SUNDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 6, @Marshall 2
@#1 Arkansas 6,
Murray State 0
@Southeast Missouri 8, Illinois State 1
@Southern Illinois 8,
UT Martin 3
@SIUE 4, South Dakota State 3
Eastern Illinois 14, @Kansas State 7
Southern Miss 3,
@Jacksonville State 1
@#4 Ole Miss 8,
Belmont 7
Austin Peay 3, @Northwestern State 2 (10)
MOREHEAD STATE 6, MARSHALL 2
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Despite only five hits at the plate, Morehead State baseball took advantage of some timely hits and free passes and shut down the Marshall offense Sunday as the Eagles won the series over their regional rivals with a 6-2 triumph at the Kennedy Center YMCA Field.
For the second consecutive game, Morehead State used a late rally to push ahead and then held off the 'Herd bats for the win. On Saturday the Eagles scored seven in the top of the seventh, and today they lit the scoreboard for five runs in that inning after trailing 2-1.
The Eagles moved to 4-6, while Marshall concluded its season opening weekend 1-2.
Marshall got on the positive side of the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third with an RBI double.
Senior designated hitter Arthur Sells spanked his first home run of the 2021 campaign in the top of the fourth to tie it 1-1.
Marshall regained the advantage in the next at-bat as Geordan Blanton slipped a single into left field for an RBI.
The Eagles put together a two-out rally in the seventh. Three straight walks to Jacob Ferry,
Cole Becker and Ryan Layne following a fielder's choice reach by Jackson Feltner tied the game 2-2.
Bryce Hensor nailed a two-run single up the middle to score Ferry and Becker. Freshman Ryley Preece then connected for his first career double to bring home Layne and Hensor.
Eagle starter Matt Bettio struck out a career-high six batters in just 4.1 innings before giving way to John Bakke and Cory Conway. Conway (2-0) fanned four and allowed only four hits in the final 4.0 innings.
Conway ranks among the most used relief pitchers of all-time. Today was his 64th career appearance with 60 in relief. His relief appearances rank third all-time in program history.
#1 ARKANSAS 6, MURRAY STATE 0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The Murray State Baseball team’s (5-6) bats were silenced in the series finale by undefeated No. 1 Arkansas (10-0) on Sunday at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas
After scoring six runs in each of the previous two games, the Murray State Racers were shutout by the undefeated No.1 Arkansas Razorbacks, falling in the finale, 6-0. The Razorbacks took all three games from the Racers in the series.
Trey Woosley and Arkansas native, Jake Slunder, each extended their hitting streaks to seven and a team-high eight games, respectively, both collecting singles in the game.
The Racers had runners on base in every inning except one but were unable to push any runs across.
For the first time in the series, the Razorbacks got on the scoreboard first, using a lead-off walk, single and a sac fly to plate the first run.
Free bases continued to haunt the Racers as the Razorbacks took full advantage, scoring all but one run courtesy of the free pass.
Two one-out walks came around to score on a three-run home run in the fourth and two more walks scored on sacrifice flies in the fifth.
Murray State threatened multiple times in the game with their best chance coming in the seventh when Tanner Booth reached third base thanks to a walk and two wild pitches and in the eighth with Slunder and Ryan Perkins drawing both leadoff walks but were left stranded.
True freshman Jack Wenninger (1-1) made his second start as a Racer, battling through adversity to go 3.1 innings, giving up two hits, three earned runs and struck out two.
The Racers pitching staff featured five other arms in the game. Connor Holden came in in the sixth and went two complete, fanning four Razorbacks. Jake Jones threw the eighth inning and struck out two batters.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, ILLINOIS STATE 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Danny Wright went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and Wade Stauss hit a three-run home run to lead Southeast Missouri (5-6) to an 8-1 series clinching win over Illinois State (3-6) Sunday afternoon at Capaha Field.
Stauss, who homered for the second-straight day, launched his three-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the third.
Ahead, 3-0, after Stauss' blast, SEMO added two more runs in the fifth and scored another three in the seventh. Wright reached on an error and Ty Stauss doubled to right center. Connor Basler singled up the middle to score both Wright and T. Stauss to extend the Redhawks lead to 5-0.
After ISU scored its only run in the sixth, the Redhawks pushed across their final three runs in the bottom of the seventh. T. Stauss, Wright and Peyton Leeper scored those tallies.
