back, however, scoring their next five runs unanswered over the course of the fourth and fifth inning.
In the sixth, MSU got some cushion off of a two-run long ball to straightaway center by sophomore Stephen Hill, stretching the lead to 9-5.
More resistance was met, though, as the Cougars pegged three more on the board in the seventh, homering twice off back-to-back batters.
The Eagles answered back in the bottom of the frame, scoring Dom Peroni on a sacrifice fly, and plating junior Arthur Sells on an RBI double from Pauly, placing the score at 10-8 at that juncture.
Each team would bring across another run each, before Ziegelmeyer closed the door, bringing Morehead State to victory.
The back half of the split-bill saw more of the same complexion as the front half, as the Eagles jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after one frame before the visitors came back with four unanswered runs in the second to keep SIUE in striking distance.
After a Hammon two-run homer in the third made the score 8-4, the guests struck back on a three-run round-tripper off of Cougar first baseman Peyton Cordova-Smith.
The back third of the contest featured a back-and-forth affair, trading runs until Ziegelmeyer played hero once again, getting the Eagles out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, allowing only one run to score. The Union, Ky., native coaxed an inning-ending double play, forcing a grounder to third that Hill snagged and made the play to Trevor Snyder at first to close the stanza.
The final three Cougar batters went down in order for the closer, as the Eagles forced a fly-out to center, a groundout to short, and a game-ending strikeout to complete the weekend sweep.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 9-11, AUSTIN PEAY 3-3
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team swept a doubleheader against Austin Peay State University on Saturday and won the Ohio Valley Conference series 2-1.
EKU (19-14, 7-5 OVC) won the first game 9-3 and took game two from the Governors (15-15, 9-6 OVC) by a score of 11-3. The Colonels have now won three straight conference series.
Game one featured a match-up of two of the top pitchers in the OVC – Eastern’s Kaven Brown and APSU’s Jacques Pucheu. Brown began the day with a conference-best six wins and fifth in the league with a 2.47 ERA. Pucheu was the OVC leader in ERA (1.20) and opposing batting average (.142), and third in wins (4).
The pitching duel never materialized. The Colonels scored for runs in the bottom of the second and never looked back, chasing Pucheu after four innings. Will Johnson got Eastern on the board with a two-run single up the middle. He later scored on an error to cap the inning and make it a 4-1 game in favor of the home team.
Garrett Spain scored on a passed ball in the top of the fourth to get Austin Peay within two, 4-2. EKU pulled away in the bottom of the fifth with another four-run inning. Johnson started it with a home run and A.J. Lewis added a two-run double to left. A sacrifice fly by Logan Thomason gave the Colonels an 8-2 advantage.
Brown upheld his end of the match-up. The senior allowed three runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits in eight innings of work. He walked two and struck out nine while throwing 127 pitches.
Johnson was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs in the first game. Ryland Kerr went 4-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.
Pucheu allowed eight runs on eight hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out five. David Martinez had a 2-for-5 game with a run driven in for APSU.
Both teams scored early in game two. Spain staked Austin Peay to an early lead with a 2-run home run over the wall in right field. Charles Ludwick capped a three-run bottom of the inning for Eastern Kentucky with a two-run single to left center.
With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the third, a single by Ludwick scored Chris Botsoe and gave EKU a lead it would never relinquish. Johnson hit his second home run of the day – a solo shot to center – in the fourth. Later in the inning, Lewis added an RBI single to make it 6-3.
The Colonels scored five runs in the seventh and eighth to pull away.
Aaron Ochsenbein (2-0) came on in relief with two on and two outs in the top of the fifth and EKU nursing a three-run lead. With one pitch, he got a fly ball to end the threat. He then tossed the next four innings without allowing a hit and striking out six batters.
Johnson finished 4-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Ludwick had three hits and three RBIs.
Spain was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs for the Governors.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, JACKSONVILLE STATE 8
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Senior Daniel Bergtholdt pitched five shutout innings in Southeast Missouri (15-16, 5-9) 9-8 victory over Jacksonville State (15-15, 7-4) Saturday at Capaha Field.
Bergtholdt took over on the mound after starter Noah Niznik was removed in the second inning. Bergtholdt allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out seven batters in 5.2 innings of work.
The Gamecocks and Redhawks were tied 3-3 at the end of the second. Both teams recorded one and then two runs in back-to-back innings, respectively. After the second, JSU did not score again until the eighth inning when they pushed across five runs on five hits.
SEMO continued the run per inning trend with runs scored in six of the eight innings played. The only innings a Redhawk did not cross home plate was fifth and the eighth. In both, a walk was stranded on base.
The Redhawks sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, scoring only two runs. A two-out rally came for the Redhawks with a walk by Hunter Southerland, an RBI-base hit by Tyler Wilber and hit by pitch for Danny Wright loaded the bases. Devon Wilson was walked to make it 6-3 SEMO.
A pair of doubles fell for SEMO in the bottom of the sixth when Wilber crushed his 12th double of the season into the right field corner. The second came when Alex Nielsen hit a stand-up double off of the left field wall.
Peyton Faulkner returned to the diamond after missing 19-straight games due to injury. He reached base twice on double-errors. The first was an error by the short stop and the second was by the pitcher. In both cases, the ball was bobbled when being fielded and then three into the fence past the first baseman, allowing Faulkner to be called safe at first and advance to second.
Going into the final stretch, SEMO held a 9-3 lead. In the eighth, the Gamecocks batted through the order and recorded two home runs in the single inning. The first home run was taken on the first pitch of the inning by Alex Strachan. The second was a run-run homer by Nash Adams. Both home runs fell in the left center.
