TUESDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 9, @Bellarmine 1
@Tennessee Tech 11, Belmont 4
@Arkansas State 3,
Murray State 1
@#9 Tennessee 13,
Eastern Kentucky 5
AUSTIN PEAY 9, BELLARMINE 1
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - First baseman John McDonald and pinch hitter Matt Joslin each drove in two runs as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team defeated Bellarmine, 9-1, Tuesday afternoon at Knights Field.
Bellarmine (7-11) struck first when shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer hit a solo home run in the first inning. But Austin Peay starter Greg Norman (1-1) settled in after the homer and retired nine straight batters and refused to allow another run over his four-inning outing.
Norman set the tone for the Govs pitching staff, which held the Knights without a run over the final eight innings. Reliever Keegan Mills followed Norman with two innings of work, Matt Magrann and Kyle Nunn each supplied an inning with Michael Sturek and Collin Loose splitting the ninth inning.
Austin Peay (5-13) leveled the score in the fourth inning. Third baseman Gino Avros walked with two out and second baseman Malcolm Tipler singled. Center fielder Garrett Spain rifled a ball through the infield for another single, driving in Avros to tie the game.
The Govs took the lead in the fifth with the first three batters reaching base safely. Designated hitter Ty DeLancey and right fielder Harrison Brown each walked to start the frame and catcher Jack Alexander bunted to advance the runners, reaching first safely and a wild throw allowed DeLancey to score. First baseman John McDonald followed with a sacrifice fly and the Govs led 3-1.
Austin Peay tacked on three runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to secure the victory. In the seventh, Matt Joslin provided a pinch-hit two-run double and shortstop Bobby Head earned a bases-loaded walk. In the eighth, the Govs scored runs on McDonald’s double, TJ Foreman’s pinch-hit triple and John Bolton’s foul out, setting the final score.
Spain and Alexander each had three hits to pace the Govs 13-hit offensive attack.
Mehlbauer’s 2-for-3 outing, including his first-inning solo home run, led Bellarmine, which the Govs held to six hits.
Bellarmine reliever Devin Ecklar (1-1) allowed three runs on three hits and three walks in an inning of work and suffered the loss.
TENNESSEE TECH 11, BELMONT 4
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The bats stayed hot and the pitching staff delivered again for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles (9-6) cruised to an 11-4 victory over in-state rival Belmont (6-10) in a contest with no Ohio Valley Conference implications.
It was the long ball that did the trick for the purple and gold at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. Tech clobbered five round-trippers on the night, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to dominate late and win its third-straight contest.
The Bruins opened the contest with a pair of runs in the first looking strong on offense early on. A quick bottom half appeared to have Belmont in control, but momentum swung quickly in the second.
With two outs in the top of the second, freshman Jackson Berry came out of the bullpen to get the Golden Eagles out of a jam with a pair on. A wild pitch allowed both runners to move into scoring position, but the rookie southpaw rebounded with a strikeout to end the inning.
The Tech offense rewarded Berry nearly immediately, as Preseason OVC Player of the Year Jason Hinchman drew a five-pitch walk to kick off the bottom of the second. On the very next pitch, first baseman Golston Gillespie tied the contest, smashing his fourth home run of the year to right field from the right side of the plate.
The blank slate on the scoreboard gave Berry plenty of room work, as he covered the next four innings with just a single, unearned run allowed in the sixth. The McGregor, Texas native struck out four Bruins while holding the visitors to just a single hit and earning his first win of the year.
The Golden Eagles gave him a lead to work with in the fifth, with senior Cody Littlejohn delivering this time around. The second batter in the frame, the left fielder drilled the first pitch he saw clear over the fence in center field, recording his fourth dinger of the season. An infield single by reigning OVC Player of the Year Ed Johnson set up second baseman Brett Roberts for an RBI single later in the frame.
