SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 9-8, Southeast Missouri 2-4
@SIUE 12-8, Eastern Kentucky 3-5
@Austin Peay 11, Belmont 8
@Jacksonville State 8-5, Tennessee Tech 0-0
UT Martin 18, @Grambling State 4
EASTERN ILLINOIS 9-8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2-4
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (13-10, 4-5 OVC) defeated the Southeast Missouri Redhawks (11-11, 5-4 OVC) 2-1 on the series. The Panthers grabbed the first win of the day with a dominating 9-2 win where the Panthers never lost the lead. In game two, the Panthers were down until a five-run fifth inning took a commanding lead. Cameron Doherty got the win in game one; Alex Stevenson was awarded the win in game two.
The Panthers kicked off the first game of the doubleheader with a jolt of energy from a Lucas DiLuca double into the outfield. Logan Eickhoff followed with a single, despite injuring his hand, and Sweeney walked. Knernschield knocked a single to score two and advance Sweeney to third. Doyle grounded out to the shortstop to score Sweeney. Panthers took the 3-0 lead.
Doherty hit a rough patch in the third inning, as the Redhawks scored two, but Doherty turned it up after allowing two earned.
The Panthers scored again in the bottom of the third after a reach-on-error, walk, wild pitch, and a sac fly to score one. Panthers had extended their lead to 4-2.
EIU managed to score one more run before the bottom of the sixth when they did the bulk of their damage. Two Panthers started with walks and advanced to second and third base off a balk by the pitcher. DiLuca came through with another massive double to score two. Sweeney pulled a ball through the right side to score DiLuca and put the Panthers up 8-2
The Panthers scored their final run off a wild pitch from SEMO and tied the series at 1-1 with a 9-3 win.
Southeast Missouri struck first against the Panthers, as Trevor Nicholson got the start for EIU. They put up two runs, both unearned, in the top of the first.
SEMO put up another run before Nicholson was pulled for the veteran Stevenson. The Redhawks scored once more on a passed ball to put SEMO up 4-0 early.
Knernschield started the lineup in the second innings with a single but was forced out on a grounder by Doyle. Doyle advanced on a throwing error by the second baseman, and a Christian Pena groundout advanced him to third. Keith Kerrigan reached on an error that scored Doyle to give EIU their first run of the game.
The Panthers continued to chip away at the lead, as the rally was led by Snapp who led off with a single. Toppel knocked in his first RBI of the game with a single that sent Snapp around the bags to home. Sweeney hit a single to advance the runner to third, and Knernschield laid down a sac bunt to score Toppel. SEMO's lead had been cut down to 4-3.
The Panthers' game-changing inning came in the bottom of the fourth. Kerrigan drew a walk but was forced out on a fielder's choice by Chase Rademacher. Snapp continued to fluster SEMO's pitching staff as he slammed in a double into left-center. DiLuca drew a walk to juice the bases for Toppel. Toppel waited for his pitch and pulled a hit up the foul line for a base clearing double. Sweeney followed up with a deep home run into center field to claim the 8-4 lead.
Stevenson and Anshutz combined for seven scoreless innings to give EIU their first OVC series win of the season.
SIUE 12-8, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3-5
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE finished off a weekend sweep of Eastern Kentucky winning a pair of games from the Colonels Saturday at Simmons Baseball Complex. The Cougars ran away with the early game 12-3 before scoring six unanswered runs to win the second game 8-5.
SIUE has won five straight games and improved to 11-9 overall and 5-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference. EKU fell to 8-15 overall and 3-6 in OVC play.
The Cougars collected season highs in runs (12) and hits (17) in the opener. SIUE scored four runs in the third inning and never trailed. The Cougars added two in the fifth, five in the sixth and scored another in the eighth.
Brady Bunten, Ole Arntson and Steven Pattan each turned in three hits in the game, while Richie Well, Connor Kiffer and Raul Elguezabal each finished with two hits. Bunten drove home three and scored twice. Arntson and Pattan each drove home a pair. Brett Johnson homered and scored a pair of runs.
Noah Matheny, making his second weekend start, worked eight innings, allowing three runs, just two earned on eight hits. He struck out two and improved to 3-2.
