TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Western Kentucky 4,
Eastern Kentucky 3 (14)
@#4 Tennessee 11,
Belmont 2
@Kentucky 8,
Tennessee Tech 4
UT Martin 9, @#11 Ole Miss 7
@#3 Mississippi State 6,
Jacksonville State 1
WESTERN KENTUCKY 4, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3 (14)
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - – Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball team lost 4-3 in 14 innings at Western Kentucky University on Tuesday.
Five EKU pitchers combined to hold the Hilltoppers scoreless for 10 straight innings before WKU scored the game-winner on a single to left center by Matthew Meyer with two outs in the bottom of the 14th.
The Colonels took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning. With one out, Max Williams reached on an error. Logan Thomason followed with a double down the left field line. Will King then brough home both runners with a double of his own down the left field line.
Western scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to take a 3-2 lead, but the Hilltoppers did not score again until the 14th. Jacob Abbott tossed three scoreless innings and allowed just one hit. Louis Davenport pitched two scoreless innings and struck out five batters. Will Brian pitched the ninth and 10th innings, struck out three and allowed just two hits. Jake Lewis didn’t allow a run while pitching the 11th. Jaxson Blair completed the 12th and 13th innings without a run coming across before he ran into trouble in the 14th.
Eastern Kentucky (20-30) tied the game in the top of the seventh. King and Santiago Peralta were hit by pitches to start the inning. A fielder’s choice moved King to third before a single through the left side by Kendal Ewell tied it up at 3-3.
King finished 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs. Ewell was 1-for-4 with three walks and an RBI.
Jackson Gray had a 3-for-5 game with a home run, two runs and two RBIs for WKU (26-27).
#4 TENNESSEE 11, BELMONT 2
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Despite leading through two and a half innings, the Belmont University baseball team dropped its final midweek game of the season to No. 4 Tennessee 11-2 on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Freshman Guy Lipscomb and junior Logan Jarvis led the Bruins with two hits each, with Lipscomb also collecting two stolen bases for the fourth time in a game this season. His pair of stolen bases marks the first time a Belmont Baseball player stole two bases in a game against a team from a Power 5 conference in three years, where Zach Erhart accomplished that feat on May 18, 2018 at Northwestern. Junior Chandler Schultz led Belmont on the mound, collecting three strikeouts in one inning.
The Bruins capitalized off a single and a stolen base from sophomore John Behrends in the top of the first inning, with freshman Brodey Heaton hitting an RBI single that allowed Belmont to strike first. Tennessee, however, tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with a run.
Hitting a single and drawing a walk in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Volunteers took control with a three-run home run to take the lead. Belmont responded in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a single from junior Logan Jarvis, driving home Lipscomb after a stolen base.
Tennessee answered with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring off a groundout, stolen base and an RBI single. The Volunteers continued their scoring run with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning, extending their lead 8-2.
A two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning allowed the Volunteers to reach double-digit runs and a groundout in the bottom of the eighth inning capped off the scoring spree, making it a nine-run game. Tennessee scored at least one run in each of their final six innings of offense.
KENTUCKY 8, TENNESSEE TECH 4
LEXINGTON, Ky. - An early lead wasn't enough for the Tennessee Tech baseball team in Lexington Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles (19-25) fell to Kentucky (28-20) in their final road contest of the 2021 campaign by a final score of 8-4.
In the top of the second, the purple and gold got the offense going with singles from left fielder Cody Littlejohn, catcher Hayden Gilliland and right fielder Theo Bryant IV. Tech loaded the bases, but the Wildcats secured a pair of outs before shortstop Ed Johnson took his turn at the dish.
The sophomore delivered early for the Golden Eagles, driving in the first run of the day with an infield single to shortstop. Second baseman Brett Roberts wasted little time increasing the visitor's advantage, blistering the first pitch he saw to center field for a pair of RBI and a 3-0 Tech lead.
Kentucky was quick to respond, producing a pair of one-out singles before Austin Schlutz launched a game-tying, three-run home run to left field. For good measure, the home squad tacked on another run in the inning to take its first lead of the game.
Tech turned right around in the third and provided its own answer, knotting the contest at four runs apiece thanks to the bat of center field Jason Hinchman. The junior slugger uncorked a hefty hack on a 2-2 count, blasting a solo shot to left field for a game-tying round-tripper. It marked his ninth of the year and the 42nd of his Golden Eagle career.
Again the Wildcats were ready to reply, plating the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run with an RBI double in the bottom half of the third. Kentucky added insurance runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings while holding the purple and gold off the scoreboard the rest of the way to secure the 8-4 victory.
Tech did scratch together 11 hits on the night, with Johnson, Hinchman, Littlejohn and Gilliland each tallying multiple base knocks on the night. Hinchman turned in a pair of the extra-base variety, collecting a double to go along with the long ball.
