SATURDAY'S SCORES
Michigan State 5-5,
Morehead State 2-3 (Charleston, S.C.)
Eastern Kentucky 6, @Presbyterian 4
Eastern Michigan 16-6,
@Austin Peay 8-7
Kansas 5,
@Belmont 1
@#4 Arkansas 10,
Eastern Illinois 1
@Tennessee Tech 5-7, Evansville 3-6
Saint Louis 9,
UT Martin 4 (Birmingham, Ala.)
Missouri 6,
@Jacksonville State 4 (12 innings)
@ULM 13,
Southeast Missouri 4
@#31 Southern Miss 3,
Murray State 2
SIUE 1, George Washington 0 (Thibodaux, La.)
SIUE 5, @Nicholls 2
MICHIGAN STATE 5-5, MOREHEAD STATE 2-3
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Facing the team's first twinbilling of the season, Morehead State baseball fell on the wrong end of a pair of decisions Saturday against Michigan State.
The Eagles (0-3) dropped both games by nearly identical scores of 5-2 and 5-3 with the victories improving the Spartans to 3-0 on the season.
On the mound, Morehead State recorded 23 strikeouts during the two games as the Eagles' starters, redshirt juniors Alex Garbrick and Cory Conway registered nine and four punchouts, respectively.
Out of the pen senior Jake Ziegelmeyer (one), redshirt sophomore John Sherman (six) and redshirt junior Donovan Baldocchi (three) added strikeouts.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, PRESBYTERIAN 4
CLINTON, S.C. - An eighth inning RBI single by Daniel Harris IV broke a 4-4 tie and sent the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team to a series clinching 6-4 win at Presbyterian College on Saturday at the PC Baseball Complex in Clinton, South Carolina.
Logan Thomason led off the top of the eighth with a triple to right center for EKU (2-0). Harris followed with a single up the middle to bring home what proved to be the game-winning run.
Harris added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when he drove in Chris Botsoe with a sacrifice fly.
Darren Williams, who pitched the final two and one-third innings without allowing a hit, closed out the game in the bottom of the ninth with a pair of strike outs and a pop-up after hitting the first batter with a pitch. He struck out three and walked one while earning the win.
Christian Lucio’s 2-run home run in the top of the third inning broke a scoreless tie. The Blue Hose tied it in the bottom half of the frame on a RBI single and then a sacrifice fly from Jeremiah Boyd.
Michael Brewer’s fourth-inning 2-run single up the middle gave the Colonels a 4-2 lead. Presbyterian answered again, this time tying it in the bottom of the sixth on another sacrifice fly and an Eastern error.
Harris finished 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs. Thomason had a 2-for-4 day with a walk and two runs scored. Jacob Ferris started on the mound and allowed two runs on three hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Jimmy Marcelli went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI for the Blue Hose (0-2).
EASTERN MICHIGAN 16-6, AUSTIN PEAY 8-7
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Outfielder TJ Foreman delivered a pinch-hit two-run single and closer Austin Carder picked up his season’s first save as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team battled to win the nightcap of a season-opening doubleheader against Eastern Michigan, Saturday, on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Foreman’s eighth-inning single put the Governors ahead 7-6, and Carder struck out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth to pick up the save in Game 2. Eastern Michigan used four home runs to dominate the season opener, a game it eventually won 16-8.
Austin Peay (1-1) grabbed the early lead in the nightcap courtesy outfielder Skyler Luna’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the first. The Govs would maintain that lead until the third inning when the Eagles took advantage of a defensive miscue to score three times and take a 3-1 lead.
Eastern Michigan (1-1) extended its lead to 4-1 with a run in the top of the fifth. Yet the Govs bounced back with solo home runs by catcher Alex Hay and third baseman Gino Avros, trimming the deficit to 4-3.
After the Eagles scored twice in the top of the seventh, Austin Peay responded with two runs of its own as Avros doubled down the right-field line. However, the Govs would see a bases-loaded opportunity erased by an inning-ending strikeout, leaving the Govs in a 6-5 hole.
Austin Peay would have to overcome Eastern Michigan’s hard-throwing reliever Wagoner in the eighth. Wagoner struck out the first two batters he faced but walked left-handed hitters Hay and second baseman Malcolm Tipler. Wagoner then uncorked a wild pitch, advancing the runners into scoring position. Foreman would rifle a 3-1 pitch back past Wagoner and into center field, providing the go-ahead run.