Brian Chandler struck out two in the ninth to finish the game.
Eastern Kentucky struck first in the late game, scoring three times in the fourth against SIUE starter Kaid Karnes.
SIUE answered in the fifth when Johnson roped a double to the gap in right center to score two. EKU stretched the lead to 5-2 with two runs in the sixth before the Cougars came back for good.
Ethan Copeland and Johnson each drove home a run before Kiffer plated both with a two-run single to give SIUE a 6-5 lead. Bunten capped the scoring for the Cougars with a two-run home run in the seventh.
Bunten finished the series 8-11 (.727) while Johnson was 6-12 (.500). Both homered and drive home six in the series.
Karnes worked five innings in the start, allowing four runs. Brant Glidewell (1-0) earned the win with an inning in relief. He allowed an unearned run. Alec Kubik worked two scoreless innings and Rob Parks worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save of the season.
The win improved the Cougars' record to 7-5 in home games at Roy E. Lee Field.
AUSTIN PEAY 11, BELMONT 8
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Second baseman Malcolm Tipler, center fielder Garrett Spain and right fielder TJ Foreman each homered as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team defeated Belmont 11-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference series finale, Saturday, on Joe Morgan Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
With the win, Austin Peay won the three-game OVC series from Belmont, 2-1, for its first league series victory this season.
Belmont (7-12, 4-5 OVC) rallied to tie the game, 7-7, in the sixth inning. After the first two batters reached base, third baseman Logan Jarvis singled in a run. The Govs then permitted the tying run to score in exchange for a double play. Govs reliever Peyton Jula made the exchange pay off, striking out the next batter to end the inning.
Austin Peay (7-14, 4-5 OVC) wasted no time regaining the lead. Third baseman Gino Avros reached on a bunt single and Tipler walked on four pitches. Spain followed with a home run to right center, giving the Govs a 10-7 lead. Foreman would later add a solo home run in the seventh inning to extend the lead.
Jula (1-4) shook off the sixth-inning scoring and went 3.2 innings allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three.
Foreman and Avros each went 3-for-4 to pace an APSU offense that posted 14 hits on the day. Spain ended the day with four RBI, Tipler finished with three RBI and Avros had two RBI.
Belmont right fielder John Behrends went 4-for-5 with two RBI and four runs scored, including a solo home run, to lead the Bruins offense. Reliever Korey Bell (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing two runs in 1.1 innings of work.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8-5, TENNESSEE TECH 0-0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State turned in a combined no-hitter to complete the sweep of Tennessee Tech on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Gamecocks blanked the Golden Eagles 8-0 in the first game of the twinbill and capped off the weekend with a 5-0 decision. Junior Colin Casey, redshirt junior Jackson Tavel and senior Corley Woods combined to no-hit TTU in the finale. It's the first combined no hitter for JSU since the 2018 season. The trio of Colton Pate, Grant Chandler and Trent Simpson turned in a no-hitter effort against Radford at Choccolocco Park on February 24.
The sweep help erase a tough opening weekend at Murray State for the Gamecocks last weekend as they improved to 11-11 overall and 4-2 in OVC play. TTU falls to 9-9 on the season and 4-5 in conference games. JSU will host Samford on Tuesday, March 30 to close out the month before traveling to Southeast Missouri next weekend. JSU has posted two consecutive series sweeps over TTU after sweeping the three-game series in 2019. Jax State has won the series with the Golden Eagles in four out of the last five seasons.
The back-to-back shutouts are the first in JSU history since the 1995 season after two straight shutouts of Central Wesleyan. The first shutout on Saturday was the first time that TTU had been held scoreless in a game since March 28, 2017 versus Tennessee.
Casey, from Jacksonville, Alabama, turned in a career day on the mound with eight innings of work and compiling a new career mark for strikeouts with seven. Tavel recorded a pair of strikeouts before Woods finished off the no hitter with the final 1.1. The trip combined for 12 strikeouts and only six Golden Eagles reached base with the six walks issued by JSU. TTU did not have a runner reach third base in the loss.
