SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 8, @Eastern Illinois 6
@Jacksonville State 8-3, Belmont 4-5
UT Martin 14, @SIUE 5
@Murray State 11, Southeast Missouri 6
@College of Charleston 9-4,
Tennessee Tech 6-5
EASTERN KENTUCKY 8, EASTERN ILLINOIS 6
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The top four batters in the line-up combined for 11 hits, seven runs and eight RBIs as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team beat Eastern Illinois University, 8-6, in the Ohio Valley Conference series finale on Saturday.
Lead-off hitter Cam Ridley was 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and an RBI. Number two hitter Kendal Ewell finished 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. The third batter, Daniel Harris IV, had a 4-for-5 day with three runs and one driven in. Clean-up batter Caleb Upshaw drove in four while going 3-for-5 at the plate.
The Colonels (10-20, 5-10 OVC) started quickly. Ewell singled in the first with one out. Harris followed with a single to right. Both came home on Upshaw’s double down the left field line.
EKU doubled its lead in the second with two more. With two outs and Santiago Peralta on third, Ridley singled up the middle. A steal got Ridley to second and Ewell’s single to left brough him home for a 4-0 lead.
Upshaw had a RBI single in the fifth. Eastern Kentucky scored three runs with two outs and the bases empty in the sixth. Ridley walked and scored on a double down the left field line by Ewell. Harris drove in Ewell with a single up the middle. Upshaw’s single through the left side platted Harris.
Darren Williams (1-5) started for the Colonels. He allowed two runs on five hits over six innings. The redshirt junior struck out seven and walked two.
Eastern Illinois (16-14, 7-8 OVC) scored three runs in the eighth to get within three, 8-5. Dalton Doyle’s bases loaded single to left drove in two. A sacrifice fly by Trey Sweeney in the ninth cut it to two. EIU got the tying run to second with one out before Will Brian retired the final two batters on a strike out and a pop-up.
Christian Pena had a 2-for-4 game with a pair of RBIs for the Panthers.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8-3, BELMONT 4-5
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - For the third time in four weeks of Ohio Valley Conference play, Jacksonville State will have a rubber game to decide the weekend series after splitting a Saturday doubleheader with Belmont on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Gamecocks claimed the series opener, 8-4, while the Bruins bounced back with a 5-3 decision to force Sunday's rubber game at 1 p.m. After the twinbill, JSU stands at 14-15 overall and 6-5 in OVC contests. BU ended the day at 13-15 on the season and 7-7 in the league.
JSU's series-opening win was highlighted by a five-run fourth inning that erased a 2-1 Bruin lead. Junior Cole Frederick sparked the big inning with a two-run double just inside the third base bag to give Jax State a lead that would withstand Belmont threats the rest of the way. Junior Javier Ramirez tied the game with an RBI single ahead of Frederick. Frederick scored on a Bruin throwing error on a bunt from junior Zeth Malcom. Malcom added the fifth run on a wild pitch from Belmont's Joshua South.
The Bruins trimmed the JSU lead down to a pair of runs at 6-4 after a pair of solo home runs in the seventh. JSU added a pair insurance runs in the eighth on a passed ball and a Frederick ground out. Sophomore Carson Crowe led the batting order with three hits, including a two doubles. The Gamecocks, who lead the OVC in doubles and rank in the top-20 in NCAA Division I Baseball in that category, now have 60 on the season.
Kirklin and Ramirez joined Crowe with multiple hits as they both finished with two hits each.
Junior Christian Edwards was solid again on the mound with six string innings and scattering seven hits and striking out four Bruins. Edwards retired 10 Belmont hitters from the third inning to the seventh inning. The Harteslle, Alabama native notched his fourth win of the season. Redshirt sophomore Trey Fortner pitched an inning before handing the baseball over to senior Corley Woods in the eighth and ninth. Woods collected his fifth save of the season.
In game two, Belmont broke a 1-1 deadlock in fifth inning with three unearned runs. JSU junior Dylan Hathcock had tough luck in the frame and exited after 4.2 innings of work. Hathcock fanned five Bruins and tagged with one earned run.
Jax State cut it to a one-run game in the sixth with junior Alex Strachan's fifth home run of the season. After a Jaylyn Williams walk, Strachan belted a two-run blast 440 feet from the dish over the left field fence. Strachan was the only Gamecock in the nightcap to have multiple hits. Junior Nash Adams had the game-tying RBI in the second inning to make it 1-1.
