FRIDAY'S SCORES
Canisius 11,
@Morehead State 4
@Tennessee Tech 13, Eastern Michigan 4
@Austin Peay 8, Bowling Green 2
@Belmont 3, Youngstown State 1
@Mercer 5,
SIUE 2
UT Martin 5, @Alabama State 3
CANISIUS 11, MOREHEAD STATE 4
MOREHEAD, Ky. - A late-inning rally by the Morehead State baseball team ended up not making enough of a difference as the Eagles dropped the first game of a four-game weekend set with Canisius, 11-4, at Allen Field Friday.
The Eagles slipped to 1-4, while the Golden Griffins from Buffalo, N.Y., edged up to 3-2.
After falling behind 6-0 heading to the seventh, MSU cut its deficit in half, thanks to a two-run round-tripper by sophomore center-fielder Ryley Preece, but in the end the visitors' pitching staff stymied MSU to the tune of 14 strikeouts. Following the seventh, Canisius tacked on five more in its final two plate chances.
Preece's homer was his first of the year as he also has now reached base in all five games and has a three-game hitting streak. Second baseman Ashton Roy led the Eagles with two hits, including an RBI double in the seventh prior to Preece's blast.
Canisius' bats produced 16 hits, including its top three in the batting order combining to go 9-for-17 with seven runs scored. Three Griffin pitchers sat down 14 Eagle hitters via the strikeout, while the Eagle pitchers had five strikeouts but issued nine walks.
Eagle starter Luke Helton (0-1) was a tough luck loser, despite once retiring 11 straight Canisius batters. He allowed just four runs in 5.1 innings. Head coach Mik Aoki deployed seven additional pitchers throughout the day.
Matt Duffy improved to 2-0 for CC, fanning seven Eagles in the first six frames.
Four of the Eagles' seven hits were for extra-bases, including doubles by Nick Gooden and Colton Becker.
TENNESSEE TECH 13, EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A quick start with the bats and a great performance on the mound proved more than enough for the Tennessee Tech baseball team to pick up the win in its home-opener Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 13-4 victory over Eastern Michigan at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Backed by a ton of early run support, sophomore hurler Peyton Calitri shoved for the purple and gold in his first tilt in front of the home crowd. The right-hander tossed seven innings while scattering five hits and allowing just two runs.
Calitri delivered six scoreless frames to kick off the contest, with the only damage on the night coming by way of a two-run home run in the seventh. He struck out a season-high five without issuing a walk to collect his first win as a Golden Eagle.
It didn't take long for the purple and gold to strike against the visiting Eagles, with shortstop Ed Johnson leading off the bottom of the first with a double down the right-field line. A few batters later, first baseman Golston Gillespie lined out to right field for a sacrifice fly to bring in the first run of the game. Designated hitter Hayden Gilliland followed with an RBI single to right-center field, making it a 2-0 ballgame after one.
Tech continued to press the issue on offense, with Johnson peppering an RBI single through the right side in the second. Left fielder Jason Hinchman followed suit two batters later, ripping his own single through the left side to drive in another Tech marker for a 4-0 lead.
Turning up the heat in the third, the Golden Eagles took advantage of a pair of EMU miscues defensively. With the bases loaded, Gilliland crossed home plate safely after a muffed throw by the catcher. In the next at-bat, Johnson was plunked with the bases juiced, earning an RBI the hard way. Third baseman Gabe Lacy continued the line with a sac fly to right field before Hinchman blistered a single to right-center field to drive in one more and make it an 8-0 advantage for the home squad.
In the fifth, it was Hinchman providing the spark yet again, this time with the long ball. The slugger launched his first-round tripper of the season down the left-field line, a two-run blast that made it a 10-0 game.
Pinch-hitting in the sixth frame, second baseman Noah Hattier earned his first hit as Golden Eagle, driving in a run with a single to center field. The sophomore drove in another member of the Cookeville crew making his season debut, Wofford transfer Ryan Guardino, who doubled to lead off the frame after pinch-hitting. Center fielder Jackson Green followed with his own pinch-hit RBI, lacing a double down the third-base line.
Finishing off the scoring on the day for the purple and gold was Luke Jones, delivering yet another incredible pinch-hit performance. Filling in at designated hitter, the sophomore blasted a solo bomb down the left-field line for his first dinger of the year.
Both Logan Hewitt and Caleb Pearson made their Tech debuts on the mound after redshirting last season, each tossing a frame to complete the night. Both faced five batters and allowed a single run.
AUSTIN PEAY 8, BOWLING GREEN 2
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - On a chilly day on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park, Austin Peay State University’s baseball team turned to a native of the “Great White North” in starting pitcher Harley Gollert to keep Bowling Green’s bats cold in an 8-2 victory, Friday afternoon.
Bowling Green (2-2) took advantage of an opening error and the only walk Gollert issued to start an early rally. First baseman Adam Furnas got the Falcons on the board with a double to drive in both runners for an early 2-0 lead.
But Toronto native Gollert (1-1) shut down Bowling Green from that point onward. He retired nine consecutive batters before allowing a one-out single in the fourth. Gollert followed that with five straight batters before allowing a leadoff single in the sixth. However, he closed his outing with seven-straight outs to get through 7.1 innings.
Meanwhile, Austin Peay (3-2) got a run back in its half of the first after center fielder Skyler Luna’s leadoff double and first baseman John McDonald’s run-producing fielder’s choice. BGSU starter Gage Schenk kept the Govs at bay for the next four innings, maintaining the 2-1 scoreline.
In the sixth, the Governors broke through against the Bowling Green bullpen with a trio of base hits to lead off the inning. Right fielder Gino Avros provided a game-tying single, and catcher Jack Alexander scored as part of a double play to give APSU a 3-2 lead.
