SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 14-5, Murray State 10-15
@Morehead State 14-0, Eastern Kentucky 5-11
Tennessee Tech 13, @Austin Peay 6
Southeast Missouri 6-6, @SIUE 3-4
Jacksonville State 8, @South Alabama 2
EASTERN ILLINOIS 14-5, MURRAY STATE 10-15
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (9-7, 1-2 OVC) split the day and fell in the series 2-1 to the Murray State Racers (7-8, 2-1 OVC).
In the first game of the doubleheader, the Panthers were able to pull off the 14-10 win but fell 15-5 in game two.
The Panthers were led on the day by Logan Eickhoff, who went 7-10 from the plate in both games. The right-fielder accounted for four RBI and four runs in today's game.
Murray State started the first game of the day with a 3-0 lead to put the Panther in an early deficit. A double, home run, and ground out to score a runner put Ky Hampton in a tough spot early in his start.
The Racers were able to tack one more on against Hampton before the Panther bats found the ball.
Dalton Doyle entered in the lead-off spot for EIU at the bottom of the second. Doyle started the Panthers off with a blast to give EIU their first score of the game.
Murray State followed in the fourth with a lead-off double, which was later brought home by a single into center field to put Murray State up 5-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Panthers found their mojo, knocking in five runs on five hits. DiLuca started the Panthers off with a single that was followed by an Eickhoff single to right. Sweeney grounded out to first to advance the runners and score DiLuca. Pena kept the line moving with a single to score Eickhoff. Keith Kerrigan and Doyle both reach to bring up Snapp, who flies out to score Pena. Rademacher singled to right-center to score Doyle and Kerrigan and put the Panther atop 6-5.
Doherty entered in relief for Hampton in the fourth. He allowed one unearned on an error by the catcher.
Doherty gained the lead and never relinquished it to give EIU the win 14-10.
In the final day of the game, Birdsong held the Racers at bay in the early innings of the game. The redshirt freshman mowed down Murray State in the first inning, allowing no hits.
The Panther bats continued to stay hot coming off the game two win, as they put up two runs in the first off a Pena single to score Eickhoff and a fielder's choice by Kerrigan that scored Sweeney.
The Racers struck back in the second with a lead-off homer to deep center field. Murray State managed to score one more run on a sacrifice fly to Snapp in left field. The Racers had tied it 2-2.
The Panthers countered with two more runs. Two walks and a single brought up Eickhoff, who scored Lawson on a Murray State error in right field. Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly to score Toppel to put EIU back in the driver's seat, 4-2.
Birdsong quickly sat down the top of the Racers lineup in the top of the third.
Birdsong gave up a three-run homer that ended his day at the mound for EIU, bringing out Alex Stevenson. Stevenson let up two home runs to put Murray State in a commanding 10-4 lead.
The Panthers had fallen to 15-4 heading into the bottom of the innings. Drew Reischman entered as a pinch hitter and knocked home his first single and hit of his Panthers career. Smith doubled to put Reischman at third base, and an Eickhoff sacrifice fly scored Reischman. The Panthers fell 15-5 in game two.
MOREHEAD STATE 14-0, EASTERN KENTUCKY 5-11
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sophomore right-hander Louis Davenport III struck out 10 batters as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team beat Morehead State University, 11-0, in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Allen Field.
The Eagles won the first game 14-5.
The Colonels will host No. 10 Louisville on Tuesday at Earle Combs Stadium. The game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
EKU platted three runs in the top of the first inning of game two and then let Davenport take care of business from there. Cam Ridley led it off with a single up the middle. With two outs and Ridley on second, Caleb Upshaw singled to center to push across the first run. Freshman Manny Jackson followed with his second home run of the day – having hit his first career dinger in the first game – to make it 3-0.
Davenport faced the minimum through the first three innings, getting help from freshman catcher Will King who threw out two runners attempting to steal. Davenport also set them down in order in the sixth. He finished the day having allowed two hits and three walks in six innings of work. He struck out 10 of the 22 batters he faced. It’s just the 12th time since 2008 an EKU pitcher has struck out 10 or more in a game.
The Colonels (5-9, 1-2 OVC) were up 4-0 going into the seventh. The first five batters drew walks and the sixth was hit by a pitch to force in three runs and make it 7-0. Upshaw then sent a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right field for a grand slam and an 11-0 lead.
Upshaw finished 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs. Ridley went 2-for-3, drove in a run and scored three times.
In game one, the two teams combined for eight home runs. Morehead State had five, two of which accounted for six runs.
EKU grabbed the early lead when Charlie Ludwick hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. However, MSU answered with three runs in the bottom of the first and led the rest of the way. Ludwick and Jackson hit back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the fifth to get within one, 5-4.
The Eagles smacked two home runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a three-run shot off the bat of Ryan Layne, to begin to pull away.
Ludwick went 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs and three RBIs. Jackson finished 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI in his first career start. Freshman Santiago Peralta had a 4-for-4 day with a run scored.
TENNESSEE TECH 13, AUSTIN PEAY 6
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - It was a successful Ohio Valley Conference opening day for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Saturday evening, as the Golden Eagle offense came alive in a 13-6 victory against in-state rival Austin Peay at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Backed by some timely pitching, the bats were singing for the purple and gold, all to the tune of 13 runs on 12 hits. Shining the brightest on the night was redshirt sophomore Golston Gillespie, who drove in a career-high five runs with a pair of home runs.