Belmont's Andy Bean picked up the win after keeping JSU off balanced for 5.2 innings. He surrendered six hits and three runs to go along with five strikeouts in the outing.
After Strachan made it a one-run game after six innings, the Bruins added the fifth run in the seventh. Belmont's bullpen issued one hit to the Gamecocks over the 3.1 innings.
UT MARTIN 14, SIUE 5
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - All 11 University of Tennessee at Martin position players who saw playing time today tallied at least one hit as the Skyhawk bats erupted for a 14-5 triumph at SIUE in the Ohio Valley Conference baseball action.
UT Martin set season-highs in hits (21) and home runs (five) as five different Skyhawks went yard today. Will Smith (two hits, two RBI’s, two runs scored), Noah Thigpen (two hits, two runs scored), Ethan Whitley (three hits, three RBI’s, two runs scored), Christian Hall (three hits, two walks) and Wil LaFollette (three hits, three RBI’s, three runs scored) each pelted home runs as the Skyhawks improved to 11-16 overall and 4-5 in OVC play.
Nick Wohlbold (2-2) made his third start of the season today, earning the victory after allowing just two earned runs on five hits over five innings. The junior out of Columbia, Mo. walked only one batter and accumulated a career-high nine strikeouts – the most by any UT Martin pitcher so far in 2021. Seth Petry and David Hussey f
followed with two innings of shutout relief apiece, combining to allow just one hit over the final four innings of work.
Wohlbold’s pinpoint control was on full display early as he struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning. He retired the first two Cougars swinging while the final punchout was on a called third strike.
The Skyhawks put up a four-spot on the scoreboard in the top of the second. Hall singled though the right side to lead off the inning and quickly came around to score after Smith drove a blast to straightaway centerfield for his third homer of the season. Thigpen (walk) and Sean Dixson (single) then reached base with one away before Blake Daniels (single) and Casey Harford (fielder’s choice) each collected RBI’s.
All five of SIUE’s runs came in the second inning and were mostly aided by a pair of UT Martin errors early in the frame. Three of those runs wound up being unearned before Wohlbold wrapped up the inning with yet another strikeout.
Wohlbold kept the Cougars off balance in the third, adding two more strikeouts to his line after a scoreless inning.
The Skyhawks took the lead for good after a three-run fourth. Thigpen evened the score at 5-all after a solo homer to lead off the inning, cranking a 3-1 pitch over the wall in center for his first longball of the spring. The other two runs came with two outs as Harford singled and advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch. LaFollette (single) and Whitley (double) followed with RBI base knocks to give UT Martin a 7-5 advantage.
Although the Skyhawks would tack on seven more runs, the two-run lead was plenty for Wohlbold to work with. He induced a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth inning and retired four straight batters to end his day – three of which occurred via strikeouts.
Three more runs were generated by the UT Martin offense in the top of the sixth. Nate Self singled to lead off the inning and eventually moved up to third base after a pair of wild pitches. LaFollette plated Self with an RBI single through the right side and on the next pitch, Whitley crushed the first pitch he saw for a round tripper to centerfield. It marked the 24th career homer for the junior slugger out of Mason, Tenn., moving him into fourth place all-time in school history.
Petry entered the game with a 10-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth, working through a groundball double play and a strikeout. He produced another scoreless frame in the seventh, stranding a pair of runners in scoring position with an inning-ending groundout.
The Skyhawk lineup continued their offensive showcase in the eighth as Hall launched a solo homer for his team-best eighth jack of the season. Two pitches later, UT Martin collected another run after Smith doubled and Blake Davis drove him in on an RBI single.
LaFollette’s bat stayed hot in the ninth inning as the lefty went opposite field for his second home run of the series and seventh of the 2021 campaign. Davis extended the Skyhawk lead out to 14-5 with an RBI single that scored Whitley, who earlier reached on a single.
Hussey capped off UT Martin’s pitching excellence with quick eighth and ninth innings. During one stretch, three consecutive outs were recorded on strikeouts as the only hit he allowed was a harmless one-out single in the ninth.
MURRAY STATE 11, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers (16-14, 7-5 OVC) sent their 2021 Seniors off in style on Senior Day against the Southeast Missouri Redhawks (15-14, 9-6), winning 11-6.
