TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Murray State 8, Alabama A&M 2
@Eastern Kentucky 6,
Morehead State 3
@SIUE 14, Illinois State 7
@Lipscomb 10,
Tennessee Tech 2
@Austin Peay 5, North Alabama 3
Belmont 8, @Evansville 2
@Southern Illinois 7,
Southeast Missouri 6 (11)
MURRAY STATE 8, ALABAMA A&M 2
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State (22-18) baseball won their fourth consecutive game Tuesday evening, defeating Alabama A&M 8-2 at Johnny Reagan Field in Murray, Kentucky. The Racers sweep the seasonal matchups with the Bulldogs after previously defeating the side 7-3 on March 30.
The Murray State offense continued to roll with eight more runs on Tuesday to bring the count to 64 runs in the last four games. Jake Slunder led the MSU bats from the top of the order, going 3-for-3 on the night while scoring a pair of runs. Redshirt junior Brennan McCullough grabbed two hits in the game while also scoring a run. Freshman left fielder Carson Garner drove a two-RBI triple as a catalyst for the Murray State six-run sixth inning. Bryson Bloomer his RBI hot-streak, driving in two more runs for 18 RBIs in his last six games. Sophomore Parker Estes collected a hit and an RBI in the matchup while Alex Crump grabbed a knock and scored two runs to round out the MSU offense.
Ryan Fender got the start for the Racers and put together his best outing of the season, going 5.1 innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out five. Allen Roullete earned the win in relief after punching out three in 1.2 scoreless innings. MSU pitchers allowed just four hits while striking out nine on the evening.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, MOREHEAD STATE 3
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Morehead State baseball team's rough patch continued Tuesday, falling to rival Eastern Kentucky 6-3 at Earle Combs Stadium. The Eagles (16-23, 5-7 OVC) fought back from an early deficit and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but couldn't complete the comeback, losing their fourth game in a row.
Morehead State threatened early, as Ryley Preece singled to open the contest, but was caught stealing at second. Jackson Feltner then sent a line drive to the gap, but was thrown out at second after barely coming off the bag on the slide in. Trevor Callahan escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half with an inning-ending strikeout.
Following that scoreless first, EKU plated four runs (three unearned) in the home second to take an early 4-0 lead. Matt Bettio limited the damage there to end the inning. The Colonels pushed two more across in the fourth to make the score 6-0.
Morehead State began to battle back in the fifth, as Isaias Guzman drove in Nick Gooden from second on a line-drive double to left centerfield. Guzman now has a hit in 11 of his last 12 games, driving in 15 runs in that period.
Two more runs crossed in the sixth for the Eagles, as Roman Kuntz floated a single into no-man's land in shallow left to score Brody Shoupe from third. Kuntz scored on a throwing error following an infield single from Alex Jacobs to make the score 6-3. Jacobs finished with two hits and extended his on-base streak to 37 games, a streak that now leads the OVC in 2022. He also has a five-game hit-streak as well and has a hit in 29 of his last 30 games.
Morehead State threatened again in the ninth, bringing the tying-run to the plate with one out, but couldn't cash in in the end, dropping the mid-week clash. The Eagles had opportunities and even out-hit the Colonels, but left seven runners stranded in total.
SIUE 14, ILLINOIS STATE 7
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball notched its fifth-consecutive win on Tuesday evening, as the Cougars took down in-state foe Illinois State by a 14-7 margin at Roy E. Lee Field.
The game was scoreless through the first 2.5 innings, but the hot Cougar bats found their stride in the home half of the third inning. A double to right field advanced Drew Mize home to give the Cougars the early advantage. Connor Kiffer singled through the left side in the next at-bat to send Brett Johnson across the plate to double the lead. An ISU pitching change did not slow down SIUE, as a throwing error off a failed pickoff attempt sent Richie Well home, before Brady Bunten notched his first RBI of the contest to score Kiffer. The Cougars registered their first home run of the fixture one inning later, as Johnson powered the ball past the right-field wall for his single-season record-tying 15th home run of the season, increasing the SIUE lead to six.
The Redbirds cut the SIUE lead back to four with a two-run shot of their own; however, the margin would not stand for long - a sacrifice fly from Nick Roes scored Bunten, before Brennan Orf scored on a wild pitch in the following at-bat. The second sacrifice fly of the inning came off the bat of Johnson, who scored Pierson to bring the Cougar lead to seven. Illinois State registered a home run in the visitor's half of the sixth inning, cutting the Cougar lead back down to five.
A five-run sixth inning followed, as Orf and Avery Owusu-Asiedu both notched RBIs to give SIUE an 11-4 lead. Nic Roes stepped up to the plate with two men on and one out and registered the first home run of his collegiate career to extend the Cougar lead to 10. The home run gave the Cougars their 69th home run of the season - tying them with the 1998 squad for the most home runs by a Cougar team in a single season. The Redbirds scored three more times, but SIUE's strong outing proved too much for the visitors and resulted in the 14-7 final score.
LIPSCOMB 10, TENNESSEE TECH 2
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Tech baseball team struggled to get its offense rolling Tuesday evening, falling to in-state rival Lipscomb in a midweek battle at Dugan Field in Nashville 10-2.
The Bisons (24-17) held the potent Golden Eagle attack to just five hits on the night, taking advantage of the rare cold streak to take an early lead and never look back. Lipscomb hit a pair of solo home runs in the first and added another run in the second for a quick, 3-0 advantage.
Tech (21-17) held the home squad without a run in the third, with southpaw Jackson Berry tossing a shutout frame. The Bisons plated two more runs in the fourth, increasing the lead to 5-0. Colt Taylor entered the contest out of the bullpen for Tech in the fifth, also completing a scoreless inning with a pair of punch-outs.
