SATURDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 14, @Murray State 6
@SIUE 6, UT Martin 0
Morehead State 9, @Tennessee Tech 7
@Austin Peay 8, Southeast Missouri 7
Eastern Illinois 3, @Butler 2
BELMONT 14, MURRAY STATE 6
MURRAY, Ky. - Tommy Crider hit two home runs, Guy Lipscomb hit another, and the Belmont University baseball team rolled to their second straight road win over Murray State on Saturday, 14-6, at Johnny Reagan Field in Murray, Ky.
After tripling in the first, homering in the second, and doubling in the sixth, Crider walked up to the plate in the eighth inning just a single shy of the cycle.
The junior from Madison, Ala., proceeded to hit a solo shot over the left-field fence, securing his second multi-homer game of the season. Crider hit two home runs against Evansville in a 7-4 win back on March 9.
With Lipscomb's home run in the sixth inning, the win marked the first time this season that Belmont (18-9, 4-1 OVC) hit three home runs in a single game. Crider's second home run also meant that a Bruin went deep twice in a single game for the second day in a row, with Brodey Heaton accomplishing that feat less than 24 hours earlier in a 13-6 win over the Racers on Friday.
After going 3-for-4 with four runs on Friday, Lipscomb followed it up with a 2-for-4 and three-run showing on Saturday.
Andy Bean (W, 4-1) was dominant for the first six innings, retiring 11 in a row after giving up a two-run home run in the first inning. Prior to a rough seventh inning, Bean allowed just three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts.
Murray State tagged him for three more runs in the seventh, but Bean finished the game tying his career-high with eight strikeouts.
Lane Lamberth and Aaron Hubbell both pitched well in relief, tossing the final 2 2/3 innings without being charged with a run while combining for four strikeouts.
Offensively, the Bruins picked up right where they left off on Friday. The 14 runs and 16 hits on Saturday both set season-highs, and got production from players normally on the bench.
The Bruins put up four runs in the first inning, four runs in the second inning, one run in the third inning, one in the sixth and seventh each, and three runs in the eighth.
Mason Landers got his first start of the season at third base and proceeded to go 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Drew Lowry came on as a pinch hitter and delivered an RBI triple, and Jack Rando started for the second game in a row and went 1-for-3 with a run and a walk.
SIUE 6, UT MARTIN 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Colin Baumgartner, Alec Kubik and Jake Bockenstedt combined to toss a two-hit shutout Saturday. SIUE blanked UT Martin 6-0 in the second game of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series at Simmons Baseball Complex.
The Cougars improved to 11-13 overall and 1-4 in the OVC. UT Martin fell to 8-16 and 1-4.
SIUE scored three times in the bottom of the second inning on two hits and two walks. A two-run double from Avery Owusu-Asiedu and a sacrifice fly from Brady Bunten drove home the runs.
Steven Pattan doubled before scoring on a wild pitch and Brett Johnson blasted his OVC-leading 11th home run of the year in the second inning to push SIUE's lead to 5-0. Pattan drove home a run with his second double of the day in the third for the Cougars' sixth run.
Colin Baumgartner threw two perfect innings before exiting the game. Alec Kubik followed with 6 2/3 innings. The Two held the Skyhawks hitless through the first five innings.
Alec Beamon led off the sixth with an infield hit, which was UT Martin's only hit until the ninth inning.
UTM loaded the bases against Kubik with two outs in the inning on two walks and a hit by Jack Culumovic.
Jake Bockenstedt relieved Kubik and struck out Skyhawks right fielder Will Lafollette to end the game.
Kubik struck out five during his time in the game.
SIUE outhit UT Martin 10-2. Owusu-Asiedu led the way with three hits and two RBIs. Johnson, Pattan and Ole Arntson each had two hits.
MOREHEAD STATE 9, TENNESSEE TECH 7
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Contrary to the series opener, there was no shortage of runs Saturday, as the Morehead State baseball team defeated Tennessee Tech 9-7. With the win, Morehead State (12-14, 4-1 OVC) won its fifth straight game, have already taken two of three from TTU, and will look for the sweep in tomorrow's finale.
The Eagles wasted no time getting on the board Saturday, as Ryley Preece blasted the third pitch of the game over the right field wall for a 1-0 lead. Two more runs crossed in the inning, as Logan Castleman scored on an RBI double by Nick Gooden, who also scored on a throwing error following a Chase Vinson single, giving Morehead State a 3-0 lead after the first.
After Alex Kafka worked a scoreless bottom of the first, Isaias Guzman led off the top of the second with a single and advanced to second on Bryson Stripling's sacrifice bunt. Preece then came to the plate and launched his second home run of the game out of the yard to give Morehead State a five-run advantage. Jackson Feltner then singled and advanced to third on a double from Castleman before scoring on a groundout from Alex Jacobs.
Tennessee Tech didn't stay down, however, as they pushed an unearned run across on an error. Kafka retired the next three batters in order to get out of the inning with a five-run lead.
TTU cut further into the lead in the third with a three-spot in the bottom half. Jason Hinchman hit a two-run homer to left field, and another run scored in the inning on a single from Hayden Gilliand. The Golden Eagles tied the game at six in the fourth with two more runs, but Joe Rotkis kept the game tied after that.
Morehead State's bats came alive again in the fifth to retake the lead. Jacobs drew a walk to open the inning and then stole second base, his second straight game with a stolen base and 24th straight game reaching base safely. Chase Vinson got Jacobs to third on a sacrifice fly before Colton Becker came through for the Eagles again with an RBI double down the left field line to put MSU back on top 7-6.
