TUESDAY'S SCORES
@#2 Louisville 6,
Eastern Kentucky 2
Illinois State 6-9,
@SIUE 1-1
@Belmont 5, North Alabama 1
@Southern Illinois 10,
Eastern Illinois 9
#22 Alabama 5,
@Jacksonville State 2
#2 LOUISVILLE 6, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After falling behind early, the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team attempted a late comeback but lost 6-2 at No. 2 University of Louisville on Tuesday.
EKU (1-3) will play its first home games of the 2021 season this weekend. The Colonels will host Presbyterian for a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday. The series finale is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Cardinals (4-0) scored in the third, fourth and fifth innings to build a 6-0 lead. Henry Davis put two of them on the board with a 2-run home run over the wall in left center in the fourth inning.
Eastern Kentucky’s comeback bid started in the top of the sixth inning. Caleb Upshaw walked to start the frame. Brent Lovell reached on an error. Upshaw advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and then scored when Charlie Ludwick singled to center with two outs. An error on the play allowed Kendal Ewell to score from first base to make it a four-run game, 6-2.
The duo of freshman Bryce Travis and redshirt sophomore Will Brian each pitched an inning of hitless relief in the seventh and eighth to keep Louisville at bay. The Eastern Kentucky offense put a runner on base in each of the final three innings, but couldn’t keep the rally going.
Ludwick finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. Upshaw went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.
Davis was 2-for-2 with a walk, a run and four RBIs for the Cardinals. No other UofL batter had more than one hit. Luke Seed (1-0) started for Louisville and struck out six in two innings of work. He walked three and allowed one hit.
Brennan Kelly (1-1) got the start for Eastern and gave up two runs on two hits in two-plus innings. He walked three and struck out one.
ILLINOIS STATE 6-9, SIUE 1-1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Illinois State swept a baseball doubleheader from SIUE Tuesday, winning 6-1 and 9-1.
The twin bill was scheduled following the cancelations of both teams' weekend series. The games marked the first time SIUE has opened its season at home since 2006.
SIUE started a pair of true freshmen on the mound. Noah Matheny worked game one and allowed four runs over four innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. Griffin Bruder started game two and allowed a run over three innings He struck out one and walked one.
The Redbird got up 4-0 in the first game before the Cougars got on the board in the fifth innings. Ole Arntson scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a fielder's choice. The Redbirds tacked on two more runs in the sixth for the 6-1 final.
Connor Kiffer and Raul Elguezabal accounted for all six of SIUE's hits in the opener. Both were 3-3 for the game.
SIUE broke out on top in game two, scoring a run on two hits in the second inning. Freshman Brennan Orf drilled a double to the wall in right center to lead off the second inning and then scored on a two-out single by John Stallcup. The hit was the first of Orf's career. He had a home run pulled back in game one when Illinois State centrerfielder Joe Butler made a leaping catch at the center field wall.
That run on two hits was the extent of SIUE's offense in game two. Illinois State starter Jordan Lussier and Jared Hart and Garrett Witcher out of the bullpen held the Cougars hitless over the final five innings.
Meanwhile, the Redbird scored eight runs over the final three innings against the SIUE bullpen.
The Cougars showed off some impressive defense in game two, cutting down a pair of Illinois State runners from the outfield. In the second inning SIUE centerfielder Brett Johnson hit relay-man Brett Pierson who fired a strike home to catch the Redbirds' Jeremy Gaines at the plate. In the fifth inning, Cougar right fielder Parker Wielt and shortstop Josh Ohl combined to nail Illinois State's Aidan Huggins at third base, where Kiffer made the tag.
BELMONT 5, NORTH ALABAMA 1
NASHVILLE - Behind 17 strikeouts from the pitching staff, the Belmont University baseball team won its season opener against North Alabama 5-1 on Tuesday at Rose Park.
The pitching staff's performance marked the first time since March 4, 2016 where Belmont forced at least 15 strikeouts as a team. Sophomore Joshua South struck out five batters in two innings pitched in his first start of the season while junior Logan Bowen picked up his first win of the season. Junior Kyle Brennan picked up his 15th career save, moving into a tie with Jimmy Stanley (2007-09) and Robbie McNair (1988-91) for fifth on the program's all-time career save list.
Following three shutout innings, the Belmont bats got cooking in the bottom of the fourth inning. Junior Jackson Campbell collected a one-out single, with freshman Drew Lowry driving in the game's first run with an RBI double. Freshman Austin Ehren, who made his first career start, recorded his first collegiate single and collected an RBI to put the Bruins ahead 2-0.
Sophomore Jack Capobianco scored off a wild pitch later in the inning to put the Bruins ahead 3-0.
John Behrends came up with his first collegiate triple to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, with two hit-by-pitches loading the bases for Belmont. Capobianco extended Belmont's lead out to five runs thanks to a two-RBI single with two outs.
