TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Louisville 7,
Morehead State 5
@Austin Peay 14, Bellarmine 13
UT Martin 7, @Alabama 6
@Southeast Missouri 16, Saint Louis 5
Tennessee Tech 11, @North Alabama 8
LOUISVILLE 7, MOREHEAD STATE 5
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -
Morehead State's baseball team came into Tuesday looking for a repeat of last season's upset over the Louisville Cardinals, but couldn't shut the door in the ninth inning and fell to Louisville 7-5 Tuesday night.
After falling behind 4-0 early, the Eagles' (3-6) relief pitching came in and shut down the Cardinals to give themselves a chance. Jarrett Miller, Andrew Crumbley, John Sherman, Grant Herron, and John Bakke all threw scoreless frames after the second inning.
In the fifth inning, singles by Ashton Roy and Logan Goodnight brought Jackson Feltner to the plate, and he launched a three-run homer off the flagpole in center-field to cut the deficit to one run. The home run was Feltner's third of the season and provided a much needed spark to a team who couldn't seem to drive in a baserunner through the first four frames. Feltner has now been on base in all nine games this season.
The bats were hot in the sixth as well, as a single from Nick Gooden (who extended his hitting streak to seven games Tuesday) and a double from Brody Shoupe gave the Eagles runners at second and third with nobody out. Roy drove in Gooden with an RBI groundout, and Logan Goodnight smacked a double that scored Shoupe and gave the Eagles a 5-4 lead.
Perhaps the most impressive plays of the game came on defense. Logan Castleman subbed in during the fifth inning to play right field and made a huge diving catch to get the Eagles out of the sixth inning. In the seventh, Grant Herron got in a bit of trouble with a runner on third and nobody out, but Gooden was able to make a diving snag at third and tag the bag for a clutch double play before Herron notched a strikeout to end the inning.
Bakke pitched a scoreless frame in the eighth and came back out for the ninth, when the Cardinals were able to hit a walk-off three-run homerun with two outs that proved to be the dagger.
AUSTIN PEAY 14, BELLARMINE 13
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Pinch-hitter Harrison Brown delivered a walk-off single in Austin Peay State University baseball team’s 14-13 victory, Tuesday night on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (6-2) won its fourth-straight game, and it was the Govs’ third walk-off victory this season. The Govs travel to North Alabama for a 5 p.m. Wednesday outing seeking their first road win of 2022.
After seeing a 10-9 lead erased and then a 13-12 lead, the Governors entered their half of the ninth tied 13-13. After the first two batters were retired, shortstop John Bolton walked, and right fielder Gino Avros was intentionally walked. Brown was brought on as a pinch hitter and wasted no time delivering the win, with a line drive landing in front of the right fielder, allowing Bolton to score the game-winning run.
It was a wild affair from the start, with both teams scoring seven runs in the first three innings. Austin Peay took its first lead with a two-run fourth inning, with third baseman Michael Robinson leading off the inning with a home run. Catcher Jack Alexander was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat and he later scored on a wild pitch for a 9-8 lead.
Bellarmine (1-8) scored three times in the eighth inning to rally from a 10-9 deficit. First baseman Noah Nelson, pinch hitter Casey Sorg, and catcher Kevin Butler drove in runs to give Bellarmine the 12-10 lead.
Austin Peay erased that deficit with its three-run eighth inning. Designated hitter Ty DeLancey’s double forced Bellarmine’s left fielder to retreat toward the wall, and the ball tipped off his glove for a bases-clearing double and a 13-12 APSU lead.
The Knights tied the game in its half of the ninth without using a base hit. A walk, hit batsman, and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases. Third baseman Peyton Back earned a walk to tie the game, setting up APSU’s game-ending heroics.
Austin Peay reliever Zach Wyatt notched his first APSU win after recording the final two outs of the ninth inning, walking one to allow the tying run, and striking out two batters. Reliever Peyton Jula went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five to enable the Govs to take the lead during the game’s middle section.
Avros went 2-for-5 with three RBI and scored twice to lead the Govs. Robinson continued his recent fine form with a 3-for-4, two-RBI effort. Avros, Robinson, and first baseman Matt Joslin hit solo home runs.
Bellarmine reliever Devin Ecklar (0-3) allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in an inning pitched and took the loss. Shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer paced the offense with a 2-for-4, four RBI, three-run outing, which included a three-run home run in the third inning.
