FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 9-11, Eastern Kentucky 7-2
Southeast Missouri 8-12, @Murray State 3-8
Morehead State 14-12, @Austin Peay 9-1
@SIUE 8-9, UT Martin 7-6
EASTERN ILLINOIS 9-11, EASTERN KENTUCKY 7-2
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois baseball (16-13, 7-7 OVC) snagged the series win over Eastern Kentucky (9-20, 4-10 OVC) after winning the doubleheader. The Panthers won the opening game of the series 9-7 behind a combined six RBI from Trey Sweeney and Ryan Knernschield. The Panther lineup exploded offensively in game two of the series, scoring ten runs in the first three innings of play to win 11-2. Alex Stevenson was awarded the win in game one, moving his record to 2-2; Ky Hampton won game two, as his record moves to 4-2.
Eastern Illinois started the day on a high note. DiLuca walked, followed by a Dane Toppel hit-by-pitch to put two on for the man of the hour: Trey Sweeney. The shortstop came through with a clutch double into right-center that fell just shy of being a homer. DiLuca came around to score to put runners on second and third. Knernschield stepped into the batter's box and tagged a pitch deep enough into left field to score the speedy Toppel. The Panthers ended the first inning with a 2-0 lead.
EIU continued to rally in the bottom of the second, a rally started by Pena, who singled through the left side. Gunner Smith drew a walk, as did DiLuca. Sweeney came out of the on-deck circle with another chance to put runs on the board for his team. He came through with a two-run single into right to put EIU up 4-0.
Cameron Doherty had held the Colonels to only one hit through the first four innings of the game. In the top of the fourth, EKU got on the board, scoring three runs. EKU continued to battle in the sixth inning, scoring another two runs before being relieved for Ryan Ignoffo. The Panthers got out of the inning, but not the Colonels captured the lead, 6-4.
The Panthers and Colonels battled back and forth to put the score at the bottom of the eighth, all tied up at 7-7. Ben Snapp led off the inning with a single stroked through the left side. DiLuca laid down a sacrifice bunt to take away the double-play, although Toppel managed to reach on an error by the EKU second baseman. Sweeney was intentionally walked to bring up Knernschield who, once again knocked a sacrifice fly into left-field to score Snapp and take the lead. Kerrigan added an insurance run with a single into center to put the Panthers lead at 9-7.
Stevenson shut the Colonels down to secure the 9-7 win.
The Panthers started the second game off with a single from DiLuca into left-field. The rally continued with a Sweeney walk and a Knernschield single to score DiLuca. EIU continued to battle as another walk from Pena loaded the bases for Kerrigan, who busted the lead wide-open with a bases-clearing single into deep left-center field. The Panthers had struck early to gather a 4-0 lead.
Eastern Illinois continued to pile on the runs in the second and third innings. Knernschield knocked a double with the bases loaded into right-field to score two more runs in the second inning; EIU scored two of their four runs on wild pitches in the third inning.
Ky Hampton held the Colonels scoreless until the sixth, when EKU's Harris hit a solo homer into left-center field.
The Panthers added one more run from a Dalton Doyle single that scored Toppel and secured the 11-2 win over EKU.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8-12, MURRAY STATE 3-8
MURRAY, Ky. - Southeast Missouri (15-13, 9-5) scored 20 runs and pounded out 25 hits in a 8-3, 12-8 doubleheader sweep of Ohio Valley Conference leader Murray State (15-14, 6-5) Friday.
The doubleheader sweep of the Racers nailed down SEMO's fourth OVC series win of the season.
SEMO rallied to score five runs in the final two innings en route to game one victory.
After MSU brought the game to its second tie at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Lincoln Andrews started the eighth with a pinch-hit single down the left field line. Andrews advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Noah Jacobsen, who pinch ran for Andrews scored the go-ahead run on a single by Jevon Mason. Connor Basler also scored when Tyler Wilber grounded out to short giving the Redhawks a 5-3 advantage.
Then, in the ninth, SEMO scored three two-out runs to bury the Racers.
With a runner on after Andrew Keck singled, Ty Stauss hit a two-out single to right center to score Keck. Peyton Leeper followed that up with a double and Stauss scored. Leeper, who went to third on an error, scored on a wild pitch to widen SEMO's lead to 8-3.
Reliever Kyle Miller (3-2), who got the final two outs of the seventh inning when the Racers took their last lead, pitched a one-two-three eighth and retired three-straight after giving up a leadoff double in the ninth. Miller struck out two, walked one and allowed just one hit in 2.2 innings to secure his third win of the season.
SEMO outhit MSU, 13-7.
Mason (3-for-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI) and Wilber (2-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI) combined for five hits and four RBI at the top of the Redhawks lineup. Wade Stauss also added two hits.
The Redhawks carried the momentum from their strong finish in game one to the start of game two where they put up seven runs in the first inning.
MSU freshman right-hander Jack Wenninger dug himself a hole early when he issued back-to-back walks and hit a batter.
With the bases loaded and one out after Keck hit into a fielder's choice, W. Stauss delivered a two-RBI single down the right field line. On the next play, Keck scored on a wild pitch. Andrews followed with an RBI-single through the right side and W. Stauss scored. Leeper then doubled to left ending Wenninger's day in just one-third of an inning.