Carder entered in the ninth and nailed down the save in his first appearance, striking out three batters looking to end the game. Reliever Tucker Weaver (1-0) picked up the win after 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.
Home runs, and Eastern Michigan shortstop Taylor Hopkins, dominated the season opener. Hopkins went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI in the day’s first game. He hit a two-run home run in the fifth to tie the game after the Govs took a 4-2 lead. Hopkins added a three-run home run in the sixth to give the Eagles the lead for good, 8-5.
First baseman Reid Brown led off a four-run fourth inning with his first collegiate home run, and Luna added a three-run double as the Govs took a 4-2 lead. After Eastern Michigan tied the game in the fifth, Tipler broke the tie with a sacrifice fly that gave APSU its last lead of the opener.
Luke McGuire (1-0) toss six innings of relief in the opener to pick up the win, limiting the Govs to four runs over six innings. Austin Peay relief Ryan Kouba (0-1) was tagged for the loss after allowing four runs in 1.1 innings of work.
Avros finished the day 5-for-10 at the plate and was a triple shy of the cycle in the nightcap, going 4-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBI. Luna supplied four RBI in his Austin Peay debut, going 3-for-8 in the twin bill.
KANSAS 5, BELMONT 1
NASHVILLE - The Belmont baseball team fell short in the second game of the series against Kansas, falling 5-1 on Saturday at Rose Park.
Logan Bowen came up with four strikeouts in his fifth career start, but the Bruins only came up with three hits as a team.
Kansas quickly responded following a shutout defeat to the Bruins on Friday, with the Jayhawks coming up with a leadoff double in the top of the first inning and later scoring the game's first run off a single to right field. Following a shutout inning in the top of the second from Bowen, junior Logan Jarvis drew a leadoff walk a half-inning later.
Hitting the first home run of the season for the Bruins on Friday, sophomore Tommy Crider drove in Jarvis from first base with a deep double down the left field line to tie it up 1-1.
Three scoreless innings followed before Kansas broke the tie in the top of the sixth, with James Cosentino hitting a solo home run to left field to put the Jayhawks ahead 2-1. The Jayhawks kept their foot on the gas pedal two innings later, collecting a leadoff double that was followed by a hit by pitch and single to load the bases.
Kansas drew three bases loaded walks that allowed the Jayhawks to score three insurance runs, with Belmont being forced to only one hit in the final two innings.
#4 ARKANSAS 10, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The Panthers drop their second game of the series against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Panthers were able to snag eight hits on the day and two walks, but were only able to get Ryan Ignoffo across for the lone run. Trevor Nicholson (0-1) had his debut in today's game against one of the best offenses in the nation. Nicholson pitched three and a third innings, but was relieved in the fourth after letting up seven total runs.
Freshman Aaron Chao was brought in for relief, but gave up two quick runs and was taken out for Alex Spahman. Spahman also let up a quick run which forced Jason Anderson's hand again as he brought in Jesse Wainscott, who ended up pitching the rest of the game. Wainscott gave up one hit and walked three, as the Panthers let up only one score under Wainscott.
The middle of the lineup had a much better day against the Razorbacks. Ignoffo and Matt Mackey each went 2-4 on the day. Trey Sweeney, Ryan Knernschield, Dalton Doyle and Alex Stevenson each registered a hit today. Along with having a better day swinging the bat, Grant Emme and Knernschield both reached base on bean balls.
The Panthers lone run came from a single into right field for Ignoffo. Stevenson ripped one into the right center gap that advanced Ignoffo to third. Sweeney came up to bat next and grounded to the second baseman for a double play, but Ignoffo was able to score giving EIU it's first and only score of the game.
TENNESSEE TECH 5-7, EVANSVILLE 3-6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech baseball team kicked off both the 2020 campaign and Steve Smith era in style Saturday, claiming a pair of victories over Evansville in doubleheader action at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The Golden Eagles (2-0) lived up to their reputation as one of the nation's top power-hitting programs, using five home runs and four doubles to defeat the Purple Aces 5-3 in game one and 7-6 in game two. The Tech bats totaled 22 hits in the two contests, with 10 different Golden Eagles recording at least one base knock on the day.
In game one, Evansville got on the board first with a solo home run in the third. Junior Jason Hinchman, the nation's reigning leader in home runs per game, answered for the purple and gold in the fourth, crushing the first pitch of the frame to left center field.
