FRIDAY'S SCORES
Southeast Missouri 3, @Eastern Illinois 2
@SIUE 11, Eastern Kentucky 9
@Austin Peay 13-2, Belmont 8-3
@Jacksonville State 8, Tennessee Tech 3
Murray State 9, @Memphis 5
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Tyler Wilber went 2-for-4 with a home run to lead Southeast Missouri (11-9, 5-2) to a 3-2 series-opening win over Eastern Illinois (11-10, 2-5) Friday at Coaches Stadium.
With two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Wilber smacked his eighth career home run over the right center wall to tie the game. His round-tripper rallied the Redhawks, who quickly pulled ahead on an Austin Blazevic double moments later.
SEMO twice tied the game before Wilber sent a charge into the Redhawks late inning surge.
The Panthers struck early with a run in the bottom of the first when Ryan Knernschield singled home Lucas DiLuca.
SEMO scored its first run in the top of the third, where Jevon Mason led off with a single and went to third on an error. Mason touched home on an ensuing groundout to knot things up at 1-1.
Knernschield delivered again to regain a one-run edge for EIU in the bottom of the sixth. His one-out base hit scored Logan Eickhoff to give the Panthers a 2-1 edge before Wilber's game-tying homer in the eighth.
Dylan Dodd improved to 3-1 for the year after working 7.2 innings, his longest start of the season. Dodd struck out eight, walked one and gave up two runs on seven hits. He finished at least eight strikeouts in each of his five starts this year.
Austin Williams picked up his team-high third save after striking out two in 1.1 scoreless innings.
Ky Hampton (2-2) suffered the loss. Hampton allowed seven hits, three runs, struck out four and walked two in eight innings.
SEMO outhit EIU, 9-8, with Wilber, Mason and Peyton Leeper combining for six of the Redhawks hits. Mason went 2-for-5 with a run scored and Leeper finished at 2-for-3.
The Redhawks opened a series with a win for the fourth time this season.
SIUE 11, EASTERN KENTUCKY 9
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball scored five runs in the first and added another five in the eighth inning to slug past Eastern Kentucky 11-9 in the opener of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series at Simmons Baseball Complex.
SIUE has won three straight games and improved to 9-9 overall and 3-4 in OVC play. EKU fell to 8-13 overall and also is 3-4 in OVC play.
Trailing 9-6, SIUE scored five times on seven hits in the eighth. Avery Owusu-Asiedu and John Stallcup pulled SIUE to within a run with back-to-back RBI-singles with one out. Brett Johnson ripped a double down the left field line to score both Owusu-Asiedu and Stallcup to put the Cougars up 10-9. Richie Well drove home Johnson with a hit for the final margin.
The Cougars chased EKU starter Louis Davenport with the five-spot, on four hits, in the first inning. Connor Kiffer and Brady Bunten each had RBI-hits in the inning before Brennan Orf connected on his first career home run, a three-run shot, to right field.
EKU grabbed a run in the fourth and then added three in the fifth on a home run from Caleb Upshaw off SIUE starter David Llorens. Llorens worked five innings allowing four runs and striking out five.
Brent Lovell gave EKU the lead with a two-run homer in the sixth against reliever Tyler Bastunas. The Colonels would go up 9-6 with a run in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth before the Cougars comeback.
The 11 runs ties the Cougars' season-high while the 15 hits in the game is a new season high for the team.
Johnson finished 3-4 with two RBIs. Brady Bunten was 3-3 with the RBI and two runs. Kiffer, Well and Stallcup each had two hits. Well added the home run and two RBIs.
Upshaw was 2-5 with three RBIs to lead EKU.
Braydon Bone (2-0) earned the win with two innings of relief work. Rob Parks earned his first save, recording the final two outs of the game.
The Cougars and Colonels will finish the series Saturday with a double header.
AUSTIN PEAY 13-2, BELMONT 8-3
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Returning to its 2020 trademark of the comeback kids, the Belmont University baseball team completed the come-from-behind win in game two of Friday's doubleheader at Austin Peay 3-2 following a 13-8 defeat in game one at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Freshman Brodey Heaton drove in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning in game two after collecting a career-high three RBIs in game one. Junior Kyle Brennan picked up his first win of the season, pitching the final 1.1 innings in game two with a pair of strikeouts.
