TUESDAY'S SCORES
Illinois State 4,
@Eastern Illinois 3
@Belmont 9, UT Martin 8
Missouri State 9,
@Southeast Missouri 8 (10)
@Lipscomb 14,
Austin Peay 7
Samford 5,
@Jacksonville State 4
@Bradley 7,
SIUE 2
@#1 Vanderbilt 12,
Tennessee Tech 5
ILLINOIS STATE 4, EASTERN ILLINOIS 3
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (13-11, 4-5 OVC) fell 4-3 in a seven-inning game to the Illinois State Redbirds (8-14, 0-0 MVC). Nick Laxner got the start for the Panthers in Tuesday's game but was awarded the loss after 4.0 innings. The game was called after heavy rain with the threat of lightning.
The Redbirds struck first in the opening frame with a lead-off double that turned into a 1-0 lead.
Eastern Illinois managed to tie the game up after a lead-off single from Ryan Knernschield. Kerrigan followed it up with a double to score the runner and tie the game up 1-1.
The Redbirds scored three more runs before the seventh inning.
The Panthers started a rally in the bottom of the fourth. Doyle led off with a walk, and after two outs, Ben Snapp drew a walk of his own. DiLuca laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases for Dane Toppel. Toppel drew a walk, and Trey Sweeney followed with another walk. The Panthers had walked back into the game, chipping away at the Illinois State lead, 4-3.
The game was called after the seventh inning due to weather.
BELMONT 9, UT MARTIN 8
NASHVILLE - Behind 12 hits, the Belmont University baseball team defeated UT Martin 9-8 on Tuesday at Rose Park.
The game will not count towards the Ohio Valley Conference standings and will be treated like a regular mid-week non-conference game. Sophomore Carson Shacklett tied a career-high three hits in four at-bats while freshman Brodey Heaton drove in a career-high four runs. The Belmont pitching staff combined for six strikeouts, with junior Chandler Schultz picking up his first win of the season while sophomore Aaron Hubbell picked up his first save of the season.
UT Martin picked up two quick runs to take a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second inning, but a double steal allowed freshman Drew Lowry to score and cut the deficit in half. Following a leadoff single from Shacklett in the bottom of the third inning, Heaton's single to third base allowed the Bruins to tie the game and a double from sophomore Jack Capobianco scored two runs and gave Belmont a 4-2 lead.
Following two singles and a walk to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning, a single from sophomore John Behrends and a bases loaded walk drawn by junior Logan Jarvis pushed Belmont out to a four-run lead. A double from Heaton later in the inning drove in three runs, giving Belmont a 9-2 lead.
With Shacklett getting on base once again on Tuesday, he is the only Belmont player to have gotten on base at least once in every game this season.
UT Martin responded with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning, with a single in the top of the seventh inning bringing in a pair of runs to cut Belmont's lead to three. A two run home run later in the inning allowed the Skyhawks to cut the deficit to one run, bringing in Hubbell with the opportunity for the save in the top of the ninth inning.
A single in the top of the ninth inning put the tying run on base for UT Martin and an intentional walk followed by a wild pitch put runners at the corners with one out. Hubbell, however, struck out the following batter and forced a pop up to right field to hold Belmont's lead.
MISSOURI STATE 9, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8 (10)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Missouri State (8-8) rallied for five runs in the final two frames to edge Southeast Missouri (11-12), 9-8, in extra innings Tuesday on a rainy afternoon at Capaha Field.
MSU trailed, 6-4, when it scored two runs in the top of the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
With a tiebreaker rule in effect, Ben Whetstone was placed on second base and quickly scored the go-ahead run on a single by Cam Cratic. On the next play, Jaden Rolffs hit a two-run home run to right field to give the Bears a 9-6 advantage.
Danny Sperling was on second base to begin SEMO's final at-bat in the bottom of the 10th.
With one out, Jevon Mason singled singled home Sperling. Mason advanced to second when Danny Wright grounded out and scored on a two-out base hit by Tyler Wilber. Andrew Keck followed with a walk giving the Redhawks runners at first and second. Hayden Juenger, however, got Austin Blazevic to ground out to end the threat.