UT MARTIN 7, ALABAMA 6
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Casey Harford. Wil LaFollette. Nate Self. Cameron Brady. What do those four Skyhawks have in common? They all blasted home runs in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday afternoon as the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team pulled off their second consecutive Alabama upset to knock off the Crimson Tide, 7-6.
Trailing by a single run approaching the top of the 6th inning, the Skyhawks stunned their Southeastern Conference opponent with back-to-back homers by Harford and LaFollette, another from Self in the 7th, and the game-clinching torpedo from Brady in the final inning to improve to 3-4 on the year.
Having accumulated three HR’s over the first six games of the year going into Tuesday’s battle, UTM more than doubled that amount over the course of just four innings this afternoon as Alabama sulked to their fourth straight defeat.
Seven different pitchers saw time in the spotlight at Sewell-Thomas Stadium for the navy and orange, including starter Noah Walters and closer Blake Davis. JUCO transfer Matt Dickey was credited with his first win in a UT Martin jersey for his efforts in the bottom of the 8th, preserving what was a 5-5 tie until Brady’s moonshot to end proceedings.
Junior centerfielder Reid Halfacre allowed the Skyhawks to strike first in the 3rd frame, releasing an RBI-double after consecutive walks to score Self. In the next at-bat, Will Smith – who filled in at leftfield on Tuesday – produced a sacrifice fly ball that brought Brady home for the 2-0 advantage.
Alabama would retaliate by scoring the game’s next three runs with five innings gone. It was here that head coach Ryan Jenkins’ club was galvanized with the bat in their hands, going yard four times in the final four stanzas to snag the W away from the Tide’s clutches.
The entire bomb trilogy from Harford, LaFollette, and Self came in solo format to send Alabama’s spirits crumbling down to the tune of a 5-3 deficit. Harford and LaFollette are no strangers to success against the crimson SEC powerhouse, having synced up for four hits, four RBI, one double, one triple, and one dinger in Tuscaloosa last year during a 9-4 triumph over a then-nationally-ranked Tide.
Following Self’s explosion to left center in the 7th – the first collegiate homer of the sophomore’s career – Alabama finally punched back with an HR of their own that scored a pair. As the game evolved into a long-ball contest, the Skyhawks would snare the last laugh via Brady’s two-run projectile in the final inning, mirroring Self with the first ever homer of the catcher’s stint in Martin.
Sacrificing two outs in order to bring one player home during their last attempt to avoid the upset, the Crimson Tide couldn’t seize the game-tying run from Davis, who tossed a ground ball to first-baseman Ethan Whitley that solidified the monster win.
Besting a team that pushed top-ranked Texas to the limit last weekend – falling to the #1 Longhorns by a combined three runs over the first two outings in Austin – Alabama’s 12 hits versus the Skyhawks this afternoon were not enough to deny UTM their second straight W in Tuscaloosa and third win over an SEC opponent over the last 12 months.
On the pitching side, four different hurlers surrendered a single hit or less in the landmark victory. Rhett Fetner, Trey Ricko, Baylor Jones, and Davis were instrumental pieces in keeping Alabama guessing offensively, as the latter earned his second save of 2022.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 16, SAINT LOUIS 5
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Andrew Keck went 4-for-5 with a grand slam, double, four runs scored and seven RBI as Southeast Missouri (6-1) blew out Saint Louis (1-5), 16-5, Tuesday in midweek action at Capaha Field.
Keck established new career-highs in runs and RBI, and matched a career-best in hits. He hit safely in each of his first three at-bats before slugging his second grand slam in two days to finish off the Redhawks rout in the bottom of the sixth.
SEMO tore apart SLU's pitching all day with an onslaught that resulted in the Redhawks scoring in every inning.
After SLU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Mason quickly tied the game with a leadoff solo home run to left.
With one out, Tyler Wilber and Andrew Keck delivered back-to-back doubles. Wilber touched home on Keck's hit to give the Redhawks their first lead and SEMO never looked back.
On the next play, Brett Graber singled to left and Keck scored to widen SEMO's lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the first.
A five-run second inning, keyed by three two-out hits, followed for SEMO.
With a run already in after Mason scored on a groundout by Wilber, Keck singled home Peyton Leeper to start the two-out rally. Keck stole second and quickly scored on a base hit by Lincoln Andrews. Joel Vaske later drove in Andrews and Brett Graber touched home when Ben Palmer reached on an error to stretch the Redhawks lead to 8-2.
