SUNDAY'S SCORES
@#15 Georgia Tech 7,
Eastern Kentucky 1
Eastern Illinois 3, @Nicholls 2 (10)
@Charlotte 4,
Morehead State 2
Southeast Missouri 8, @South Alabama 6 (10)
@Samford 3,
UT Martin 1
@#24 Dallas Baptist 11,
Austin Peay 2
Tennessee Tech 5, @Jacksonville State 4
#15 GEORGIA TECH 7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
ATLANTA - After beating No. 15 Georgia Tech on Saturday to even the series, the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team dropped the finale on Sunday, 7-1, at Russ Chandler Stadium.
EKU tied the game 1-1 in the top of the third. Charlie Ludwick began the inning by reaching on an error. He moved to third on a single down the right field line by freshman Will King. A ground ball by Cam Ridley to second was enough to score Ludwick.
The Yellowjackets broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth inning when Jake DeLeo scored on a fielder’s choice and Andrew Jenkins hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.
Georgia Tech added two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to pull away late.
Senior Jake Lewis started for the Colonels. He allowed three runs on four hits in four and two-thirds innings. Lewis struck out three. Daniel Harris IV and King recorded the only two hits for Eastern Kentucky.
Drew Compton finished 1-for-1 with a walk and two RBIs for Georgia Tech. Justyn-Henry Malloy had a 2-for-4 day with two runs and two RBIs. Starter Sam Crawford allowed one unearned run on two hits in six innings of work. He did not walk a batter and struck out two.
After walking 11 Colonels on Saturday, Georgia Tech issued only one walk on Sunday.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, NICHOLLS 2 (10)
THIBODAUX, La. - x
CHARLOTTE 4, MOREHEAD STATE 2
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Morehead State and Charlotte pitchers combined for 23 strikeouts Sunday afternoon at Hayes Stadium, but the big difference came on a three-run homer by the home team in the fourth inning as the Eagles fell 4-2 to the 49ers to wrap up their season opening road trip.
MSU senior starter Jason Goe combined with freshman righty reliever Grant Herron to sit down nine Charlotte (3-0) batters on strikeouts.
The Eagles (0-4) climbed to within 3-2 in the sixth inning but struck out seven times themselves in their final four at-bats.
Charlotte lit the scoreboard first as a three-run homer off Goe in the bottom of the fourth staked the 49ers to a 3-0 lead. MSU scored twice in the top of the sixth. Bryce Hensor and Ryan Layne singled to lead off, and Stephen Hill drew a walk. Senior catcher Jack Gardner plated Hensor with an RBI single, and senior right-fielder Logan Goodnight lifted a sac fly to right field which scored Layne.
Craig Keuchel launched a solo homer with two outs in the eighth for Charlotte's fourth run.
Goe (0-1) now has nine career games now with at least five strikeouts. He only allowed five hits and walked just one.
The Eagle pitching unit has recorded at least seven strikeouts in seven consecutive games now since the end of the shortened 2020 season.
Charlotte starter Bryce McGowan picked up the win, while Sam Grace earned his first save of the new season.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, SOUTH ALABAMA 6 (10)
MOBILE, Ala. - Southeast Missouri (2-1) pounded out 11 hits and rallied for five runs in the final two innings to beat South Alabama (1-2), 8-6, in a wild 10-inning affair Sunday.
SEMO claimed its second season-opening series victory under head coach Andy Sawyers.
After letting a three-run lead get away, the Redhawks trailed, 5-3, entering the ninth inning.
SEMO sent eight hitters to the plate and scored three runs on four hits to take the lead. Austin Blazevic started the late attack with a single to right. One-out base hits by Connor Basler and Peyton Leeper followed to load the bases.
After Blazevic scored on a wild pitch, Wade Stauss tied the game when he knocked in Connor Basler on a sacrifice fly. On the next play, Andrew Keck ripped a single up the middle to give SEMO a 6-5 edge.
USA, however, managed to send the game to extra innings with a run during its turn in the ninth. Hunter Stokes led off with a walk and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Ethan Wilson singled through the left side to get Stokes to third. Stokes crossed home plate for the tying run on a fielder's choice.
The gritty Redhawks continued to dig deep in the top of the 10th.
After going 0-for-3 in his first three at-bats of the game, Danny Wright reached on a single to right field. Blazevic followed with a double down the right field line that scored Wright all the way from first base. Ty Stauss advanced Blazevic to third on an ensuing sacrifice fly. Basler then reached on an error and Blazevic scored to push the Redhawks lead to 8-6.
Blake Cisneros beared down to strike out Santi Montiel and got Tommy van de Sanden to hit into a double play nailing down the victory. Cisneros struck out three in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen en route to earning his first win of the season and second of his career.