SEMO outhit ISU, 10-8, and recorded double-digit hits for the fourth time this year. Wright, T. Stauss and Basler combined for seven of the hits out of the seven, eight and nine spots in the Redhawks lineup. W. Stauss added four RBI.
Freshman Kyle Miller (1-1) picked up his first career win in his first collegiate start. Miller struck out three, walked one and gave up only one run in six innings.
SEMO opens Ohio Valley Conference play with a three-game series at SIU Edwardsville on Mar. 12-13.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 8, UT MARTIN 3
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Freshman Will Smith was responsible for a career-high three hits out of the leadoff spot for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team this afternoon but the Southern Illinois Salukis stayed hot in an 8-3 Skyhawk setback.
One day after launching the first home run of his budding UT Martin career, Smith went 3-for-4 with an RBI for his second multi-hit game of the season. Houston Wright was 2-for-4 with his team-best third home run of the 2021 campaign today, scoring two of the Skyhawks’ three runs. Casey Harford scored the other run for UT Martin, who is now 3-6 on the season.
Eric Steensma (0-3) drew the start on the mound this afternoon, allowing five runs while fanning four Salukis over 4.1 innings of work. Ryan Insco pitched a clean eighth inning while David Hussey (two runs, three strikeouts in 1.2 innings) and Nick Wohlbold (one run, one strikeout in one inning) also took the hill for the Skyhawks.
Steensma needed only 13 pitches to retire Southern Illinois in order in the bottom of the first inning. Following a leadoff walk in the second, the righty from Western Springs, Ill. dialed up three consecutive strikeouts – all swinging – to keep the game scoreless through two frames.
UT Martin had back-to-back two-out singles out of Smith and Blake Daniels in the top of the third but could not strike first on the scoreboard.
The Salukis (11-0) recorded three runs in the bottom of the third but Steensma recovered nicely in the fourth – working around a harmless one-out single to keep the score at 3-0.
In the top of the fifth, Wright led things off with a single and soon advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Blake Davis. Noah Thigpen followed with a single to put baserunners on the corners before Smith lifted a sacrifice fly out to right field, plating Wright and whittling the Skyhawk deficit to two runs.
Southern Illinois collected four runs in the bottom half of the frame but Hussey silenced the Saluki offense in the sixth, making short work of the lineup in his final inning.
Wright added on to his big day in the seventh, pulverizing a 1-0 pitch for a solo shot out to right field to make the score 7-2.
The Salukis scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the frame but the UT Martin bats weren’t finished. Casey Harford doubled with two away and came in to score on a Christian Hall RBI single. Will LaFollette then singled to put a pair of Skyhawks on the basepaths but Southern Illinois limited the damage.
Insco pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth, compiling his second scoreless appearance of the young 2021 campaign in the process.
In the top of the ninth, UT Martin loaded the bases to bring the tying run to the on-deck circle. Jack Culumovic entered the contest as a pinch-hitter and reached on an error. Smith then singled and Daniels walked to start a potential rally. However, Southern Illinois escaped with the win one pitch later.
SIUE 4, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A three-run eighth inning lifted SIUE baseball to a 4-3 win Sunday and a three-games series sweep of South Dakota State at Simmons Baseball Complex.
The Cougars have won four straight games and five of their last six and improved to 5-4 with Sunday's win. South Dakota State slipped to 5-5 with the loss.
SDSU pitchers had limited SIUE to a run on two hits over the first seven innings. The Jackrabbits led 3-1 heading into the frame when Brett Johnson led off with a double. Johnson was caught stealing at third for the first out in the inning. With two outs, Connor Kiffer connected for his first SIUE home run to make it 3-2. Brady Bunten hit a sharp ground ball to third and ended up on second base thanks to a throwing error. Raul Elguezabal drilled a base hit through the left side to tie the score and took second base on the throw in. Ole Arntson then shot a base hit through the right side to score Elguezabal with the eventual game-winning run.
South Dakota State took a lead in the fourth, before SIUE tied the score in the fifth inning. Brett Pierson hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score Steven Pattan to even the score 1-1.
The Jackrabbits scored a run in the seventh and another in the eighth to lead 3-1.
Braydon Bone (1-0) picked the win in relief. Bone came on to finish the eighth before working the ninth. He retired all four batters he faced, striking out one. Kaid Karnes started and worked five innings, allowing a run on three hits. He struck out three.
