WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Indiana State 5,
Southeast Missouri 4
@Saint Louis 4,
Morehead State 1
Eastern Illinois 12, @Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2
@Murray State 10, North Alabama 2
Western Illinois 18,
@SIUE 11
Evansville 20,
@Austin Peay 4
INDIANA STATE 5, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Josue Urdaneta extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Indiana State (9-6) a 5-4 win over Southeast Missouri (13-3) Wednesday at Bob Warn Field.
INS completed a two-game sweep of SEMO and improved to 7-0 all-time against the Redhawks.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Redhawk defense broke down behind reliever Kyle Miller. SEMO committed back-to-back errors and pinch-hitter Jackson Taylor walked after that to load the bases. Urdaneta, ahead 2-1 in the count, drove Miller's third offering down the right field line for the game-winning hit.
An error figured into both teams scoring three runs in the second inning.
Lincoln Andrews led off the top of the second with a single to right and advanced to third when Joel Vaske reached on a one-out error. After Spencer Parker flied out, Ben Palmer ripped a two-out single to right scoring both Vaske and Andrews to put SEMO ahead, 3-0.
In the bottom half of the inning, Parker Stinson reached on a one-out error and touched home on an ensuing double to left by Sean Ross. Two hitters later, Seth Gergely doubled down the left field line with two outs and Ross scored. On the next play, Grant Magill singled home Gergely to tie the game at 3-3.
INS took its first lead in the bottom of the third courtesy of a solo home run by Stinson.
SEMO, however, used a solo home run of its own by Jevon Mason to bring the game to a 4-4 deadlock in the top of the seventh.
The Sycamores had runners at first and third with one out, but Blake Cisneros silenced the threat when he forced Randall Diaz to hit into a fielder's choice and Urdaneta to fly out. Andrew Keck tagged Magill on a close play at home prior to Urdaneta's pop up to short.
SEMO committed three errors that led to four unearned runs for INS.
Kyle Miller (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season. Miller gave up a hit and walked one with his only run allowed unearned.
Bryce Grossius, like Cisneros, gave SEMO nice work out of the bullpen. Grossius threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Joey Hurth was credited with the win for INS.
Offensively, the Sycamores outhit the Redhawks, 10-7.
Mason and Ben Palmer each went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead SEMO. Mason added one RBI and Palmer knocked in two runs, as well.
SAINT LOUIS 4, MOREHEAD STATE 1
ST. LOUIS - Morehead State's pitchers only allowed two earned runs in its midweek matchup at Saint Louis Wednesday, but unfortunately the Eagle bats were stymied as well by a complete-game, eight strikeout effort by the Billiken pitcher as MSU dropped a 4-1 decision.
SLU starter Scott Youngbrandt went the distance, tossing 113 pitches, to get his team the win. The Eagles (7-9) got 5.2 innings of scoreless ball from five pitchers after starter Trevor Callahan (0-1) was knocked out after 2.1 frames. But, the Billikens needed just a four-run third-inning to gain enough momentum.
First baseman Jackson Feltner increased his reached-base streak to 16 and his hitting streak to eight with a first-inning RBI double. That scored center-fielder Ryley Preece, who doubled himself to lead off the game. But, MSU only got three more hits, all singles, the rest of the day.
The five Eagle relievers only surrendered a combined two hits. Andrew Crumbley got the final two outs of the third, while Joe Rotkis pitched 2.0 frames and gave up one hit. John Sherman, Jarrett Miller and John Bakke all worked scoreless frames too.
Alex Jacobs, Colton Becker and Roman Kuntz also collected hits. Jacobs moved his reached-base streak to 14 and his hitting streak to six contests.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 12, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 2
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Eastern Illinois (11-3) won their eighth straight game this season after defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-10-1) by a score of 12-2 in seven innings. Starting pitcher Tyler Conklin (W, 2-0) got his first collegiate start on Wednesday afternoon and threw 4.0 scoreless innings while giving up only three hits and striking out four. Shortstop Chris Worcester had himself a three hit game while also adding three RBI to lead the Panthers past the Golden Lions.
The Panthers' bats were hot all day long on Wednesday as EIU scored at least one run in the first five innings of the ball game. After Logan Eickhoff reached on a fielder's choice in the first inning, Ryan Ignoffo punched a single to right field to score the first run of the ball game and his 23rd RBI of the season. Conklin would strikeout one in the bottom half of the first while only facing three batters.
In the top of the second, Worcester manged to reach first on a single to left field, and stole second and third base to put himself in scoring position. After a Dalton Doyle hit-by-pitch, Lashure manged to hit into a fielder's choice to bring home Worcester. Conklin would strikeout two more in the bottom of the second before giving up two consecutive hits, but manged to get out of the inning without any damage.
After DiLuca, Eickhoff, and Nathan Aide all reached safely in the third, Worcester would score two after his second hit of the afternoon. Lashure would follow him later in the inning by singling to center field to score Aide and Worcester. The Panthers would go up 6-0 after the third. Pine Bluff would leave one on base in the bottom of the inning.