SEMO took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Connor Basler hit the first home run of his career, a two-run shot to left, and Wright knocked in Mason on a triple to center.
After scoring twice in the top of the fourth inning, MSU took its first lead with a pair of runs in the fifth. Jack Duffy doubled home a run and Whetstone scored Logan Geha on a single to put the Bears ahead, 4-3.
The Redhawks regained a 5-4 lead on a two-RBI single by Wilber in the bottom of the sixth.
SEMO tacked on another run when Sperling hit into a fielder's choice and Blazevic scored to make it a 6-4 game in the seventh.
Austin Williams (0-3) took the loss. Williams allowed three runs on one hit and struck out two in one inning. Williams was the last of six pitchers who took the mound for SEMO.
Bryce Grossius started the game and pitched strong for three inning, where he struck out three, gave up one run and allowed two hits in three innings.
Hayden Juenger (1-1) picked up his first win of the season. Juenger scattered three hits, allowed two runs and struck out two in three innings.
SEMO outhit MSU, 13-11. The 13 hits marked a season-high as the Redhawks put up double-digit hits for the eighth time in 2021.
Mason, who extended his hitting streak to seven games, went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI, and Wilber went 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead the way. Basler and Peyton Leeper followed with two hits each.
Grant Wood paced the Bears with three hits, two RBI and a run scored.
LIPSCOMB 14, AUSTIN PEAY 7
NASHVILLE - Catcher Tyler Cotto was 2-for-3 and batted in a pair of runs but Austin Peay State University’s baseball team dropped the opening game of its five-game road trip, 14-7, against Lipscomb, Saturday at Dugan Field.
Lipscomb (8-11) jumped out early with seven runs in the game’s first two innings. First baseman Chris Bashlor had a big part in each of the two frames, with a run-scoring single in the first and a two-run home run in the second.
Austin Peay (7-15) would battle back with two big innings of its own, scoring two in the fourth and four in the fifth. Cotto drove in one of the two runs in the fourth with a single and has another run-scoring single in the fifth. However, the Govs left the bases loaded in the fifth and trailed 7-6.
The Bisons would put the game away with a 12-batter sixth inning that saw seven runs scored without an extra-base hit. A pitch hit Bashlor with the bases loaded and shortstop Brian Moore drove in two runs with a single as part of the rally that left Lipscomb leading 14-6.
APSU starter Hayden Josephson (0-2) faced four batters to start the game and suffered the loss after allowing three runs on two hits and a walk. Reliever Sebastian Martinez was the last of seven Govs pitchers to take the mound and supplied two scoreless innings.
Bashlor led Lipscomb with a 2-for-3, four RBI effort that included three runs scored. Designated hitter Chaz Bertolani was 1-for-2 with two walks and three RBI.
Lipscomb starter Caleb Williams (1-0) picked up the win after opening with two scoreless innings while working around three walks.
SAMFORD 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State baseball team wrapped up the month of March with a 5-4 loss to Samford on Tuesday night at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Gamecocks dropped to 11-12 on the season, while the Bulldogs improved to 14-11 overall and sweep the two-game set between the two in-state clubs. Samford downed JSU 10-9 to open the month of March in Birmingham.
After a sweep of Tennessee Tech this past weekend, including a combined no-hitter to complete the sweep, the Gamecocks put together 13.1 innings without surrendering a hit dating back to the eighth inning of game one of the twinbill. The Bulldogs snapped that string of consecutive innings with their first hit in the fourth inning.
Jax State took the early lead with two runs in the opening frame with RBI singles by senior Tre Kirklin and Alex Strachan. The Bulldogs limited JSU from making it a big inning and kept the Gamecocks off the scoreboard until the seventh inning.
Samford took advantage of four walks in the fifth inning, including back-to-back walks with the bases loaded to cap off the three runs that were walked in. The Bulldogs had two of their eight hits in the frame. The runs scored in the inning halted a streak of 23.1 innings without giving up a run by the Gamecocks.
JSU regained the lead with a two-run double by senior Jaylyn Williams in the seventh inning. Williams, who had a home run against the Bulldogs back on March 3, turned in a three-hit night, including a pair of doubles.