In the sixth, it was more fireworks for the purple and gold, this time thanks to some chess moves by Tech head coach Steve Smith and the bat of sophomore John Dyer. With runners on second and third, two outs in the inning and the Golden Eagles clinging to a 4-3 lead, Smith inserted the left-handed-hitting Hayden Gilliland into the contest against the right-handed pitcher.
Belmont skipper Dave Jarvis then went to his bullpen, bringing in a southpaw for the lefty on lefty match-up. Smith answered back, lifting Gilliland before he even saw pitch for the right-handed hitting Dyer. He responded by taking a 1-1 offering from the newly inserted Bruin hurler and depositing it over the left-field fence for his first bomb of the season and three RBI.
Not finished with the trips around the bases, Tech struck again in the seventh. After a base hit from Johnson and Roberts getting plunked by a pitch, Hinchman took his turn going yard on the day, blasting a three-run shot to left field, his second of the year.
Gillespie made it back-to-back jacks one pitch later, hammering his second long ball of the game, this time from the left side of the dish. With the home run, the redshirt sophomore became just the second known player in program history to hit a four-bagger from each side of the plate in the same game and first since Chris Brown did so at Austin Peay on Mar. 24, 2017.
Brock Myers and Mark Leonard each tossed a scoreless frame in relief on the night, each allowing just a single hit. Daniel Holley covered the ninth for Tech, allowing a single run before ending the night.
Gillespie, Hinchman and Dyer each finished with three RBI in the contest while Johnson tallied three hits and a pair of runs. Gillespie also scored three times while going 2-for-2 with a walk and hit-by-pitch.
ARKANSAS STATE 3, MURRAY STATE 1
JONESBORO, Ark. - The Murray State Racers (10-10, 4-2) completed the away portion of the home-and-home series with the Arkansas State Red Wolves (4-12, 0-3), falling 3-1 in Jonesboro, Arkansas Tuesday at Tomlinson Stadium-Kell Field.
In a night when runs were at a premium, the Racers were held to five hits throughout the game.
Jake Slunder was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored and Jordan Cozart was 2-for-4 with the Racers only RBI for his team-leading 22nd of the season.
The Red Wolves put up their three runs early in the game. Tyler Duncan started the second inning with a solo home run and a fielding error brought home the second run. A bases loaded walk in the third scored the third run which proved to be enough tonight.
After Slunder opened the game with an infield single to shortstop, the Racers were held hitless until the sixth inning by the Red Wolves starter Brandon Hudson.
Their lone run came when Slunder led off the sixth with a walk. Back-to-back singles by Ryan Perkins and Cozart scored Slunder to get the Racers on the board.
Sam Gardner started his fifth game of the season, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing three hits and two runs, walking nobody.
Cade Vernon came in in relief for the Racers and shut down the Red Wolves offense, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing zero runs on four hits, while striking out two.
#9 TENNESSEE 13, EASTERN KENTUCKY 5
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team trailed by just one going into the bottom of the fourth, but No. 9 ranked University of Tennessee scored three in the fourth and seven in the fifth on its way to an 13-5 victory on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Colonels will host Dayton on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN+.
After the Volunteers (18-4) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, Caleb Upshaw led off the top of the second with a home run over the wall in left field. It was his fourth of the season.
Cam Ridley reached on a fielder’s choice in the top of the third. He advanced to second on an error and then stole third base. Logan Thomason’s single to left brought home Ridley and got EKU within one, 3-2.
Kyle Booker’s RBI double down the left field line and Max Ferguson’s sacrifice fly highlighted a three-run fourth for Tennessee and extended the home team’s lead to 6-2. Trey Lipscomb and Cortland Lawson both hit two-run home runs as part of a seven-run bottom of the fifth that pushed it to a 13-2 lead.
Freshman catcher Will King had a two-run single to cap a three-run eighth for the Colonels (8-11) and set the final score.
Thomason went 2-for-5 with a RBI. King had a 2-for-3 day with two RBIs. Upshaw was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Brandon Thomas provided three innings of scoreless relief, giving up two hits and walking three.
Lipscomb finished 3-for-5 with a run and four RBIs for the Volunteers.