SEMO jumped out to an early lead when W. Stauss drove the first pitch of his at-bat over the right center wall. Stauss' 12th career home run put the Redhawks ahead, 1-0, in the top of the first inning.
The Redhawks walked three times and added another run in the second. Wright led off the inning with a walk, stole second and went to third when Blazevic grounded out to first. T. Stauss, in his first collegiate start, flied out to right center and Wright touched home to extend SEMO's lead to 2-0.
Keck belted USA reliever Tyler Lehrmann's fastball for a solo home run to increase the Redhawks lead to 3-0 in the third, but the Jaguars managed to tie things up an inning later.
Caleb Balgaard homered and Michael Sandle walked ending starter Ryan Vogt's day on the mound. Sandle stole second and Santi Montiel was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Hunter Stokes delivered a two-out single through the right side.
The Jaguars grabbed their first lead of the game at 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Montiel drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on another two-out hit by Stokes.
Vogt allowed two runs on three hits, walked three and struck out two in three innings during his first career start.
Keck went 3-for-5 with a home run, run scored and two RBI, and Blazevic finished at 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and one RBI. W. Stauss and Tyler Wilber also had some great at-bats.
Additionally, Basler stole two bases and surpassed Doug Muench for the seventh place spot on SEMO's all-time career stolen bases list. Basler now has 46 career stolen bases.
Noah Michael, one of seven pitchers to take the mound for USA, was credited with the loss. Michael was charged with the decisive two runs in the 10th inning.
The Jaguars added six hits and put their leadoff man on base in seven innings.
SAMFORD 3, UT MARTIN 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - It was a low scoring affair this afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field as the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad fell by a 3-1 margin to wrap up its season-opening series at Samford.
Five Skyhawk hurlers excelled on the mound today, allowing only two earned runs on six hits and just one walk. Eric Steensma drew the starting assignment and conceded one run on two hits while fanning three batters over four innings. Grayden Stauffer (one inning), Matthew Shunk (0.2 innings) and David Hussey (two innings) also accounted for scoreless appearances today.
Baylor Jones fell to 0-1 on the season after allowing two runs (one earned) and recording one out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
UT Martin managed three hits on the day as Christian Hall, Houston Wright and Will Smith were responsible for those. Sean Dixson (run scored) and Casey Harford (RBI) also had a hand in the Skyhawks’ lone run of the series finale.
For the second consecutive day, UT Martin gained the upper hand early as the Skyhawks opened with a run in the top of the first. Dixson was hit on the first pitch of the contest and Hall followed with a single through the right side on a perfectly executed hit-and-run. Harford then jumped on the first pitch for an RBI groundout to put UT Martin on top, 1-0. Smith added a two-out single up the middle to put men on the corners but the Bulldogs got out of the inning without allowing any more damage.
Samford got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a two-out single but Dixson made sure the score was kept at 1-all after an assist from centerfield for the third out of the inning, cutting down a Bulldog runner trying to advance to third base.
Steensma pitched around an error in the bottom of the second, needing only eight pitches to get through the frame after inducing an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play. The freshman out of Western Springs, Ill. was just as sharp in the third inning, striking out the first two batters on his way to a perfect frame. He concluded his day by retiring each of the final seven batters he faced after yet another clean fourth inning – putting an exclamation point on his day with another strikeout.
Making his collegiate debut in the bottom of the fifth was Stauffer, as the 6-6 righty stranded a pair of runners with a popup to second and a strikeout to keep the score knotted at 1-1.
After Jones recorded a groundout on the first hitter he faced in the sixth, Samford connected for a solo home run and a single up the middle. Jones departed the game and gave way to Shunk but the Bulldogs were able to score an unearned run on a failed pickoff attempt throwing error. Shunk recovered with a groundout to short and a strikeout to complete the inning.
The Skyhawks received their first hit since the first inning when Wright laced a single up the middle to lead off the top of the seventh. However, UT Martin could not further capitalize on the potential scoring opportunity.
Hussey did a masterful job over the final two innings. After a one-out single and back-to-back stolen bases put a Samford runner at third with one out in the seventh, he pounded the strike zone for a popout to short and a flyout to left to escape a jam. He then breezed through the ninth, retiring the side in order on 10 pitches, allowing the Skyhawks a chance to stay within striking distance.
However, UT Martin could not get any momentum going in the top of the ninth as the Bulldogs kept the Skyhawks off the basepaths.
