SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee Tech 9, Eastern Illinois 1
@Eastern Kentucky 3, UT Martin 2
Morehead State 10-2, Norfolk State 2-4
TENNESSEE TECH 9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The bats struck early and the pitching was spectacular throughout the day for the Tennessee Tech baseball team, as the Golden Eagles (8-6, 4-2) won their second-straight Ohio Valley Conference series to open the year with a 9-1 victory over Eastern Illinois (10-9, 2-4) Sunday afternoon.
The purple and gold wasted no time going to work offensively, with second baseman Brett Roberts driving in an early marker with an RBI ground out to shortstop after Cody Littlejohn and Ed Johnson each reached. Junior right fielder Jason Hinchman followed two pitches later with an RBI single to his counterpart on the Panthers.
True freshman Hayden Gilliland and returning freshman Luke Jones each found their way on to load the bases for John Dyer. The first baseman produced with a sacrifice fly to right-center field, giving Tech a 3-0 lead and chasing EIU starter Hayden Birdsong (0-4) from the game with just two outs in the frame.
In the second, Roberts continued his big day with an RBI single to left field. Golden Eagle starter Jonny Hickman took the early advantage and ran with it, tossing four shutout innings before exiting in the fifth with no outs. He scattered six hits with just one run allowed and five strikeouts. Jacob Parham claimed the first two outs of the frame before giving way to Alex Hursey.
The redshirt senior veteran, who was a key member of the last Tech squad to open with back-to-back OVC-series wins in 2018, came up clutch with runners on second and third, punching out the Panther batter to end the threat.
The Golden Eagles rewarded the southpaw with a little more breathing room on the scoreboard in the bottom half. At it again was Roberts, who opened the frame with a single to left field. He promptly stole second and, after an EIU pitching change, swiped third as well.
Gilliland drew a four-pitch walk, with Roberts denting home plate on the fourth offering that went into the dirt and all the way to the backstop. Jones scored the second run of the frame, reaching on a fielder's choice and crossing the plate on a throwing error by the Panthers on an infield single to third base by John Dyer.
With a fresh, five-run lead in his pocket, Hursey (1-2) went to work, covering the final four innings of the ball game with nearly flawless work. He held the Panthers to just two hits the rest of the way, striking out six to earn his first victory of the season.
For good measure, Tech added three more runs to its tally in the eighth, with Littlejohn and Johnson reaching on back-to-back walks to open the inning. A wild pitch advanced both up a base, setting up Roberts for a sacrifice fly to right field. Johnson moved up to third, allowing Hinchman to repeat the effort with a sac fly of his own to center field.
Catcher Will Long turned in the loudest run of the day, working a five-pitch at-bat before clobbering an offering to left field. He sent a towering blast well over the fence for his second long ball of the season a 9-1 lead for his team.
On the day, Roberts led the charge with a 3-for-4 showing at the plate with three driven in. Hinchman drove in a pair and scored once with a hit while Johnson collected two more knocks and three runs scored. Littlejohn reached three times and scored twice thanks to a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch. Jones walked two times in the contest and gathered a hit while scoring a run.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, UT MARTIN 2
RICHMOND, Ky. - Cam Ridley’s one-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh sent the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team to a series-clinching 3-2 victory over the University of Tennessee at Martin on Sunday at Earle Combs Stadium.
After the Skyhawks tied it in the top half of the seventh, Will King started the bottom with an infield single. Pinch runner Marcus Hill then stole second base. After a ground ball moved the go-ahead run to third with one out, Ridley singled into short right field to put the Colonels up one.
Kendal Ewell’s two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning gave EKU a 2-1 lead. UTM tied it in the seventh on Casey Harford’s single to center field.
Santiago Peralta went 3-for-4 with a run scored for EKU. Ewell finished the day 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs.
Darren Williams started for Eastern Kentucky and allowed one run on three hits through five innings. He walked two and struck out five. Will Brian (1-0), the Ohio Valley Conference leader in saves, got the win after pitching the final three innings. He allowed two hits, a walk and struck out three.
UT Martin starter Eric Steensma allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five in five innings of work. Blake Daniels hit a solo home run and had a 1-for-4 day with a run and an RBI.
MOREHEAD STATE 10-2, NORFOLK STATE 2-4
NORFOLK, Va. - Morehead State baseball split its final doubleheader at Norfolk State Sunday. The Eagles hammered the Spartans 10-2 in the seven-inning opener and held a late lead in game two, but a four-run sixth by the home team proved costly in a 4-2, seven-inning, setback.
Still, the Eagles finished their weekend in Virginia 3-1 and are now 10-10 overall. NSU is 4-13.
Sophomore pitcher Matt Bettio collected his first career win in in the opener, tossing a career-best five innings, while senior Logan Goodnight banged his first home run of the season in the seventh inning in the latter game.
In the first game, MSU scored the first run in the top of the first after freshman Ryley Preece singled and was brought home Gardner's double. Norfolk State tied the game 1-1 in the third when a fielding error allowed an unearned run to plate.
Morehead State scored six times in the fifth. The inning featured two NSU errors, three wild pitches and a sac fly. Gardner got the rally going with a two-run single, while senior Arthur Sells tacked on two more with a single. Ryan Layne scored on a wild pitch, and Jacob Ferry plated the inning's final tall with a sac fly to score Sells.
The Eagles scored three unearned runs in the seventh to account for the final score. Layne and freshman Jackson Feltner each came across when freshman Cole Becker's grounder was mishandled. And then senior Bryce Hensor picked up an RBI single.
Bettio (1-2) struck out three and only surrendered one earned run in 5.0 innings. Bakke, the OVC leader in appearances now with 12, struck out three in the final two frames.
In game two, Goodnight led off the fifth with a double and moved to third on Becker's sac bunt. Hensor brought him home on a sac fly. The Spartans rallied with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. All four runs were charged to reliever Grant Herron (1-1) who absorbed his first career loss. He allowed three hits and three walks.
Goodnight blasted his first homer of the year to left field to get the Eagles back to within 4-2 in the seventh. Becker made it to second base hoping to score to get MSU closer but a strike out ended the game.
Goodnight and Feltner each had two hits, Feltner extending that reached-base streak to 10 games now.
Starter John Sherman posted his best outing of the year, tossing 5.0 innings and striking out three while only surrendering two hits.