Two walks and a wild pitch in the top of the eighth inning set up North Alabama's first run of the game off a Belmont fielding error. Coming in with North Alabama having the tying run on deck, Brennan collected two strikeouts and forced a fly out in the outfield to retire the side. The Franklin, Tenn. native forced the Lions to go down in order in the final half-inning to seal the second consecutive opening day win for Belmont.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 10, EASTERN ILLINOIS 9
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (2-2) fell to the Southern Illinois Salukis (4-0), 10-9 on Tuesday night. Eastern Illinois had a strong day offensively, but struggles against the Salukis offense cost the team. The Panthers recorded 12 hits, nine runs, no errors, and four doubles in the game.
Eastern Illinois started hot in the early going. The Panthers drove in a run in the first inning off a two-out rally by Sweeney, Pena, and Knernschield. Sweeney was plunked by a pitch to put him at first base; Pena followed with a single that put runners on first and second. Knernschield stepped up to the plate and delivered a shot into left field. The Salukis fielder threw an errant throw that allowed Sweeney to score, putting the Panthers up 1-0.
Chao started strong, throwing a one-two-three inning in the first. The Panthers looked confident heading into the second inning.
The Panthers lineup stayed hungry as Kerrigan came to the plate to lead off the second. He hit a shot to left-field to put him at second. The Panthers were in scoring position with no outs. Smith was next to bat, and the Panthers had the Southern Illinois pitcher frazzled as Smith singled and advanced Kerrigan to third. Toppel managed a walk which brought the top of the order back to the plate. Eickhoff singled into left-center, which brought home Kerrigan and Smith. The Salukis made a pitching change. The SIU pitcher entered and gave up a sac fly to Sweeney but hit Pena into a double-play to end the inning. Panthers led, 4-0.
Chao gave up one earned run and three hits in the second inning.
The Salukis came to life in the third inning, starting with a home run over the left-field wall. The Panthers put in DeCicco, but the Salukis had his number. At the end of the inning, Southern Illinois had regained the lead, 6-4.
EIU returned to put two on the board after Sweeney sent Eickhoff home off a single, and Doyle singled to send Sweeney and Emme home.
Birdsong entered the game for the Panthers in the fourth inning. Birdsong gave up three runs on three hits in his first inning pitched. SIU held the lead 9-7.
Eickhoff started the rally for the Panthers in the fifth with a single past the second baseman. Emme followed with a double that sent Eickhoff home and pulled the Panthers within one run of tying.
Birdsong fended the Salukis off in the fifth, allowing no hits. A pair of doubles in the sixth put Southern Illinois back with a two-run lead. SIU led 10-8.
Alba entered the game in relief for Birdsong, allowing no runs through the rest of the game.
The Panthers spearheaded an improbable comeback in the top of the ninth. Smith struck out for the second out of the inning but reached on an error to put the tying run at the plate. Lucas DiLuca entered to pinch run. Toppel hit into a potential double-play, but the Salukis pitched missed the second baseman to put runners on first and second with one out. Eickhoff stepped into the batter's box and managed a double, but the Panthers' luck had run out as Toppel was thrown out at home to put the score at 10-9 in favor of the Salukis. Eastern Illinois was unable to get the tying run home, which resulted in a 10-9 loss.
#22 ALABAMA 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 2
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Nationally-ranked Alabama powered its way past Jacksonville State with a pair of home runs in a 5-2 setback on Tuesday at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Crimson Tide (4-0) led off the contest with a solo home run by Peyton Wilson and broke a 1-all deadlock in the fifth with a two-run home run by Sam Praytor to give the Southeastern Conference foe the lead and fought off a a pair of late-inning scoring threats by the Gamecocks (1-3). The two teams will wrap up the season set on March 10 as JSU will visit Tuscaloosa.
JSU starter Isaiah Magwood limited the damage in the first inning and was able to push through other UA scoring chances in his four innings of work. Magwood tossed the first four frames and was touched for three hits, a run and a pair of strikeouts. The Gamecocks were able to equalize in the second inning off of UA starter Williams Freeman. Junior Isaac Alexander drilled an RBI double to the right center gap, scoring sophomore Carson Crowe from first base. Crowe turned in a one-out single to right field.
Graduate transfer Kyle Luigs could not put the Crimson Tide away in the fifth after a one-out walk preceded Praytor's blast to left field for the lead. Luigs went 2.2 innings and tallied a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Jake Peppers continued to shine out of the bullpen with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings-worked.
The Gamecocks answered with a two-out run with senior Tre Kirklin extending his hitting streak to 12 games with his first home run of the season and 12th of his career and the fourth within the last 12 games. He turned in three home runs in the last eight games of the 2020 season.
Alabama would extend the lead to three runs with a two-out, two-run single by William Hamiter in the seventh. The Gamecocks stranded six of their nine runners in the final three at bats. UA's Chase Lee finished the final 2.1 innings to lock down a save.