Austin Peay added a run in the seventh, then broke the game open with a four-run eighth inning. Designated hitter Ty DeLancey supplied the game’s lone home run with a 350-foot, three-run shot that just cleared the wall in right field to close the day’s scoring.
Gollert picked up the win with his 7.1-inning outing that saw him allow two runs on three hits while striking out six. Reliever Sebastian Martinez then provided 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out three, to pick up his season’s first save.
DeLancey went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the APSU offense. Second baseman Jonah Beamon and Luna also had two hits each.
BGSU reliever Jeremy Spezia (1-1) surrendered the lead in the sixth and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over his two innings. Schenk was left with no-decision after allowing one run on four hits over 5.0 innings.
BELMONT 3, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 1
NASHVILLE - -- Joshua South picked up nine strikeouts across seven strong innings on the mound to lead the Belmont University baseball team to their fifth straight win on Friday night, 3-1 over Youngstown State at E.S. Rose Park.
South did not allow a hit in the first five innings, finally giving up a knock on an infield single in the sixth.
Kyle Brennan (SV, 2) came on in the eighth and retired the last six batters to pick up his second save of the season.
Belmont (5-1) is off to their best start since 2010, when they won their first ten games.
Making his first start as a Bruin, grad transfer Sam Hedges provided a key hit to put the Bruins on the board first with a double to right field that scored Jack Capobianco in the third inning.
On the very next pitch, Guy Lipscomb ripped his second triple of the season into the right field corner to drive in Hedges, before John Behrends stepped in and sent a fly ball to right field that was deep enough for Lipscomb to tag up and come home.
The three runs brought across in the third inning proved to be all the support that South and Brennan needed, as the two right-handers shut down Youngstown State to the tune of just five total base-runners.
The Bruins continue to play stellar defense, committing no errors over their five-game winning streak.
MERCER 5, SIUE 2
MACON, Ga. - Mercer scored five runs over the first two innings Thursday and held on for a 5-2 win in the opener of a three-game series.
Mercer improved its record to 6-0. The Cougars slipped to 1-3.
Mercer scored three times on four hits in the first inning against SIUE starter Noah Matheny. The Bears were helped out by a mis-played fielder's choice and a wild pitch.
Mercer scored twice in the second inning without a hit. The Bears were helped by two fielding errors in the inning by the Cougars.
SIUE's only two runs came in the third on a pair of solo home runs by Avery Owusu-Asiedu and Brett Pierson. Josh Ohl added a one-out double in the inning, but he was stranded on base.
Matheny worked five innings, allowing all five runs. Three of which were earned. He gave up four hits and struck out one.
Kaid Karned worked the final three innings, allowing just a single hit and striking out three.
Trailing 5-2 after three innings we liked our chances at that point," Lyons said. "But we just weren't able to get a threat going. We had too many strikeouts at the plate."
SIUE managed just one hit the rest of the game, a single from Ohl in the eighth inning.
Mercer starter Josh Harlow worked six innings, allowing both runs, but striking out eight SIUE hitters. Mercer reliever Jackson Kelley earned the save with three scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and struck out six.
Five different players had Mercer's five hits.
UT MARTIN 5, ALABAMA STATE 3
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Dealing most of the damage in the early stages of Friday evening’s three-game prelude with the Hornets of Alabama State, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad utilized another rock-solid hitting effort alongside a workmanlike performance on the mound to take down the Hornets in Game 1, 5-3.
Snatching the lead in the top of the 2nd and never relinquishing it on their way to a clutch road victory, UTM never allowed the Hornets to reach closer than a two-run gap while leading by as many as four, improving to 2-2 on the young season as a result.
Redshirt-junior outfielder Jack Culumovic and senior shortstop Casey Harford electrified the Skyhawk lineup whenever the bat was in their hands, adding up to reach four hits and three RBI that initially sparked the UT Martin hot start. Throw in another pair of base-hits and a driven-in run by starting catcher Cameron Brady, and the Skyhawks featured more than enough batting progression to get the job done in Friday’s opener.
Alabama native Rhett Fetner was another instrumental piece in UTM’s success over the Hornets, tossing out nine batters in nearly six innings of work as the series’ starter. Redshirt-freshman Baylor Jones and Blake Davis relieved Fetner after a productive night, where the latter shed six consecutive batters to effectively close out the contest.
Already on third-base thanks to a couple of singles and a sacrifice bunt in the 2nd inning, Harford got the Skyhawks on the board first once a wild pitch from ASU starter Jeremy Rivera sailed past catcher Hunter May. Culumovic then followed suit to hoist the lead to a deuce after Brady sliced a base hit to leftfield.
Duplicating the two-run output from the previous frame, UTM doubled the lead to 4-0 in the 3rd in Culumovic’s second appearance at the plate, blasting the ball to the right side to bring Will Smith and Wil LaFollette around the diamond.
Answering the Hornets’ first score of the night with one of their own in the top of the 5th period, the Skyhawks jolted the lead back where it was at 5-1. Harford was again the culprit offensively, driving in LaFollette once more on a leftfield double shot.
Two more Alabama State runs over the second half of the game weren’t quite enough to complete the comeback as UTM transitioned from Fetner to Jones on the mound, letting Davis put the finishing touches on the W in the 8th and 9th as he did in Sunday’s home triumph over Miami (Ohio).
Fetner finished his time in the spotlight with his first individual win of the season in a second try, while Davis – a long-time catcher in the navy and orange – was credited with his first collegiate save for his efforts in keeping the Hornets away.
Asserting themselves as the two most proficient swingers in the infant stages of 2022, Culumovic and Harford have added up for 13 hits next to 11 RBI in only four outings thus far. Culumovic in particular has been sensational batting fifth in the lineup, securing a .583 average in 12 at-bats over the past week.