Andrew Crumbley came on in the bottom of the fifth and got Gilliand to pop out to second base before handing the ball to Matt Bettio (W, 2-1), who finished the inning.
The first two batters of the sixth inning struck out, but Feltner wouldn't be denied as he smacked his sixth homer of the season over the left field wall to give Morehead State an 8-6 lead. Bettio walked the leadoff batter to start the bottom half, but was able to get two outs and an 0-2 count on Hinchman before handing the ball off to Jarrett Miller, who got Hinchman to pop out to Nick Gooden at second to end the inning. TTU was able to push a run across against Miller in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to one, but the ironman stranded two runners in scoring position to end the inning on a groundout.
In the eighth, Preece (4-5, 3 HR, 4 RBI, SB) decided he wasn't done playing long-ball, taking Brock Myers deep for his third homer of the day and team-leading ninth of the season. Those three homers are a single-game best for any Eagle in 2022, and gave Morehead State a 9-7 lead they held the rest of the way.
John Bakke came on in the eighth and worked a scoreless frame. Castleman smacked a single into right field for his fourth hit of the day, before Jacobs extended his hit streak to 16 in his last chance to do so, but both men were left stranded in a scoreless top of the ninth.
Bakke returned to the mound in the bottom half and gave up a leadoff single to Ryan Guardino, but got Dyer to fly out before Zach Bondurant grounded into a double play to end the game. Bakke has finished both games in the series thus far, and is up to six saves on the season.
AUSTIN PEAY 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7
CLARSKVILLE, Tenn. - Returning to the lineup for the first time in 23 days, designated hitter John McDonald hit a seventh-inning grand slam that proved to be the game-winning hit in the Austin Peay State University baseball team’s 8-7 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Southeast Missouri, Saturday, on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
With the win, Austin Peay (10-18, 3-2 OVC) claims the OVC series against Southeast Missouri (18-7, 3-2 OVC).
Southeast Missouri built a 7-2 lead through six innings thanks largely to first baseman Lincoln Andrews who finished the game 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBI. His solo home run in the second inning gave the Redhawks a 3-0 lead. Andrews tacked on a two-run home run in the fourth and a solo home run in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-2.
Meanwhile, Redhawks starting pitcher Noah Niznik went into the seventh inning while holding Austin Peay to two runs on four hits. However, he would not record an out in the seventh, after Govs third baseman Michael Robinson and shortstop John Bolton opened with a double and a run-scoring single, respectively.
Southeast Missouri’s bullpen momentarily stemmed the Austin Peay run with Blake Cisneros striking out a pinch hitter to start his outing. But APSU left fielder Gino Avros hit a RBI single to narrow the deficit to 7-4 before Cisneros struck out another Austin Peay batter for the inning’s second out.
Cisneros’ outing would end after first baseman Ty DeLancey walked and reliever Hunter Ralls would walk the first batter he faced to load the bases. Ralls would get ahead in the count, 1-2, against McDonald before the Govs designated hitter fought back to a full count. On the payoff pitch, he belted a grand slam to right-center field giving Austin Peay an 8-7 lead it would not relinquish.
The home run was McDonald’s lone hit in a 1-for-3, four RBI effort that included a walk and run scored in the second inning. Avros went 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a two-run single in the second.
Austin Peay reliever Jacob Weaver (1-1) picked up the win with his scoreless seventh inning. Peyton Jula followed with two scoreless innings to record his season’s first save.
Ralls (3-2) took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits before recording his lone out to end the seventh. Niznik was left with no decision after holding Austin Peay to four runs on six hits while striking out seven over six-plus innings.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, BUTLER 2
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Eastern Illinois (17-5, 3-0 OVC) take game two of their four-game series against the Butler Bulldogs (12-14, 0-0 Big East) Saturday afternoon as EIU goes on to win by a final of 3-2.
Starting RHP Cameron Doherty (4-2) picked up his fourth win of the season after throwing 7.1 innings allowing six hits, two runs and had three strikeouts. Zane Robbins earned his eighth save of the season which ranks second in the OVC. Nathan Aide went 3-4 at the plate including a homerun in the fourth inning.
EIU's offense struck fast today after going scoreless in game one of the series against Butler. After a scoreless first inning with both teams going three-up three-down, the Panthers struck first in the second. Ignoffo and Aide lead off the inning with two singles to put runners at the corners. Travis Reaves then hit into a fielder's choice to score Ignoffo at third to put EIU up 1-0.
Doherty would allow an RBI triple in the bottom half of the second to tie the game at one all. The Panthers defense would throw out the runner at third going home to stop Butler from scoring again.
Ja'Lil Akbar would single to start the third inning followed by a hit-by-pitch for Lincoln Riley. Both runners would advance after a pass ball. Lucas DiLuca would single to center field to score Akbar from third to give EIU to lead at 2-1. Doherty would end the third inning with a strikeout.
Aide would lift EIU in the fourth with his homerun to center field that would give EIU a two run lead. That marked Aide's fourth homerun of the season. Doherty would make quick work of the Bulldogs in the bottom of the fourth.
Eastern would threaten in the fifth with runners on first and third, but failed to add to their lead. Doherty continued to pitch a strong game for EIU has he went three-up three-down in consecutive innings.
Butler would chip away at the lead in the sixth with a homerun by Steinhart off of Doherty to cut the lead to 3-2. Doherty would get out of the innings with no more damage to retain Eastern's lead.
Jesse Wainscott would come in with one out in the bottom of the eighth for EIU to relieve Doherty on the mound. Wainscott would strike out two to retire Butler in the eighth. Robbins would give up a double in the ninth, but managed to close out the game for EIU to pick up his eighth save.