Belmont quickly got two runners on base with one out following a walk and an Austin Peay fielding error in the top of the first inning, scoring the game's first run off an RBI double from junior Logan Jarvis. A sacrifice fly from Heaton drove in sophomore John Behrends from third base and gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
Austin Peay, however, responded with a four-run outing in the bottom of the first inning. A leadoff single allowed the Governors to score a run off an RBI double, with a two-run home run in the next at-bat giving Austin Peay a 3-2 advantage. Following a walk and a single, the Governors hit a sacrifice fly that extended their lead 4-2.
The Bruins answered back with a leadoff double and single to put runners at the corners in the top of the second inning, with a sacrifice fly from freshman Kevin Okins allowing Belmont to score a run. A walk followed by two singles returned the lead to the Bruins and an RBI single from Heaton put Belmont ahead 6-4.
Collecting a leadoff walk and stolen base to open the bottom of the second inning, Austin Peay chipped away at Belmont's lead with a single through the left side of the field that allowed a run to score for the Governors. Austin Peay took the lead later in the inning thanks to two sacrifice flies and a wild pitch.
Freshman Jack Rando helped the offensive momentum continue for the Bruins in the top of the third inning, snagging an RBI single to score Okins from third base. Drawing the bases loaded, Heaton drove in his third run of the game by collecting a bases loaded walk to tie the score 8-8.
The Bruins scored in each of the first three innings in game one on Friday, marking the first time since March 24, 2019 that Belmont has had at least one run in each of the first three innings of play in a game.
Two shutout innings kept the score tied before Austin Peay jumped out in front in the bottom of the sixth inning, with a sacrifice fly and a two-RBI double putting the Governors ahead 11-8. A pair of walks in the bottom of the seventh inning allowed the Austin Peay runners to advance in scoring position after a sacrifice bunt, scoring off an RBI single that capped the Governors' lead 13-8.
Sophomore Carson Shacklett got Belmont started in the top of the first inning in game two with a leadoff double, scoring after a sacrifice bunt and a groundout to give Belmont the opening lead. After forcing two scoreless innings, Austin Peay got on the board in the bottom of the third inning.
A bunt single, a Belmont throwing error and a wild pitch allowed the Governors to get a runner on third base, with a double down the first base line tying the game at one run each. Austin Peay took the 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning, hitting a two-out, solo home run to left center field in the bottom of the fourth inning.
With one out in the top of the ninth, Behrends hit a double to center field to put the tying run in scoring position. Jarvis hit a single through the right side of the field to tie the score 2-2, with Heaton's single giving Belmont the 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning.
After forcing a groundout to the shortstop, Brennan struck out the final two batters to complete the comeback for the Bruins.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, TENNESSEE TECH 3
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - - Jacksonville State's campus did not have power during the afternoon for repairs due to the storms that came through Calhoun County on Thursday, but the Gamecocks powered their way to an 8-3 Ohio Valley Conference series-opening win over Tennessee Tech on Friday night on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
JSU's (9-11, 2-2 OVC) offense was powered by three home runs in the contest, including a grand slam by junior Alex Strachan to break open a two-run game in the seventh. Sophomore Carson Crowe started the home run barrage with a solo home run in the second to extend JSU's lead top 2-0, followed by junior Isaac Alexander's first home run of the season with a blast to over the left field fence. The grand slam by Strachan, who now has 17 career home runs, was the second of the season. The last Gamecock to connect on a grand slam was Alex Webb against Austin Peay in May, 2019.
The Gamecocks jumped on the scoreboard early with an RBI by Webb in the first inning. Junior Cole Frederick was one of three JSU hitters to record a hit off Tech starter Tyler Sylvester. Sylvester suffered the loss after being touched for seven of JSU's nine hits.
For the fourth Friday in a row, junior Christian Edwards was dominant on the mound. Edwards, who tossed seven hitless innings last Friday at Murray State, added two more innings to that streak before the Golden Eagles were able to solve him with their first hit in the third inning. Edwards went the first 6.2 innings, scattered three TTU (9-7, 4-3) hits and allowed one run in the outing. He finished with seven strikeouts in 26 batters faced.
Senior transfer Kyle Luigs nursed the two-run lead for 1.1 innings before Strachan's round tripper gave the Gamecocks some breathing room. Senior Corley Woods pitched s clean final inning.
Jax State's five-run seventh started with a one-out single by Tre Kirklin and three walks by Frederick, Webb and Jaylyn Williams by TTU reliever Alex Hursey. Webb and Williams had great at bats to get Strachan to the plate. Strachan was the lone Gamecock to have multiple hits as he had a single in his first plate appearance.
MURRAY STATE 9, MEMPHIS 5
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.