Brett Barnett (1-1) took the loss. He allowed all three runs in the eighth inning. SDSU starter Ryan Bourassa struck out eight SIUE hitters over 4 1/3 innings.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 14, KANSAS STATE 7
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Eastern Illinois (7-5) defeated Kansas State (6-4), 14-7 on Sunday afternoon to collect the series win. With this win, Jason Anderson secured his 100th victory as the head coach of the Panthers. Dane Toppel notched his first collegiate home run to guarantee a Panthers win. Cameron Doherty was awarded the win after pitching four scoreless innings and recording a strikeout. The Panthers host Bellarmine for a Tuesday afternoon game on Mar. 9, at 2:30 p.m.
The Panthers struck first in the second inning. Lawson managed a hit into center field to give the Panthers their first base runner of the inning. Toppel started his monumental day with a single to center to advance Lawson to second. DiLuca followed by reaching on an error that scored Lawson to put the Panthers up early. Toppel scored on a DiLuca steal attempt to put EIU up 2-1.
In the third, Kansas State managed back-to-back home runs off Birdsong and recaptured the lead heading into the fourth.
K-State continued to apply pressure in the fifth inning. Mitch Alba entered in relief but struggled against the Wildcats. Alba walked his first batter, allowed a homer, and walked another. Nick Laxner relieved Alba but was unable to stop the hot bats of K-State. The Wildcats had scored four runs in the inning to hold a 7-2 lead.
The Panthers scored again in the sixth inning, started from a Kerrigan single. Lawson was next up to bat as he reached on a fielding error that scored Kerrigan. Toppel followed with a single, and DiLuca singled to score Lawson. The rally continued with an Eickhoff hit to the third baseman that loaded the bases, but EIU was unable to capitalize. The Panthers had pulled back to 7-4 heading into the seventh.
Pena started the seventh inning with a bang, hitting a moonshot to left-field. Kerrigan reached on an error, followed by a Lawson walk that brought up Toppel. Toppel ripped a double to left-center to score Kerrigan and pull the Panthers within one. DiLuca singled and reached second on a fielding error that brought Lawson and Toppel home and claimed the lead. Eickhoff followed that with a single of his own to score DiLuca and bring up the big bat of Sweeney. Sweeney smoked the second home run of the inning past the fence to give the Panthers an 11-7 lead.
The Panthers stayed hot in the eighth inning, as Kerrigan and Gunner Smith both notched singles to bring up the fiery bat of Toppel. Toppel found his pitch and turned on it to put it over the left-field wall, his first home run as a Panther. The Panthers had mounted the comeback and were successful, with a massive 14-7 victory to take the series.
SOUTHERN MISS 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State dropped the final game of the weekend series with Southern Mississippi, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Golden Eagles (6-5) claimed the series after winning 6-0 on Saturday and nursing a 3-0 lead for the final six innings. The Gamecocks dropped to 5-6 on the season and will now play the next eight games away from Jacksonville after playing 10-of-the-first-11 games on the home turf.
USM used a pair of home runs for its runs with a two-run home run by Will McGillis just inside the left field foul pole in the second inning and added a solo home run by Reed Trimble in the next inning. JSU starter Colin Casey was saddled with the loss after 3.2 innings of work and a pair of earned runs.
Golden Eagle starter Ben Etheridge tossed the first four innings and scattered four hits. The Gamecocks were able to bunch two hits together against Etheridge in the fifth inning. Sophomore Carson Crowe started the fifth with an opposite field double and scored on junior Alex Carignan's singe back up the middle to chase Etheridge from the contest.
JSU had scoring chances in the sixth and in the ninth but could not come up with a clutch hit. Senior Jaylen Williams, who finished the weekend with five hits, had a single in the sixth, while junior Isaac Alexander had a two-single ro centerfield. In the ninth, Carignan was issued a two-walk, followed by a pinch-hit single by Tanner Snow gave the Gamecocks energy, but USM's Garrett Ramsey closed it down for his third save of the season.
The Gamecock bullpen kept USM from extending the lead. Senior Kyle Luigs, Redshirt junior Jackson Tavel and senior Corley Woods combined to limit USM to five hits over the final six innings and posted five strikeouts.
#4 OLE MISS 8, BELMONT 7
OXFORD, Ala. - The Belmont University baseball team scored three runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the score against No. 4 Ole Miss, but the Rebels collected a walk-off single to take the win 8-7.
