WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 9, @Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2
Eastern Kentucky 9, @Northern Kentucky 5
@Missouri State 13,
SIUE 3
Lipscomb 17,
@Tennessee Tech 14
@Austin Peay 10, Western Illinois 1
@Southern Illinois 6,
Southeast Missouri 4
EASTERN ILLINOIS 9, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 2
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Eastern Illinois recorded nine runs on nine hits with nine RBI in topping Arkansas Pine-Bluff 9-2 on Wednesday.
Ben Stephens was given his first start of the season against the Golden Lions and was solid for his first outing. Stephens recorded six strikeouts in his six innings pitched. Lincoln Bowman closed out the game for the Panthers, allowing no hits, no walks and no runs.
Gunner Smith recorded a clutch double and five RBI on one hit: a double. Smith also reached on a hit-by-pitch. Matt Mackey had a day at the plate going 2-4 as the DH. Mackey accounted for one RBI, recorded a run and a walk.
The Panthers record moves to 8-6 on the season.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 9, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 5
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Six runs in the sixth inning propelled the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team to a 9-5 win at Northern Kentucky University on Wednesday. It was EKU’s eighth straight win, the longest winning streak for the program since the 2005 team won 10 in a row.
With the game tied 3-3, 11 straight Colonels reached base to start the sixth inning. After Daniel Harris IV started the inning by being hit with a pitch, Charlie Ludwick doubled. Caleb Upshaw broke the tie and brought both runners home with a single to left field. Marcus Hill and Michael Brewer walked to load the bases. Chance Bodine was hit by a pitch to force in Upshaw and make it 6-3.
Nick Howie reached on a fielder’s choice. Logan Thomason reached on a fielder’s choice and drove in Brewer. A.J. Lewis walked to put runners at first and second with two outs. A single by Harris platted both runners and put Eastern in front 9-3. Ludwick was the 11th straight batter to reach base when he drew a walk. Upshaw’s fly ball then ended the inning.
Northern Kentucky (0-17) scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to get within four, but never got any closer.
Harris finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs. Upshaw went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs. Bodine scored twice.
Collin Luty had a 3-for-5 day with two runs and an RBI for the Norse.
MISSOURI STATE 13, SIUE 3
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Missouri State erupted for nine runs in the eighth inning Wednesday and defeated SIUE baseball 13-3 at Hammons Field.
SIUE fell to 8-7 while Missouri State improved to 9-8.
The Cougars never led in the game. The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning on three hits, but stranded a pair of runners. SIUE starter David Llorens (0-1) allowed both runs over five innings pitched. He allowed seven hits and struck out seven.
SIUE added its first run of the game in the sixth on an RBI-double from Brett Pierson.
Missouri State scored twice more in the seventh to extend the lead to three. The Bears blew the game open in the eighth with nine runs on six hits, a walk, a hit batter and a pair of SIUE errors. Three SIUE pitchers worked in the inning. All three gave up multiple runs. The Cougars pushed two more across in the ninth. Parker Wielt hit a pinch double to left center to drive in both runs.
Josh Ohl and Pierson hitting at the top of SIUE's lineup accounted for four of the Cougars' six hits.
Missouri State finished with 14 hits. Six players had multiple hits for the Bears. Peyton Carson (1-3) allowed a run on five hits in the win.
LIPSCOMB 17, TENNESSEE TECH 14
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a barn burner at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex Wednesday, as the visiting Lipscomb Bisons outlasted the Tennessee Tech baseball team, 17-14.
Each time Lipscomb (11-5) appeared to take total control of the contest, the Golden Eagles (3-12) seemed to have an answer. In the end, the Bisons held on to claim the first meeting between the two programs this season, using the home run ball to earn the win.
The visitors jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the first two innings, but the Tech pitching staff limited the damage both frames as well, stranding the bases loaded. Then, in the bottom of the second, the Golden Eagle offense took its turn.
Sophomore John Dyer started things by tripling off the wall in center field, just missing a home run by inches with the wind blowing sharply in. Three batters later, freshman Theo Bryant IV ripped a single up the middle to drive in the first run of the game for the home team.
Later in the frame, fellow rookie Brett Roberts laced a single through the left side, plating a pair and pulling his team to within just one run. Three batters later, representing the ninth batter of the inning, senior Gavin Johns wore a full-count pitch off the hand with the bases loaded to drive in the game-tying run.
Lipscomb scored once in the third and then appeared to break things open in the fourth, scoring five runs on a trio of long balls. Both sides traded zeroes heading into the bottom of the fifth, with the Bisons holding a 10-4.