#24 DALLAS BAPTIST 11, AUSTIN PEAY 2
DALLAS - Center fielder Garrett Spain hit a home run for a second consecutive game, but his two-run blast wasn’t enough as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team dropped an 11-2 decision to nationally-ranked Dallas Baptist, Sunday, at Horner Ballpark.
Austin Peay looks to salvage a win out of the three-game series when it returns to the field for a noon, Monday series finale. APSU will turn to right-hander Hayden Josephson while DBU sends left-hander Jared Pettitte, son of major league alumnus Andy Pettitte, to the mound.
Dallas Baptist (2-0) pitching kept Austin Peay at bay through the game’s first seven innings. Starter Ray Gaither struck out six and allowed only three hits through four scoreless innings. Reliever Kyle Rich (1-0) followed with three scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing only one hit to earn the victory.
Austin Peay (0-2) had opportunities to breakthrough in both the second and fourth innings. In the second catcher Jack Alexander walked and first baseman Bobby Head singled to put two aboard with two out but a ground ball fielder’s choice ended the threat. In the fourth Alexander and second baseman Skyler Luna hit back-to-back one-out singles but a strikeout and fielder’s choice again left the Govs without a run.
The Patriots offense gave its pitching staff all the run support it would need in the third, taking advantage of two walks and a hit batsman to load the bases with no outs. A ground out pushed across one run before designated hitter Nico Burgarello’s two-run double gave DBU a 3-0 lead.
After Dallas Baptist scored twice in the seventh to extend its lead to 5-0, Spain got Austin Peay on the scoreboard. Left fielder TJ Foreman doubled with one out to bring up Spain. The Govs center fielder hammered the first pitch he saw down the right field line, slashing the deficit to 5-2. However, DBU responded with six runs in its half of the eighth, sealing the decision.
Spain was one of six Govs hitters to record a hit in the game.
DBU took advantage of 11 walks issued by Govs pitchers to score its 11 runs on only seven hits. Second baseman Jackson Glenn had the bulk of those base hits in a 4-for-5, five RBI outing that included a grand slam in the eighth inning.
Austin Peay starter Peyton Jula (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on two hits and four walks over four innings.
TENNESSEE TECH 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Getting an early taste of Ohio Valley Conference foe Jacksonville State before league play officially begins, the Tennessee Tech baseball team collected its second victory of the season Sunday afternoon, scoring late to down the Gamecocks on their own turf, 5-4.
Squaring off with its OVC rival in non-conference play as part of a round-robin tournament, Tech (2-1) just kept finding ways to score when it needed it, supporting a relatively strong showing from the pitching staff. The purple and gold limited the Gamecocks to just four runs on 10 hits.
The Golden Eagles took the initial lead in the third, with shortstop Ed Johnson denting home plate after a pair of JSU errors. Following a one-out single by the Auburn transfer, he advanced to second on a miscue at first base. A throwing error in Cody Littlejohn's at-bat allowed Johnson to cross the plate for the 1-0 lead.
Tech doubled its advantage in the fifth, with catcher Raul Ortega reaching home while the Gamecocks turned a double play. Jacksonville State quickly turned in an answer, plating three runs in the bottom half to take a 3-2 advantage.
Both sides traded a pair of zeroes on the board over the next two innings, but Tech struck again in the eighth. After Johnson singled to center field, he advanced all the way to third base when the Gamecocks tried to pick him off and the pitcher threw the ball away. Second baseman Brett Roberts followed by ripping a double to left field to tie the game.
A sac bunt by Littlejohn advanced Roberts to third, but it was another JSU mistake that allowed him to score. With two outs and an 0-2 count on Tech's batter, Gamecock hurler Jackson Tavel was called for a balk, sending Roberts home.
One more time, the home team rallied, with each of the first three batters in the bottom of the eighth reaching safely. Jonny Hickman took over on the mound for the purple and gold, forcing a sac fly to right field for the first out. While the Gamecocks tied the game with the score, Hickman was able to punch out the next batter and force a ground out to shortstop to end the frame and stave off further damage.
In the ninth, Tech did just enough at the plate to take the lead for good. Theo Bryant IV drew a one-out walk while Ortega singled to first base. Freshman Gabe Lacy singled to right-center field to load the bases with just one out, bringing Johnson to the plate with a chance to play hero. The sophomore delivered, popping a sacrifice fly to right field for the go-ahead RBI.
Hickman made quick work of the Gamecocks in the bottom of the ninth, gathering a pair of punchouts and forcing a ground out on one pitch to the final batter of the contest. The Ringgold, Ga. native picked up his first win of the year with two innings of one-hit ball, fanning three with no walks.
Johnson, Roberts, Ortega and Gavin Johns each tallied a pair of knocks on the day to lead the Tech offense.