Freshman Brodey Heaton tied a career-high three hits in five at-bats, marking the second consecutive season where a Belmont player collected three hits against an opponent from a Power 5 conference. Andy Bean led the Bruins in pitching, recording three strikeouts in five innings pitched in his second start of the season.
Ole Miss' Tim Elko led the Rebels with two home runs, driving in half of the Rebels' runs. With the Bruins committing no errors, Sunday's game marked the third straight season where the Bruins had at least one game against a school from a Power 5 conference where they did not commit an error.
The Bruins got started in the top of the first inning with a walk and a one-out single, with junior Logan Jarvis driving in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to left field. Heaton followed that up with his first career triple, extending the Belmont lead 2-0.
Ole Miss responded in the next half-inning with two solo home runs to tie things up at two runs a piece, taking the lead in the bottom of the second inning with a leadoff home run. After drawing a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning, two balks allowed the Ole Miss runner to advance to third base and eventually score off a sacrifice fly to extend the Rebels' lead to two runs.
A single, walk and a hit-by-pitch in the top of the fifth inning loaded the bases for Belmont in the top of the fifth inning, scoring off a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one. Ole Miss looked to extend its lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, hitting a double down the left field line and a runner advancing to third and eyeing home plate. Belmont, however, prevented any further damage thanks to a throw from Tommy Crider to Jack Capobianco, who tossed it to Campbell and allowed the catcher to beat the runner just before the Rebels were able to touch home plate.
Two walks and a fielder's choice advanced two Belmont runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh inning, with Jarvis recording his second RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly to tie the game 4-4. Ole Miss drew two walks in the bottom of the seventh inning, setting up three runs thanks to Elko's second home run of the day to give Ole Miss a 7-4 lead.
Belmont drew a hit-by-pitch and collected a single with no outs in the top of the ninth inning, but Ole Miss forced a strikeout and a groundout to put the Bruins down to their last out. An RBI single from Heaton kept the Bruins alive and cut the Ole Miss deficit to two runs, with freshman Mason Landers getting hit by the pitch to load the bases for Belmont. Sophomore Jack Capobianco capitalized off the opportunity, driving in two runs to tie the game back up at seven runs each.
Ole Miss, however, was not forced to an out in the final half-inning. After a single, wild pitch and a walk, Ole Miss came up with the game-winning RBI single through the right side to clinch the victory and sweep the series with Belmont.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, NORTHWESTERN STATE 2 (10)
NATCHITOCHES, La. - Center fielder Garrett Spain had two RBI, including the game-winner in the top of the 10th inning, and led Austin Peay State University's baseball team to a 3-2 nonconference victory against Northwestern State, Sunday afternoon at Brown-Stroud Field.
Sunday's game evolved into a stellar pitcher's duel with the offenses only able to breakthrough in the third inning for two runs each until the 10th inning. Northwestern State starter Levi David limited the Govs to two runs over his seven innings of work while striking out nine. Meanwhile, Austin Peay starter Hayden Josephson allowed two runs over four innings before turning it over to the APSU bullpen, which tossed six scoreless innings, scattering two hits and six walks.
In the 10th, Austin Peay (2-8) saw right fielder Harrison Brown single to start the inning, and it promptly moved him to second courtesy second baseman John Bolton's sacrifice bunt. After a wild pitch allowed Brown to move to third, left fielder TJ Foreman walked to put men on the corners. Spain then took a 2-2 pitch and drove it deep enough to center field to allow Harrison to score ahead of the throw for the 3-2 lead.
Northwestern State (5-5) also got its leadoff man aboard in the bottom of the tenth, but reliever Austin Loeb got a flyout, strikeout, and fielder's choice to end the threat for his first collegiate save.
Spain's 2-for-4, two-RBI day also saw him play a big part in the Govs' two-run third inning. He drove in a run with a single, then scored on first baseman John McDonald's RBI single. Brown also went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
NSU second baseman Daunte Stuart continued to be a thorn in the Govs side, his two-run double in the third inning was his only hit of the day but served to tie the game.
Sebastian Martinez (1-1) provided 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and two walks to pick up his season's first victory. In pitching three days after a relief outing against Tennessee, Josephson went four innings in his start, striking out three and scattering three hits and two walks.
Drayton Brown (1-1) picked up the loss after allowing one run in his 2.1-inning relief outing.