After a pitching change, Basler flied out to left center and Andrews touched home. Danny Wright's two-run home run to center capped the early ambush as the Redhawks quickly pulled ahead, 7-0. The seven runs marked SEMO's most in an inning this season.
MSU managed to get within two (7-5), but the Redhawks erupted for five more runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Keck and W. Stauss hit back-to-back home runs. Basler singled to right field and Andrews was able to score with the help of an error. Wright's base hit drove in Basler to stretch SEMO's lead to 12-5.
Noah Niznik (2-3) earned the win after working 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts.
Offensively, SEMO added 12 more hits in the nightcap.
Keck, W. Stauss, Andrews, Leeper and Wright all paved the way with two hits each. W. Stauss also contributed three RBI.
MOREHEAD STATE 14-12, AUSTIN PEAY 9-1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Led by home runs in each game by freshman Ryley Preece, seven RBI on the day from fellow freshman Jackson Feltner and a grand slam off the bat of senior Jon Burghardt, Morehead State baseball swept the doubleheader from Austin Peay Friday and won its third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference series.
The Eagles led 11-0 in the first three innings of game one and then held off a furious Gov rally to win 14-9 before invoking the one-year OVC run-rule (lead by 10 after 7 innings) by winning 12-1 in seven innings in game two.
Morehead State (15-12/6-3 OVC) won a series at APSU for the first time since 2015 and for just the third time since 1999 in staying in first place in the league standings. The Govs slipped to 10-19 overall and 7-8 in the league. Morehead State has also now won five consecutive weekend series dating back to March 5-7 versus Marshall.
In game one, following a bases loaded walk to senior right-fielder Ryan Layne, senior Burghardt uncorked the Eagles' first grand slam of the year and the first since the 2019 season to make it a 5-0 Eagle lead in the second frame.
Senior third baseman Stephen Hill laced a ground-rule RBI double into the left field corner for a 6-0 lead before Feltner singled home two more. Preece nailed his third homer of the series in the third, a three-run smash, to make it 11-0 Eagles.
Austin Peay scored seven times in the bottom of the fourth, including a grand slam of its own, to trim the MSU lead to 11-7. An RBI single by Gino Avros in the seventh had the home team back to within 11-9. Hill provided some insurance in the ninth with an RBI single, and Feltner cranked a home run to put the Eagles on top 14-9.
Reliever Cory Conway entered in the fifth inning to get the final out and then tossed the next 3.1 frames with only one allowed. Senior lefty John Bakke closed out the game with a perfect ninth.
In game two, MSU jumped ahead 2-0 in the first as Hill ripped an RBI triple to the deepest part of the ballpark. Feltner then lifted a sac fly to score Hill. In the second, and following a score on a wild pitch by sophomore DH Alex Jacobs, Feltner laced an RBI double that scored Preece.
MSU pulled ahead 9-0 with a five-spot in the fourth. Freshman shortstop Colton Becker singled on a bunt to score Jacobs, while Hensor nailed a two-run single. Preece's home run party continued then as he made it 9-0 with another two-run round-tripper.
Hensor got into the act of homers with a solo shot to left center in the sixth. Almost immediately, Hill brought home the final Eagle tallies with a two-run homer himself.
Austin Peay's lone run came off the bat of Malcolm Tipler, who recorded an RBI double in the fifth.
SIUE 8-9, UT MARTIN 7-6
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball won its second Ohio Valley Conference series of the year, sweeping a doubleheader from UT Martin Friday at Simmons Complex. The Cougars won the opener 8-7 in 10 innings before winning the nightcap 9-6.
The Cougars have three straight and improved to 15-12 overall and 8-6 in OVC play. UT Martin dropped to 10-16 overall and 3-5 in the OVC.
Brady Bunten hit a pair of home runs in game one, including the walk off shot in the 10th inning. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning. He also doubled to finish 3-4 in game one. Ole Arntson also homered twice in the opener. He followed Bunten's long ball in the first with a solo home run and then added a three-run home run in the third. Arntson then homered in each of his first two at-bats in game two, hitting a three-run and a two-run home run. Arntson finished the doubleheader 4-7 with the four homers and nine RBIs.
After leading 7-4 in game one, UT Martin scored a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to tie the score. Both teams had runners on in the eighth and ninth innings but failed to score.
John Stallcup was 2-4 in the game, extending his team-leading hitting streak to 14 games.
Braydon Bone pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the win and improve to 3-0 with a 0.69 earned run average out of the SIUE bullpen. Noah Matheny started and worked the first 5 2/3 innings. He allowed seven runs, five earned and struck out seven. Rob Parks tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Cougar pitchers did not walk a batter in the game.
SIUE built a 6-0 lead in game two, thanks in large part to the five RBIs from Arntson. SIUE scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to lead 9-3. Richie Well picked up and RBI double in the inning and was 2-5 with a pair of RBIs in game two.
The Skyhawks used a hit and two walks to load the bases in the ninth before third basemen Blake Daniels drilled a one-out grand slam to cut into the SIUE lead.
Brant Glidewell (3-0) making his first weekend start, got the win in the late game. He pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs. He struck out a career-high seven hitters.
The Cougars and Skyhawks will complete the series with a single game Saturday beginning at noon. The game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. and was moved because of possible rain.