FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 7-2, UT Martin 0-5
@Murray State 6-10, Eastern Kentucky 3-8
@Austin Peay 7-3, SIUE 6-11
EASTERN ILLINOIS 7-2, UT MARTIN 0-5
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team never trailed in today’s second game of the doubleheader at Eastern Illinois, collecting a 5-2 triumph to win the season series against the Panthers.
Earlier today, the Skyhawks fell by a 7-0 margin in the front end of the doubleheader, setting up the decisive rubber game. By virtue of its win in Game 2 today, UT Martin has now won each of its last four series at Coaches Stadium (having not lost since 2013).
Ethan Whitley slugged his third home run of the series and equaled Casey Harford for a team-high with two RBI’s on the day. Blake Daniels also scored a team-best two runs to go along with an RBI.
On the mound, Nick Wohlbold improved to 3-2 on the season after tossing five innings of one-run ball in Game 2. David Hussey picked up his second save in a little over 24 hours, closing out the nightcap with 1.1 perfect frames. Eric Steensma (one scoreless inning in Game 1) and Seth Petry (one run, four strikeouts in 2.2 innings during Game 2) also provided quality relief appearances this afternoon.
UT Martin concludes its four-game road trip on Tuesday, April 27 when it heads to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. First pitch from the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Daniels had his eighth multi-hit game of the season but the Skyhawks ran into a hot pitcher in today’s opener as Panther right-hander Ky Hampton threw a shutout to even the series at 1-all.
UT Martin starting pitcher Sam Folks (2-4) allowed two runs – one earned – in the bottom of the first. The senior lefty bounced back to retire each of the next five batters but Eastern Illinois used a two-out rally in the third to extend its lead to 3-0.
Folks struck out the first two batters he faced in the fourth as part of a clean inning. The Panthers added another two-out run in the fifth and one more run in the sixth before Ryan Insco recorded the final two outs of the frame.
After Eastern Illinois pushed across two runs in the seventh, Steensma made his 11th appearance of the season and shushed the Panther offense. He worked around a pair of baserunners with an infield popup and a foulout to end the eighth.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawk offense could not square up Hampton. Jack Culumovic led off the third with a single but was erased on a double play. Daniels reached via singles in the fourth and seventh innings but could not come around to score.
Reliable pitching and another big fly off the bat of Whitley ensured the UT Martin bus ride home was a happy one as the Skyhawks came out on top in the nightcap.
Wohlbold did not allow a base hit until one out in the fourth inning, setting the tone for the UT Martin victory. By that time, the Skyhawks had staked the junior right-hander a three-run lead that would prove to be enough.
UT Martin got on the scoreboard with a three-spot in the top of the third. Blake Davis singled to lead off the inning and Will Smith followed with a two-out walk. Davis soon scored on an error and on the seventh pitch of Casey Harford’s at-bat, the junior shortstop laced an two-run single to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Skyhawks.
After dialing up a pair of strikeouts in a perfect second inning, Wohlbold did a masterful job of working out of a potential jam in the third. Eastern Illinois loaded the bases but Wohlbold induced a foulout to put an end to any scoring threat.
Whitley parked the first pitch of the top of the fourth inning beyond the wall in left field, following up his multi-homer game in the series opener with yet another longball. It was the 27th round tripper in the career of the first baseman out of Mason, Tenn.
Wohlbold was responsible for a scoreless fourth inning and as a result, UT Martin padded its lead to 5-0 on an RBI by Whitley that scored Daniels.
The top of the Panther lineup was able to scratch across one run in the bottom of the fifth but Wohlbold kept it there as he stranded two runners in his last inning of work.
Petry was downright electric in the next two frames, generating all three outs in the sixth via strikeout while sitting the Panthers down in order in the seventh.
Following an RBI single with two outs in the eighth, Hussey was summoned from the bullpen and needed only three pitches to get out of the inning. He induced a flyout to keep the Skyhawk advantage at 5-2. The senior right-hander from Minter, Ala. made short work of Eastern Illinois in the ninth, whiffing a pair of batters and fielding a comebacker for the other out to lower his season ERA to a miniscule 1.12.
MURRAY STATE 6-10, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3-8
MURRAY, Ky. - Recap coming soon.
AUSTIN PEAY 7-3, SIUE 6-11
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - SIUE and Austin Peay split a pair of games Friday to open an Ohio Valley Conference series at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay won the opener 7-6 in 12 innings on a two-run home run by Malcolm Tipler in the bottom of the 12th. SIUE came back to win the night cap 11-3.
The Cougars are now 9-8 in OVC play and 19-15 overall. Austin Peay is 10-10 in OVC play and 13-23 overall.
Game one went to extra innings tied 4-4. Both teams scored a run in the 11th inning. Raul Elguezabal homered for the Cougars before the Governors picked up a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. SIUE took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 12th inning on two hits including a Brady Bunten run-scoring double.
Tyler Bastunas (1-1) suffered the loss in relief in game one.
Austin Peay wasted little time in taking an initial lead against SIUE starter Noah Matheny. Governors' leadoff hitter Gino Avros homered on a 2-1 pitch to left in the bottom of the first.
SIUE took the lead on three hits in the third inning. Brett Johnson reached with a double to right center with one out and then scored on a hit by Richie Well. Well then went to second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. A two-out hit by Elguezabal put the Cougars up 2-1.
Connor Kiffer drove home a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and Johnson scored in the inning on a wild pitch to push SIUE's lead to 4-1.
Austin Peay tied things in the bottom of the inning with four hits which spelled the end of the day for Matheny, who allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings.
Johnson finished 3-5 with three runs scored. Elguezabal was 2-6 with the home run and two RBIs.
Tipler and Garrett Spain each finished 3-5 for Austin Peay.
In game two, the Cougars jumped on Austin Peay starter Sebastian Martinez, loading the bases in the first inning. Johnson walked to start the game and Well and Kiffer each collected one out singles before a wild pitch put SIUE on top. Elguezabal walked to load the bases again before Brady Bunten lined into a double play to first. Ole Arntson then connected on his team-best ninth home run of the year, a three-run shot, to make it 4-0 Cougars after a half inning.
Austin Peay scored single runs in each of the first three innings to trim the lead to 4-3.
The Cougars used five hits and a pair of Austin Peay errors to score five times the seventh inning. Kiffer came into score on an error after singling to lead off the inning. Avery Owusu-Asiedu and Brett Johnson each added an RBI-single in the inning. Steven Pattan picked up an RBI on a groundout.
SIUE tacked on two more runs in the ninth inning when Elguezabal roped a two-run double to left center to score Kiffer and Johnson.
Five Cougars had multiple hits in the late game. Kiffer finished 4-6 with three runs scored. Owusu-Asiedu had three hits. Johnson, Well and Arntson each had two hits. Arntson finished with a game-best four RBIs for the Cougars.
Kaid Karnes (1-3) earned his first win of the year with six shutout innings in relief. He allowed just four hits and struck out a career-best eight hitters.