Samford answered with a two-run single in the eighth to take the lead again, but had to fend off a Jax State rally in the eighth and nineth as the tying run was in scoring position in both frames.
Redshirt sophomore Nash Adams, who was inserted into the leadoff spot in Tuesday's outing, finished with two hits, along with Kirklin and Strachan.
BRADLEY 7, SIUE 2
PEORIA, Ill. - Bradley scored seven unanswered runs Tuesday to defeat SIUE 7-2 and snap the Cougars' five-game winning streak Tuesday night at Dozer Park.
The Cougars dropped to 11-10 with the loss. Bradley improved to 6-9 with the win.
SIUE loaded the bases in the ninth on three consecutive singles, but did not score a run.
The Cougars got the scoring started quickly, manufacturing a run in the first inning. Brett Johnson walked to start the game, advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw and then to third on a passed ball. Connor Kiffer drove home Johnson with a single to right field.
Ole Arntson led off the second inning with his second home run of the year to extend SIUE's lead to 2-0.
Bradley got on the board, picking up an unearned run in the third before taking the lead for good in the fourth.
After loading the bases on three walks, Eli Rawlinson hit a smash to third that caromed off Raul Elguezabal's glove, allowing two to score. Ryan Vogel added a sacrifice fly in the inning to give the Braves a 4-2 cushion.
The Braves scored three more times on three hits in the fifth to lead 7-2. Rawlinson added two more RBIs on a hit in the inning. Rawlinson finished 2-4 with 4 RBIs.
Four Bradley relievers kept the Cougars off the scoreboard, limiting SIUE to just four hits after the fourth inning, three of which came in the ninth.
Steven Pattan was the only Cougar with more than a hit, finishing 3-4.
Quin Waterhouse (0-2) suffered the loss. He allowed two runs without recording an out in the fourth inning. Brant Glidewell started and worked three innings. He allowed a single unearned run on three hits. He struck out three.
Troy Hickey (1-2) tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief for Bradley to claim the win.
#1 VANDERBILT 12, TENNESSEE TECH 5
NASHVILLE - A close battle early, the No. 1 team in the nation eventually pulled away from the Tennessee Tech baseball team Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles (9-10) fell to Vanderbilt (20-3) at Hawkins Field, 12-5.
The purple and gold wasted little time in challenging the top-ranked squad in the country, plating a run in the opening frame. After returning freshman Brett Roberts eked out a two-out single and stole second, Golston Gillespie followed two batters later with an RBI single to right field.
The Commodores responded immediately, racking up five of their 14 hits on the night to the tune of four runs.
Tech took advantage of an early Vandy error and a walk to Theo Bryant IV, setting up a senior veteran for some fireworks. Cody Littlejohn blasted the first pitch he saw to right field for a three-run home run to tie the game at 4-4. It marked the fifth long ball of the year for the Golden Eagle designated hitter, tying for the team led with first baseman Golston Gillespie.
Once again, the home team had an answer, collecting a two-run dinger to jump back on top, 6-4. Both teams traded zeroes on the scoreboard in the third before Vanderbilt broke things open in the fourth. The Commodores connected for a three-run round-tripper in the frame, increasing the advantage to 9-4.
Tech delivered one more run in the contest, running into a bit of bad luck along the way. Shortstop Ed Johnson opened the frame by getting plunked. Roberts followed with his own hit-by-pitch. Johnson would later advance to third base on a fly-out.
With runners on the corners, the right-handed hitting Gillespie laced a beautiful extra-base knock the other way to left-center field for looked like an easy two runs with the speedy Roberts off to the races from first. Unfortunately, the ball took one bounce off the turf at Hawkins Field and found its way over the wall for a ground-rule double. Gillespie still earned an RBI, but Roberts was sent back to third by rule.
Having extended its lead to 11-4 prior to the seventh, Vandy answered Tech's run in the top half with a solo home run to lead off the bottom half of the frame.
Four Golden Eagles recorded multi-hit games on the night, including Littlejohn, Johnson, Gillespie and John Dyer. The Tech pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts on the night, with right-hander Mark Leonard and southpaw Daniel Holley leading the way with three each.