DiLuca manged to draw his second walk of the afternoon in the top of the fourth and advanced to third on two wild pitches. Eickhoff manged to earn himself an RBI on the day with a sac fly to center field. Conklin would end his day going three-up three-down in the bottom half of the fourth.
EIU would go on to score five more runs in the fifth inning after the Golden Lions loaded the bases to start the inning. With Lashure, Bryce Hayman, and Sean Lynch on base, Travis Reaves walked to score an RBI. Lawson came into the game for Ignoffo and hit a two-out single to score two runs. Worcester would earn his final RBI of the game after his third single to score Reaves. Ja'Lil Akbar also got in on the action with and RBI walk to end the inning, and put EIU up 12-0. Pine Bluff would score two in the bottom half of the fifth inning off of Nick Laxner.
Mac Hickman would throw the sixth inning for the Panthers, and after hitting the leadoff batter, would go on to get three straight outs. Birdsong replaced Hickman in the seventh to end the game with a final score of 12-2.
MURRAY STATE 10, NORTH ALABAMA 2
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State (11-4) baseball stayed perfect at Johnny Reagan Field after winning over North Alabama 10-2 on Wednesday afternoon in Murray, Kentucky. The Racers pieced together 15 hits in the matchup and put up double-digit runs for the sixth time this season. Four Racers ended the game with multiple hits while the MSU arms allowed just five hits in the game.
Murray State team captains Jake Slunder, Bryson Bloomer, and Jordan Holly each had multiple hits in the contest with freshman catcher Blake Hale joining the party with two hits himself. Bloomer stuffed the stat sheet on the day with three hits, three RBIs, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
The Racers used six pitchers in the game with Jake Lynch earning the start and giving up just one run in 1.2 innings. Redshirt junior Spencer Keylon earned the win in relief in his first appearance of the season. The Soddy Daisy, Tennessee native tossed two scoreless innings while allowing just one hit in the outing.
MSU now sits at 11-0 at home on the season and have scored a total of 126 runs at Johnny Reagan Field this year.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 18, SIUE 11
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE pitchers combined to issue 18 free passes Wednesday as Western Illinois came to SIUE and ended the Cougars unbeaten run at home with an 18-11 win.
SIUE slipped to 9-16 and 7-1 at home. Western Illinois improved to 2-13.
The Cougars took an early lead with a four-run first inning. Ole Arnston drove home a run on a fielder's choice before Brennan Orf singled to drive in two. Steven Pattan added an RBI-single in the inning.
The Leathernecks used three hits, four walks and a hit batter to score seven in the third inning, before SIUE tied the score with three in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-hit by Drew Mize and a two-run hit from Brett Johnson.
WIU went ahead for good with five runs in the fifth inning for a 12-7 advantage.
Johnson added an RBI in the fifth inning and Avery Owusu-Asiedu and Orf each picked up RBIs in the sixth.
Western Illinois scored twice in the sixth and tacked on four more in the eighth.
In all, the Cougars outhit the Leathernecks 14-13 in the game. SIUE 10 runners on base.
Johnson led the way with three hits and three RBIs. Josh Ohl, Brady Bunten, Owusu-Asiedu and Mize each finished with two hits.
Cougars pitchers issued 11 walks and hit seven batters in the game. Alec Kubik (0-1) allowed six runs, five earned, in 2 2/3 innings to take the loss. Quinn Waterhouse started and surrendered six runs in 2 1/3 innings. Spencer Smith worked two innings allowing two runs and Kyle Dixon worked an inning, giving up four runs. Freshman Coby Rogers worked a scoreless ninth in his debut for the Cougars. He struck out two.
Western Illinois centerfielder Dillon Sears had four hits and four RBIs to lead the Leathernecks.
EVANSVILLE 20, AUSTIN PEAY 4
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Catcher Jack Alexander went 2-for-3 with two RBI but Austin Peay State University’s baseball team dropped a 20-4 decision to Evansville, Wednesday, on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay (7-12) kept pace with Evansville through the opening five innings. Right fielder Gino Avros doubled to lead off both the first and third innings – scoring on an Alexander double in the first and first baseman Ty DeLancey’s single in the third.
Third baseman Michael Robinson doubled to lead off the fourth and scored on designated hitter Cristian Otero’s ground out. Austin Peay’s final run came after Avros walked to start the fifth and scored on Alexander’s single and the Govs trailed 5-4 after five innings.
Evansville (7-10) broke the game open in the sixth, sending 16 batters to the plate and scoring 12 runs. Shortstop Simon Sherry had a pair of run-scoring doubles in the frame. Designated hitter Eric Roberts also had a pair of run-scoring singles in the inning. Left fielder Chase Hug and right fielder Mark Shallenberger each added two-run singles.
Scherry finished the night 5-for-7 with five RBI with a pair of doubles. Shallenberger was 3-for-5 with three RBI and two walks. First baseman Tanner Craig and catcher Brendan Hord also provided home runs.
Starter Chase Reinhardt (1-1) was credited with the win after allowing three runs on five hits over the opening four innings.
Alexander’s 2-for-3, two RBI effort led the Govs offense. Reserve third baseman TJ Rogers added a 2-for-2 outing of the bench. Avros was 2-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored.
Austin Peay starter Luke Brown (1-3) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work.