The purple aces scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 3-1 lead, but the Golden Eagles had other plans for the remainder of the tilt. Hinchman provided some déjà vu, leading off the eighth inning with another solo blast for his second round-tripper of the game.
With two outs in the frame and a pair of runners on, junior college transfer Paul Steffensen provided the game-changing moment, crushing a 1-1 offering to left field for a three-run bomb and his first long ball as a Golden Eagle. The dinger gave Tech a 5-3 lead.
Alex Hursey struck out six batters with just one run allowed in three and third inning in the first start of the year. Mark Leonard took home the win after completing one and two-thirds frames in relief, surrendering just a single hit. Tyler Sylvester closed out the final two outs to earn his first save of the year and Coach Smith's first win as the head coach of the Tech program.
Game two saw the Purple Aces again dent the scoreboard first, plating single markers in the first and second innings. In the fourth, Tech took control, with a two-run single through the right side from freshman catcher Luke Jones, his first hit and RBI as a Golden Eagle. Hunter Higdon followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to give the purple and gold a 3-2 lead.
Evansville retook the lead in the fifth with a pair of runs, but it was a short-lived advantage. In the bottom half, senior third baseman Gavin Johns laced an RBI double to right center field to tie the contest at 4-4.
Freshman shortstop Brett Roberts delivered the big hit in the second game, smashing a two-run blast for his first career dinger to center field in the bottom of the sixth to put the Golden Eagles on top, 6-4. Evansville cut the lead in half in the eighth, but Jones powered his first round-tripper of his career to left field to take the run back.
The Purple Aces made things interesting in the ninth, scoring once with the bases loaded, but junior Brock Myers snagged his third strikeout of the inning to claim his first career save and secure Tech's 2-0 start to the 2020 campaign. Grant Phillips earned the win on the hill after tossing three innings with a pair of runs allowed.
SAINT LOUIS 9, UT MARTIN 4
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team stumbled as early mistakes fueled their 9-2 loss against Saint Louis University.
The Billikens started early as they amounted a 6-0 lead in the first five innings, a feat to which the Skyhawks could not overcome for the first loss of the season.
Senior starter Sam Folks began the game without a hitch as he put down the first three Saint Louis batters in order. However, the innings followed proved to be troublesome as he gave up one in the second inning and four in the third inning. Folks stayed around for four innings where he recorded five runs against him; however the first run was unearned.
UT Martin couldn't overcome this early deficit as they boasted only three hits through the first four innings. Saint Louis only added to their lead as freshman Mitchell Ford took the mound. In his first glimpse of Division I baseball Ford did a decent job handling the hot opposition as he only gave up one run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth.
The Skyhawks were able to muster out a little bit as they scored two runs on freshman Wil LaFollette's two-RBI single to make the score 6-2 in the sixth inning. However, the three runs that Ford gave up in the sixth finished up the scoring to make it 9-2 in the Billikens advantage. That would be the final scoring of the ball game as junior Jack Knight came in for the Skyhawks and pitched two scoreless innings. On the other side UT Martin wouldn't be able to muster any offense in the late parts of the ball game. Without any scoring from either side, late the Skyhawks fell 9-2 to the Billikens.
MISSOURI 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4 (12)
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Missouri broke up an extra-inning deadlock with a pair of runs in the 12th inning to claim a 6-4 win over Jacksonville State on Saturday on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The win gives the Tigers the series as the Gamecocks will look to bounce back on Sunday in the series finale. The final game of the season-opening weekend is set for 12 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN+ and aired on the Gamecock Sports Network. All JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free. Kids will also be able tio run the bases following each Sunday home game this season.
Mizzou's Brandt Belk beat out a fielder's choice for the go-ahead RBI in the 12th inning. The Tigers added an insurance run in the frame as Jackson Lancaster scored on a wild pitch. The Tigers extended the game with a two-run eighth inning after stringing together four hits.
The Gamecocks erased an early 2-0 deficit for the second consecutive day as they would put together a three-run fourth inning that was highlighted by singles by junior Cole Frederick, senior Alex Webb and junior Isaac Alexander. Frederick and Webb started the inning with back-top-back singles before Alexander had the one-out RBI single. Webb scored on a wild pitch ahead of Carson Crowe's sacrifice fly to centerfield to hand JSU its first lead of the weekend.
JSU pushed the lead to 4-2 in the sixth as Alexander picked up his second RBI of the day with a ground out.