Graduate transfer RHP Sam Gardner earned his first victory of the year, throwing 6.2 strong innings, allowing only two earned runs to go with seven strikeouts.
The Racers scored in all but two innings, posting eleven runs on eleven hits. They hit three home runs on a gusty day at Reagan Field.
The eight, nine and one hitters in the Racers lineup, Seth Gardner, Jordan Holly and Jake Slunder all finished the game with a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs.
Jordan Cozart gave the Racers an early lead in the first, hitting his 12th home run of the year, six of which have come in the first inning.
SEMO's Wade Stauss matched Cozart's long ball with one of his own in the second to tie it at one.
Murray State regained the lead on Slunder's solo shot in the third for his third homer of the season.
In the next inning, MSU loaded the bases with no outs and two runs came home on Seth Gardner's found the hole on the left side for a two-RBI single.
The Redhawk's used a two-out error to score four unearned runs in the fifth and take a 5-4 lead.
Bryson Bloomer evened the game with a double off the wall in left, scoring Brock Anderson.
Murray State's offense kept rolling from there, adding three in the sixth and three in the seventh, capped by a home run from Jordan Holly to insure a win on Senior Day as the Racers went on to take it 11-6.
Alec Whaley came in with two outs in the seventh and closed out the final 2.1 innings for his second save of the season. Whaley allowed only one hit, no runs and struck out three.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 9-4, TENNESSEE TECH 6-5
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The Tennessee Tech baseball team earned a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon, defeating the College of Charleston in the second contest of the day to even the series at the Ballpark at Patriots Point.
Rallying from an early deficit in the first game of the day, the Golden Eagles (11-13) tied things in the sixth before the Cougars (11-14) pulled away late for a 9-6 win. The purple and gold rode the comeback train again in the second tilt, taking the lead in the eighth and holding on for a 5-4 victory to square the series at 1-1.
Charleston took the first lead of the second contest, snagging a home run off Tech hurler Ty Fisher in the third. The home squad added to its advantage in the fourth, collecting two more runs on a triple.
The purple and gold responded in the top of the fifth, with right fielder Tynan Shahidi leading things off with a double to left-center field. Two batters later, shortstop Ed Johnson drove him in for the first Tech marker of the game, lifting a double to left field.
Second baseman Brett Roberts kept things moving along for the offense, singling up the middle for another Golden Eagle run. Tech then took its first lead of the game in the sixth, plating a pair for the 4-3 advantage.
First baseman Golston Gillespie led off the frame with a bunt single to third base and was followed by a single down the right-field line by third baseman Gavin Johns. A sac bunt from catcher Will Long allowed both runners to advance into scoring position, setting up Shahidi for another big hit.
The sophomore lined a frozen rope to left field, driving in both Johns and Gillespie for the 4-3 lead. Charleston tied it back immediately, using a double and single in the bottom half of the sixth to even things at 4-4.
After six strong innings from Fisher, who gave up four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks, the Golden Eagles turned to senior reliever Grant Phillips. Riding the hot hand from a three-inning save a weekend ago, the right-hander held the Cougars without a base runner over the final three frames on Saturday while punching out four. He would go on to collect his first win of the season.
Tech took control on the scoreboard for good in the eighth, with sophomore Gabe Lacy kicking things off with a one-out double to left-center field. Long delivered the hit of the game, ripping a single up the middle to bring Lacy home and give Tech a 5-4 lead.
Four Golden Eagles recorded multiple hits in the second game of the day, with Shahidi leading things with two RBI.
The purple and gold opened the series with a bang in game one, as senior Cody Littlejohn crushed a solo bomb to right-center field on the second pitch of the contest. The Cougars answered with a leadoff round-tripper of their own in the bottom half of the first and proceeded to score five more unanswered over the next four innings.
In the sixth, Tech got right back into the game, with Johns producing a monster, three-run jack to center field to make it a 6-4 ball game. Later in the frame, Johnson continued to chip away at the Charleston edge, blistering an RBI triple to center field.
Roberts completed the comeback for the Golden Eagles, driving in Johnson with an RBI single up the middle. The Cougars took back the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth, using a pair of doubles to do the damage. The home team then added a pair of insurance markers in the eighth.
Both Roberts and Johns recorded three hits in the opening tilt, with Johns leading the way with a trio of RBI. Freshman Jackson Berry struck out six in three and a third innings of work on the mound, allowing four earned runs.