Tech got the scoring going right out of the chute, thanks to sophomore shortstop Ed Johnson. The Auburn transfer ripped an RBI single to left-center field after senior Cody Littlejohn led off the contest with a double.
Austin Peay answered back in the second, smacking a two-run dinger to right field to take a 2-1 lead on its home field. It wouldn't last long.
Returning freshman Brett Roberts tied the ball game up at 2-2 in the top of the third, kick-starting a huge inning with an RBI double down the left-field line. But it was Gillespie that delivered the big swing two batters later.
With the bases loaded, the first baseman cracked a shot to right field for the team's first grand slam of the season and his first round-tripper as a Golden Eagle. It also gave Tech a 6-2 lead it would never relinquish.
Catcher Will Long scored in the sixth on a passed ball to add to the advantage, but the Govs refused to go quietly, smacking another two-run home run to left field. The moon shot cut the Tech lead to 7-4, but Tech put things away for good in the eighth.
Long began the scoring in the frame with an RBI single through the left side with two outs. Right fielder Theo Bryant IV followed with an RBI double to right-center field. Freshman Hayden Gilliland kept the train rolling with an RBI single through the right side, giving Tech 10 runs on the day.
Ed Johnson made it an even dozen for the Golden Eagles, ripping a two-run single to left field to round out a five-run frame for the visitors. Austin Peay gathered its third home run of the night and scored a second a run on an error in the bottom half, but it proved too little too late.
Gillespie returned the favor in the ninth, sending his second jack job of the night to right field, giving the purple and gold a 13-6 lead.
Senior hurler Mark Leonard, who picked up his second win of the season, closed out the final two frames for the Golden Eagles, holding the home team both scoreless and hitless. He punched out five Govs with just one walk to finish things off.
Roberts led Tech with three hits in the game while Littlejohn, Johnson and Gillespie all tallied two apiece. Nine different Golden Eagles dented home plate at least once on the night while seven earned at least one hit.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6-6, SIUE 3-4
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri (7-7, 2-1) completed a series victory over SIU Edwardsville (6-6, 1-2) with 6-3 and 6-4 wins Saturday at the Simmons Complex.
In game one, SEMO held a 3-2 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning when SIUE sent the game to extra innings.
The Redhawks, however, scored three runs in the top of the 10th to get by the Cougars.
Wade Stauss and Tyler Wilber each reached on back-to-back singles. Andrew Keck walked to load the bases and Stauss scored on a sacrifice fly by Danny Wright. Austin Blazevic later drove in Keck and Wilber to put SEMO ahead, 6-3.
Hunter Ralls (1-0) picked up his first career win after striking out three and walking one in 1.2 scoreless innings out of the Redhawks bullpen.
SEMO finished with seven hits, including two from Keck and Blazevic.
The Redhawks carried their momentum into game two where it quickly scored four runs to take an early lead in the top of the first inning.
Stauss singled and Wilber walked to give SEMO a pair of baserunners. Keck followed with a single and Stauss scored. After Wright knocked in Stauss on a single, Wright and Keck gave SEMO runners at second and third following a double steal. Blazevic then scored both Keck and Wright on a single to left putting the Redhawks ahead, 4-0.
Blazevic scored Keck on a sacrifice fly in the third inning and Wilber hit his first home run of the season in the eighth to stretch SEMO's lead to 6-3.
Stauss and Keck finished the nightcap with two hits each, while Blazevic contributed three RBI.
Freshman Kyle Miller (2-1) picked up the win. Miller struck out seven and walked none in 6.1 innings. He also allowed four runs on eight hits.
Blake Cisneros was credited with the save, his first of the season.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, SOUTH ALABAMA 2
MOBILE, Ala. - Jacksonville State Head Coach Jim Case earned his 600th career win on Saturday as the Gamecocks claimed the series with South Alabama with an 8-2 victory at Stanky Field in Mobile, Alabama.
Case, who is in his 20th season in charge of the Jax State program, has accumulated all 600 career wins during his tenure in Jacksonville. Case's club heled him inch closer to the milestone with Friday's 11-2 win over the Jaguars to open the weekend set. JSU will look for its first sweep of the season on Sunday as the two in-state programs conclude the series at 1 p.m.
The Gamecocks, who collected 12 hits off USA pitching in Friday's contest, battered the Jaguars' pitching staff on Saturday with 14 hits, including 13 in the final four innings. Jax State was held to one hit through five innings against USA starter Tyler Lehrman and he was pitching with a 2-0 lead after an RBI single by Michael Sandle in first and a solo home run by Sandle in the fourth.
Redshirt sophomore Nash Adams sparked the offense with a solo home run to start the sixth inning., followed by four consecutive hits by junior Cole Frederick, sophomore Trevor Andrews, senior Alex Webb and senior Jaylyn Williams. Webb, who had four RBI on Friday, had an run-scoring single before Williams greeted the new USA pitcher with a three-run blast to right field to give the Gamecocks a 5-2 advantage.
JSU expanded the lead with runs in each of the last three frames. Williams added his fourth RBI with a single in the seventh. Andrews recorded his third hit of the day in the eighth with an RBI single. Junior Javier Ramirez rounded out the scoring with a run-scoring single in the ninth.
Jax State starter Dylan Hathcock was solid for five innings and keeping the squad in the game by allowing just the two USA runs. Freshman Jake Peppers was the first guy out of the bullpen for JSU and went 1.1 innings, while senior Kyle Luigs finished the final 2.2 innings.