Two more two-out hits led to SEMO scoring twice more in the bottom of the third. Keck singled home Mason before scoring when Andrews doubled to center making it 10-2 in favor of the Redhawks.
An inning later, Mason picked up his third hit of the game on a run-scoring single to left.
With the bases full of Redhawks in the sixth, Keck knocked everyone in with his third home run of the season. He also hit a grand slam two days ago in a game two victory during SEMO's series vs. Bellarmine.
The 16 runs and 16 hits both marked season-highs for SEMO.
Mason, like Keck, also had a big game. He went 3-for-3 with his first home run of the season, three runs, a walk and two RBI. Andrews and Vaske also added two hits, two RBI and a run scored.
Right-hander Tommy Windt (1-0) picked up his first win of the season. In his first career Division I start, Windt struck out three, walked none, allowed two runs and gave up two hits in two innings.
Grant Fremion (0-2) took the loss for the Billikens. Fremion walked two, struck out one and allowed seven runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings.
SEMO outhit SLU, 16-5.
With the win, the Redhawks are off to their best start in 27 years. The Redhawks began the 1995 campaign on a seven-game winning streak.
TENNESSEE TECH 11, NORTH ALABAMA 8
FLORENCE, Ala. - Yet another stellar showing by the offense propelled the Tennessee Tech baseball team to a tie with the 1970 team for its best start to a season since the 1955 campaign, as the Golden Eagles took home an 11-8 victory at North Alabama Tuesday evening. In 1955, the Cookeville crew rolled off 14 straight wins to start the year.
With the win, the purple and gold moved to 7-0 on the 2022 campaign and produced its sixth straight game scoring in double figures. The win took a rally, but once the bats got going, they were nearly impossible to stop.
North Alabama (1-4), produced the first runs of the ball game, denting home plate three times in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Never feeling the pressure of the deficit, the Golden Eagles mounted an immediate response to kick off the third.
Second baseman Nick Spardone opened the frame with a single and centerfield Austin Turner followed with a base knock of his own. Next up, shortstop Ed Johnson just missed tying the game with a hefty swing on a 3-1 offering. The junior smashed a double off the wall in right field, providing Tech its first run of the ball game.
Hardly getting started, left fielder Jason Hinchman put the Golden Eagles on top for good in the next at-bat. The slugger crushed the fourth pitch he saw to left field, clearing the wall for a three-run home run and 4-3 Tech lead. It marked his second of the year and the 46 of his career, putting him four away from moving into fifth on the program's career long ball list.
Next at the plate for the purple and gold, first baseman Golston Gillespie made it back-to-back jacks by hammering a 1-2 pitch to center field. He circled the bases for the second time this season, moving Tech out front 5-3. After designated hitter Ryan Guardino reached on a single, Spardone collected his second hit of the inning, driving in the team's sixth run of the frame.
In the fifth, right fielder John Dyer reached on a miscue at first base, setting up catcher Will Long for another fireworks show. The junior just missed a dinger on the first pitch he saw, sending a long shot just foul. Three pitches later, Long connected again, this time blasting a two-run bomb down the left-field line for his first round-tripper of the season.
Tech snagged another run in the sixth, with Guardino crossing the plate on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. North Alabama finally answered with a single run in the bottom half, but the Golden Eagles weren't done yet.
Third baseman Gabe Lacy kicked off the seventh frame with a base hit and advanced on a wild pitch. Guardino reached safely three batters later, thanks to another error by the Lion infield, a miscue that allowed Lacy to score and give Tech a 10-4 lead.
Dyer made it 11-4 one batter late, peppering a double to right-center field that drove in Guardino. Again, the Lions provided a response, scoring once after the seventh-inning stretch. UNA then made things interesting in the eighth, pulling within three after scoring three more times.
The Golden Eagles shut things down from there, holding off the home team to secure their first midweek victory of the year.
Senior Tyler Sylvester earned his first win of the year, tossing three and two-thirds innings out of the bullpen. The right-hander scattered a single hit and two walks while striking out three batters. Utility man Eric Newsom covered the final two frames for the Tech squad, allowing a single run on three hits and a walk while fanning a pair.
All nine Tech starters produced at least one hit in the contest, with Guardino leading the way with three base knocks and a team-high three runs scored. Hinchman drove in a game-high three runs while Long also produced a multi-RBI effort.