Once again, the Golden Eagles had an answer. With just a single runner on base and two quick outs on the board, Tech turned in a rally. Junior Hunter Higdon kicked it off with a single down the third-base line. Roberts followed with a huge, three-run blast to center field, cutting the deficit in half with his fourth round-tripper of the season.
Senior Cody Littlejohn flicked a single to center field to prompt a pitching change. Junior slugger Jason Hinchman welcomed the new Lipscomb Hurler quickly, cracking a double to left-center field to drive in Littlejohn for another run. A single to center field by Dyer brought in the fifth run of the frame for Tech, trimming the Lipscomb lead to just one.
The Bisons collected their five-runs back in the top of the sixth and snuck one more across in the seventh to move to a 16-9 lead. Following the seventh-inning stretch, Tech unleashed the offense once more.
After the first two batters of the frame reached, Hinchman singled through the left side to plate a run. Dyer drove in another with a ground out with the bases loaded before Hinchman dented home on a wild pitch. Next up, senior Anthony Carrera smashed his first dinger of the year to right-center field, driving in two more markers to make it a two-run contest.
The Bisons added one more run in the eighth to bring the score to its eventual final of 17-14.
For the Golden Eagles, Roberts led the way with a season-high five RBI on three hits in six trips to the plate. Hinchman was impressive, finishing the day 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a pair of walks, two RBI and two runs.
Also driving in multiple runs were Dyer and Carrera while catcher Will Long, Littlejohn and Carrera each scored a pair of runs. On the pitching side, Brock Myers covered an inning and two thirds with four strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
AUSTIN PEAY 10, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Third baseman Gino Avros led off with a home run and Austin Peay State University’s baseball team eased to a 10-1 victory against Western Illinois, Wednesday night, on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
After starting pitcher Collin Loose retired Western Illinois in order, Avros handed the Govs a 1-0 lead with his second home run of 2020. Austin Peay would get two more baserunners on in the first but could not add to its lead.
Austin Peay (7-10) would extend its lead in the second, scoring a run on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead. The Govs then added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings as the lead reached 6-0.
Western Illinois (0-13) would break up Austin Peay’s shutout bid in the sixth inning. Third baseman Toby Allred’s single would drive in first baseman Trenton Bauer, who walked to lead off the inning. The Leathernecks would see an opportunity to add to their lead snuffed out by a stellar defensive play by shortstop Bobby Head, whose diving catch and flip to second baseman Malcolm Tipler would end the frame.
The Governors would put the game away in the eighth inning, striking for four runs. Avros would open the frame with a single and scored on Tipler’s one-out single. A wild pitch added a run, catcher Alex Hay chipped in an RBI on a ground out and shortstop Max Remy had an RBI single to push the lead to 10-1.
Loose (1-0) picked up the win in his first start as a Governor, tossing three scoreless innings while limiting Western Illinois to two hits.
Avros went 3-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases to lead Austin Peay’s offense. Designated hitter Reid Brown went 2-for-4 with a RBI.
WIU starter Parker Heidorf (0-1) surrendered three runs on two hits and five walks over 1.1 innings and suffered the loss in his first start. Allred finished the night 1-for-3 with an RBI.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (12-6) used a three-run third inning to key a 6-4 victory over Southeast Missouri (9-8) Wednesday night in midweek action at Itchy Jones Stadium.
SEMO led, 1-0, after Andrew Keck knocked in Tyler Wilber on a single in the top of the first.
With one out in the bottom of the third, SIU strung together six-straight hits to fuel its three-run rally. Philip Archer delivered a two-RBI single and Austin Ulick drove in a run on a base hit to left center to give the Salukis a 3-1 advantage.
SIU added another run in the fourth inning before SEMO pulled to within a run in the top of the fifth. Wilber and Justin Dirden each brought home a run on a sacrifice fly to make it a 4-3 game.
The Salukis answered with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth when J.T. Weber hit a two-RBI double.
Dirden's two-out run-scoring double scored the game's final run in the seventh.
The Redhawks were retired in order in both the eighth and ninth frames.
Blake Begner picked up the win for SIU. Begner worked 5.2 innings with five strikeouts and no walks. He also allowed eight hits.
Bryan McNeely (1-2) suffered the loss. McNeely gave up three runs on nine hits in three innings.
Offensively, SEMO had 10 hits. Danny Wright, Keck and Connor Basler led the way with two each. Dirden added two RBI, while Wilber scored two runs.