Jax State used five pitchers in the extended contest as it started sophomore Isaiah Magwood. A pair of first inning miscues opened the door for the Tigers to take the early lead. Magwood tossed the first four innings before redshirt junior Jackson Tavel pitched three solid frames. Senior Corley Woods was inserted into a tough situation in the eighth but held the game even. Corley, who was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Association's Preseason Watch List for Stopper of the Year, scattered three Tiger hits and tallied a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Camden Lovrich was saddled with the loss in his debut after pitching the 12th inning.
The Gamecocks, who had 11 last at-bat wins in 2019, nearly notched its first of 2020 in the 11th as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Mizzou's Trey Dillard induced a ground ball out to extend the game. He picked up the win after going the final 1.1 innings.
ULM 13, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
MONROE, La. - Southeast Missouri (0-2) dropped a 13-4 decision to Louisiana-Monroe (2-0) Saturday afternoon.
ULM got ahead early with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. SEMO added a run in the second courtesy of a solo home run by Justin Dirden to cut the Warhawks lead to 3-1. ULM responded with four runs though to build a six-run advantage. Danny Desimone hit a grand slam to extend the Warhawks lead to 7-1.
Danny Wright blasted his first home run of the season over the right field wall in the fifth and Austin Blazevic scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to make it an 8-3 game. SEMO scored once more in the eighth inning on an RBI-single by Andrew Keck before ULM tacked on four more runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Dirden and Keck each had two hits to lead the Redhawks. Dirden also scored two runs. The two combined for four of the team's six hits.
In his first career start, Michael Hojnacki (0-1) suffered the loss. Hojnacki allowed five hits and eight runs, struck out one and walked two in 3.1 innings. Four others, including Collin Wilma, Rance Pittman, Nathan Bock and Keegan Meyn took the mound for the Redhawks.
ULM finished with 12 hits, three of which came from Ryan Humeniuk.
#31 SOUTHERN MISS 3, MURRAY STATE 2
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Murray State baseball team lost a tight contest with Southern Mississippi, 3-2, Saturday afternoon.
Ryan Perkins provided the runs with a ninth-inning two-run home run, but it was too little too late as the Racers were unable to complete the comeback.
Shane Burns provided a second-straight solid outing by a Racer starting pitcher as he threw five innings, striking out five while allowing one unearned run on just three hits allowed.
After the Golden Eagles pushed across an unearned run in the first inning, the Racers put the leadoff man on in the following three innings, but a couple of double plays halted any rallies.
The Racers threatened again in the seventh after USM took a 2-0 lead by putting two runners on base, but again could not find the big hit.
After Southern Miss added a key insurance run in the eighth, the Racers scored their first runs of the weekend on Perkins' two-out two-run home run, but that was all MSU could muster.
SIUE 1, GEORGE WASHINGTON 0; SIUE 5, NICHOLLS 2
THIBODAUX, La. - SIUE baseball continued a successful opening weekend, winning twice more Saturday, defeating George Washington and Nicholls State at the Baseball on the Bayou Classic.
The Cougars blanked George Washington 1-0 in the afternoon game before using late scoring to defeat Nicholls State 5-2 in the evening game. SIUE will conclude the weekend with another meeting with George Washington Sunday morning. The Cougars' 3-0 start is the best start to a season in the Division I era and the best since the 2006 team opened the year 4-0.
In the opener, SIUE starter Kenny Serwa and relievers Kaid Karnes and Braydon Bone combined for a three-hit shutout in the 1-0 win over GW.
Serwa tossed six scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out nine and walking one. Karnes followed with two innings. He walked one and struck out two. Bone picked up his first save of the year tossing a scoreless ninth inning while striking out one.
The Cougars managed the only run of the game in the bottom of third inning. Josh Ohl was hit by a pitch to start the inning and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dylan Burris. Connor Kiffer then singled to right field scoring Ohl from second base.
The late game started ominously for the Cougars and starter David Llorens. Llorens walked three hitters and hit two batters and the Colonels took advantage, scoring twice.
A Tyler Bastunas sacrifice fly in the second inning and an RBI-double from Raul Elguezabal in the sixth inning tied the game.
Brian Chandler followed Llorens and worked five scoreless innings in relief. He allowed a hit and struck out three for the win.
The Cougars scored three times in the ninth for the win. Steven Pattan drove home the game-winner with a one-out sacrifice fly and Josh Ohl drove home two with a single to left.