On the hill, right-hander Brock Myers had a solid night out of the bullpen, tossing four-and-one-third frames. He allowed a pair of runs on four hits, including just one earned, while punching out six Kentucky batters.
UT MARTIN 9, #11 OLE MISS 7
OXFORD, Miss. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team never trailed this evening at No. 11 Ole Miss, taking its final lead of the game thanks to a Blake Daniels three-run home run in the top of the eighth in a 9-7 victory over the Rebels.
This marks the second win over a nationally ranked opponent for the Skyhawks in 2021 as UT Martin also defeated No. 22 Alabama (9-4) on Feb. 24. In head coach Ryan Jenkins’ four seasons as head coach, the Skyhawks have now defeated four nationally ranked foes (No. 30 South Alabama in 2020, No. 13 Southern Miss in 2018).
UT Martin handed Ole Miss its first midweek home loss of the season (was previously 10-0) and won over the Rebels for the first time since March 28, 2000. The Skyhawks went deep three times in the contest and outhit Ole Miss – who ranks second nationally in hits – by a 12-10 margin.
Daniels and Noah Thigpen each slammed three-run homers while Ethan Whitley cranked a two-run jack for UT Martin (18-27). Nate Self and Alec Beaman also scored two runs apiece for the Skyhawks.
On the hill, Eric Steensma (1-2) earned his first win of the season after a dominant seventh inning while David Hussey recorded his sixth save of the season, going the final two frames. Nick Wohlbold (one inning) and Sam Folks (two innings) also had scoreless outings to back up freshman southpaw Boston Smith, who made just his fourth career appearance (second start) tonight.
Smith was flawless in the bottom of the first, mowing down the Rebels in order to set up UT Martin’s first lead of the contest.
Jack Culumovic and Self collected back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the second, setting up Thigpen for a three-run shot that cleared the left field wall. It was the second homer of the season for the sophomore outfielder from Jackson, Miss.
Ole Miss (36-16) got one run back in the bottom of the second but the Skyhawks immediately answered. Christian Hall drew a leadoff walk in the top of the third and Whitley pulverized the next offering for a two-run homer, making the score 5-1 in the process. It marked Whitley’s 11th longball of the season (third in the last three games) and 30th of his career.
After the Rebels scored twice in the third to trim UT Martin’s lead to 5-3, the Skyhawks tacked on a run in their next at-bat. Beaman singled with one away and scampered home on a Casey Harford RBI double that split the gap out in left center.
Wohlbold appeared in the fourth and was lights-out, retiring the side in order. Ole Miss rallied to tie the game at 6-all thanks to a three-run fifth. Folks entered with the bases loaded and no outs and pitched his way out of a jam, receiving a pair of heads-up plays defensively from Harford (throwing a runner out at third on a fielder’s choice to his right) and Whitley (throwing a runner out at second on a pickoff attempt).
Folks kept the Rebels off the scoreboard in the sixth, stranding a pair of runners to keep momentum in the UT Martin dugout. Steensma followed in the seventh and was filthy, not allowing a ball out of the infield while tossing only eight pitches to sit Ole Miss down in order.
The Skyhawks’ big swing of the night came in the top of the eighth. Self singled to center to lead off the inning and advanced 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Thigpen. Beaman showed incredible plate discipline by drawing a walk, forcing a pitching change. Daniels then jumped on a 1-0 off-speed pitch and lifted a moonshot homer over the Rebel bullpen in right field.
Jenkins turned the reigns over to his closer Hussey for a six-out save and the senior righty from Minter, Ala. delivered. Ole Miss did scratch out a run in the eighth but that was all it could muster as Hussey struck out the potential game-tying run at the plate for the final out of the game.
#3 MISSISSIPPI STATE 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Jacksonville State dropped its final non-conference contest of the 2021 season with a rain-shortened, 6-1, loss to nationally ranked Mississippi State on Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field.
With the Bulldogs leading, the game became official through five innings due to persistent rain in the Starkville area.
MSU scored two runs in each of the first three innings to take control of the game. The Bulldogs had a two-out, two-run home run by Luke Hancock in the first inning, followed by a two-run single by Rowdy Jordan in the second inning. The Maroon and white added the final two runs in the third inning with sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double.
The Gamecocks, who had the bases loaded in the first two innings could not get a break through hit off of the State pitching staff. Junior Cole Frederick plated the JSU run in the fourth inning with a single to left field, scoring sophomore Trevor Andrews. Andrews delivered JSU's first hot of the night with a one-out double.
JSU used three different pitchers in the contest to prep for the weekend ahead. Freshman Camden Lovrich got the start and tossed the first inning, while freshman Jake Peppers went 1.2 innings. Junior Jackson Tavel went 1.1 innings before the game was complete due to rain. Peppers and Tavel combined for four strikeouts.