Logan Winder got the save as JSU got a base hit in the top of the ninth, but a strikeout allowed SEMO to preserve the lead.
TENNESSEE TECH 10-7, MURRAY STATE 4-14
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech baseball team earned a split in its Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader Saturday, winning the first contest against Murray State 10-4 before falling in the series finale later in the evening, 14-7.
The Golden Eagles (12-17, 3-12) took control early and never looked back in game one, snapping a 10-game skid in league play. In the top of the first, Tech struck for four runs for a 4-0 lead.
All-American Kevin Strohschein kicked off the offense, singling to center field with one out on the first pitch he saw. After Murray State (13-16, 8-4) recorded its second out of the frame and Strohschein stole second base, freshman John Dyer singled to right field, driving in the first run of the game. Fellow rookie Jason Hogan drew a walk, setting up UCLA transfer Gavin Johns for some fireworks. The junior catcher delivered, hammering a three-run moon shot to right center field.
The Racers got two runs back in the fourth, but in the fifth, the Golden Eagles struck again. Strohschein was at the forefront of the damage again, leading off the inning with a triple to right center field. In the next at bat, sophomore Jason Hinchman continued his tear on the year, crushing a two-run bomb to right center field for his OVC-leading 13th long ball of the season for a 6-2 lead.
In the sixth, shortstop Hunter Higdon made it a 7-2 lead, smashing his own dinger down the right field line. Solo runs in the seventh and eighth brought Murray State within three runs, but Tech took all three back in the eighth.
With runners on the corners and one out, Strohschein struck again, lacing a ground-rule double to right center field to drive in a run. The Racers elected to intentionally walk Hinchman to load the bases and set up a double play, but the defense backfired as a throwing error allowed two more runs to cross the plate.
In game two of the day, the Golden Eagles seemed destined for victory after completing an improbable comeback. Trailing 6-0 in the third, Tech took back a run in the third with a bases-loaded walk drawn by Gavin Johns.
The purple and gold snagged another one in the sixth, with none other than Strohschein showing off again. The senior center fielder clobbered a 1-0 offering so flush, it cleared the batter's eye in center field for his fifth home run of the year.
Tech's comeback became reality in the seventh, starting with an RBI single from second baseman Nathan McMeans. The redshirt freshman's base hit to left center field came with one out and kept the bases loaded for the next batter, Cody Littlejohn.
The junior third baseman fell behind in the count, 0-2, looking at the first pitch for a strike and swinging and missing second. He certainly had no trouble with the third look of the inning. Instead, he deposited the Racer offering onto Tech Softball Field beyond right field for a go-ahead grand slam, the third of his career.
Murray State quickly flipped the script in the eighth, however, retaking the lead with a two-run home run. The Racers would go on to add a pair of insurance runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth.
Right-handed hurler Jacob Parham picked up the win in the first game, tossing one and a third innings of relief without allowing a hit or run. Mark Leonardstruck out five batters without a walk in his start, finishing the first three and two thirds innings of the game.
Strohschein finished the entire day an impressive 6-for-9 with four runs scored and a pair of RBI. Johns drove in four runs during the doubleheader, as did Littlejohn with his grand slam.
During the day, Strohschein broke two ties at the top of Tech's career records list, becoming the program's sole leader in both doubles and runs scored. His 61 career two-baggers ranks sixth in OVC history, just seven shy of the league record. His 209 runs scored in four seasons now ranks tied for third in OVC history.
He also moved into a tie for second place in league history in career home runs, needing just 11 to break the record of former Golden Eagle Zach Stephens (2016-19).
SAMFORD 6, UT MARTIN 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad dropped a narrow 6-3 decision to Samford this afternoon.
UT Martin (11-19) was led at the plate by Ethan Whitley as he drove in a pair of runs on a home run while Creighton Eldridge rapped out a pair of knocks including a long ball and a couple of RBIs. Sean Dixson tallied a two-hit performance while Blake Daniels and Jordan Stoner also notched a base hit apiece.
Southpaw Sam Folks (3-3) took the loss in his 5.2 innings of work starting on the mound. The junior from Franklin, Tenn. was tagged for six earned runs but sat down a pair of Bulldogs his time toeing the rubber. Zach Denney came on to toss 2.1 innings of shutout baseball as he allowed just one hit and issued one free base while fanning a trio of Samford batters.
The Bulldogs would strike first as they put up a run in the home half of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead.
UT Martin would answer with a run of its own in the second as Eldridge launched a solo blast to right center to knot things up at 1-1.
Folks worked a fairly quick second inning as he forced the first two batters to flyout and groundout, respectively. He worked around a two-out walk to induce another groundball out via a fielder’s choice.
Samford tallied two more runs in the third to go up by a 3-1 margin.
The Skyhawks put up a pair of runs in the fifth inning as Eldridge opened the frame with a bunt single. Blake Davis then moved him over via a sacrifice bunt just before Whitley sent a long ball over the left field wall to make the score 3-3.
Folks edged around a two-out walk and single in the fifth to fan a Bulldog and work a scoreless frame.
Samford added a trio of runs in the home half of the sixth inning to go up 6-3.
Denney would retire the side in order in the seventh as he forced a flyout followed by a pair of looking strikeouts. In the eighth inning, he worked around a leadoff walk as he received some help from backstop Davis with a caught-stealing out. He then forced a Bulldog whiff and groundout to end the frame.
The UT Martin comeback came up short as Eldridge worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the ninth but to no avail.