The JSU offense gave Casey just enough of a cushion to work with in the first inning and expanded the lead in the fourth inning. Senior Jaylyn Williams delivered a two-run home run in the first inning for the cushion. JSU hit four home runs on the weekend against TTU pitching.
Jax State had three consecutive RBI in the fourth inning to expand the lead. Sophomore Carson Crowe, junior Javier Ramirez and senior Tre Kirklin all pushed runs across the dish in the inning.
In the opening game, JSU's pitching was the storyline along with the offensive production from redshirt junior Alex Carignan. Redshirt junior Dylan Hathcock baffled Tech hitters for eight innings and scattered five hits in the opener. It was the longest outing of his career and he established a new career high for strikeouts with seven. Redshirt sophomore Trey Fortner finished the game with a strikeout and a walk. On Saturday alone JSU hurlers accumulated 20 strikeouts and fanned 30 on the weekend after 10 on Friday night.
Carignan put together a four-hit, three RBI day in game one of the day. The catcher delivered an RBI on two RBI singles and a two-run double in the seventh. He was one of six Gamecocks to have multiple hits in the contest. As a team, the Gamecocks pounded out 17 hits, matching their outing last Saturday against the Racers in a 16-11 win.
Junior Alex Strachan turned in three hits in the contest while the first four hitters in the JSU line up had two hits each – junior Cole Frederick, redshirt sophomore Nash Adams, senior Alex Webb and Williams.
UT MARTIN 18, GRAMBLING STATE 4
GRAMBLING, La. - The University of Tennessee at Martin generated a season-high 20 hits today to open its three-game set against Grambling State, coming away with an 18-4 triumph at Wilbert Ellis Field.
Christian Hall went 5-for-5 with five RBI’s and five runs scored today, swatting four of the Skyhawks’ 11 extra-base hits. The freshman from Calera, Ala. homered twice and added two doubles, becoming only the third player in program history to go at least 5-for-5 against a Division I opponent, joining teammate Casey Harford (5-for-5 at Auburn on March 5, 2019) and Scott McLean (6-for-6 against Lipscomb on April 25, 2007).
UT Martin also received round trippers out of Sean Dixson (who finished a double shy of hitting for the cycle), Wil LaFollette and Ethan Whitley. Whitley drove in four runs while Will Smith (three hits, four runs scored, two RBI’s) also helped jumpstart the Skyhawks offensively.
On the hill, Winston Cannon improved to 4-2 on the season after another pristine performance. The senior out of Cookeville, Tenn. picked up his Ohio Valley Conference-leading fourth victory of the season after allowing one unearned runs on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings.
Ryan Insco (one inning), Grayden Stauffer (two innings) and Matthew Shunk (one inning) all made appearances out of the UT Martin bullpen today, combining for four strikeouts.
The Skyhawks (8-9) scored in seven different innings today, starting with three runs in the top of the first. Dixson set the tone with a leadoff homer just six pitches into the contest, going yard for the first time during the 2021 campaign. Whitley (sacrifice fly) and Houston Wright (single) also tacked on RBI’s to give UT Martin the upper hand early.
A one-out triple by Dixson in the top of the second led to another run as Smith brought him home with an RBI groundout. Hall ripped a leadoff double in the top of the third and came around to score on a two-run jack by Whitley, giving the Skyhawks a 6-1 advantage.
Harford tallied an RBI double early in the fourth inning and scored four pitches later after Hall went opposite field for a two-run home run. LaFollette made it back-to-back jacks with a solo shot to center field to extend UT Martin’s lead out to 10-1.
The first five UT Martin batters reached base safely to start the fifth as Hall launched his second homer of the contest for a three-run shot. Four more runs crossed the plate for the Skyhawks in the sixth as Smith and Whitley were each responsible for RBI doubles after a Harford sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, Cannon was on top of his game. He stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the first before allowing the unearned run in the second. He then retired six consecutive batters, holding the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of his day.
UT Martin rounded out its scoring in the top of the ninth as Nate Self was hit by a pitch after making an appearance as a pinch-hitter. He then scampered home on a wild pitch after Benny DeTrude and Cameron Brady each drew walks to load the bases.