In the sixth, the Golden Eagles broke through with the bats, stringing together a trio of hits to get on the board. First baseman Golston Gillespie delivered a single to second base to get things started.
Coming off a pair of National Player of the Week honors, right fielder Ryan Guardino ripped his own base hit to right-center field to put a pair of runners on. Designated hitter John Dyer followed with a two-run double to right field, producing in a clutch situation for the purple and gold.
Lipscomb answered with a solo run in the bottom half and continued to extend the lead with a single run in the seventh and three more in the eighth. The Bisons' bullpen kept the Golden Eagles off the board the rest of the way.
Despite being held to the six hits, the Tech squad did show some patience, drawing six walks and getting plunked by a pair of pitches. Guardino led the effort on the night, staying red hot with a 2-for-2 day and a pair of free passes.
AUSTIN PEAY 5, NORTH ALABAMA 3
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - – Interim head coach Trevor Fitts won in his debut as Austin Peay State University’s baseball team forged a come-from-behind 5-3 nonconference victory against North Alabama, Tuesday night, on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Elevated to interim head coach just over 24 hours before Tuesday’s first pitch, Fitts saw the Govs pitching staff piece together a solid outing from start to finish, limiting North Alabama (9-29) to three runs while scattering 11 hits.
Starter Jacob Weaver allowed two runs in the first inning, but did not allow a run over the next three frames. Catcher Jack Alexander helped him out in the second, catching two runners attempting to steal bases to end the inning. A lead off hit in the third was left on the bases and a leadoff single in the fourth was wiped out as part of a batter’s interference double play, wrapping up Weaver’s stay on the mound.
Reliever Austin Carder, making his second appearance of the season, supplied two innings of relief, allowing only one unearned run. The Govs then sent catcher-turned-pitcher Tyler Cotto (1-0) to the mound for his debut. He struck out the first two batters he faced and retired the side in order to keep the score 3-1 after seven innings and would eventually claiming his first victory.
Austin Peay’s (16-25) offense put runners on base in five of the first six innings only to score one run after an error extended an inning. But that changed in the seventh when, with two out, the Governors strung together four hits to score three runs.
First baseman Ty Delancey started the rally with a double that bounced over the wall in right and would score on Alexander’s single. Designated hitter John McDonald would hit a double into the right-center gap and Alexander scored from first base to tie the game. Right fielder Harrison Brown then hit the first pitch he saw down the right-field line to drive in McDonald for a 4-3 lead.
Govs reliever Peyton Jula took over in the eighth and allowed a walk and single to start his outing. Alexander helped out his battery-mate on an attempted sacrifice bunt, catching the popped-up bunt and throwing to second to record the double play.
Jula closed the eighth with a strikeout then struck out the first two batters he faced in the ninth before issuing a walk. He recovered by inducing a fly out to end the game for his second save.
Left fielder TJ Foreman went 3-for-4 with a RBI to lead the Govs 13-hit outing. DeLancey, McDonald, and Harrison Brown had two hits each.
North Alabama posted 11 hits on the night with third baseman Jonathan Lane going 3-for-4 to lead the way. Second baseman Drew Hudson was 1-for-4 with two RBI that supplied the game’s first runs.
Lions reliever Will Morris (2-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in the seventh inning.
BELMONT 8, EVANSVILLE 2
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - With an 8-2 win over Evansville on the road Tuesday night, the Belmont University baseball team gave head coach Dave Jarvis his 700th win at Belmont.
Jarvis, who recorded his 1,000th career collegiate win in February and is already the winningest coach in program history, becomes one of just 16 active coaches to record 700 or more Division I wins at their current school. Jarvis has shepherded the Bruin program since its transition to Division I in 1998.
Jarvis' milestone wasn't the only record that fell—with Guy Lipscomb's stolen base in the first inning, the sophomore from Franklin, Tenn., broke the Belmont record for stolen bases in a single season with his 31st of the year.
Lipscomb, who is currently second in the country in stolen bases, surpassed a mark that had been held by Matt Reynolds since 2005.
Belmont (27-14, 9-3 OVC) moved to a perfect 4-0 in the state of Indiana this season, adding on to their three-game sweep of Purdue in West Lafayette this past weekend. The Bruins also closed the book on a season sweep of Evansville, after beating them in Nashville, 7-4, on March 9.
Lipscomb finished 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and now has ten hits over his last three games, beginning with Saturday's 11-1 win over Purdue.
Tommy Crider finished a home run shy of the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a triple, a double, and a single, as well as a walk.
Leading 3-2, the Bruins broke the game open in the eighth inning, with Jackson Campbell homering to left field on the first pitch of the eighth to give Belmont a two-run advantage. After the Evansville reliever recorded two straight outs, Belmont then recorded five hits and sent six batters to the plate in a row with two outs, plating four more runs in the process.
After Lipscomb doubled, John Behrends got an infield single and Heaton walked to load the bases. Carson Shacklett delivered a pinch-hit two-RBI double down the left field line, then Mason Landers provided a two-RBI single to make it a five-run eighth inning for the Bruins.
When the dust settled, Belmont led 8-2 and wouldn't look back.
Jordan Zuger (W, 2-1) was phenomenal for the second start in a row, going 4.2 innings while allowing just one run on three hits. The freshman retired the first eight batters he faced, and did not give up a hit until the fourth inning.
Aaron Hubbell went a stellar 2.1 innings in relief, allowing just one run on a solo homer. Dusty Baird and Dominic Baratta each tossed a scoreless inning to hand Belmont their fourth straight win.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 7, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6 (11)
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Lincoln Andrews went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and one run scored as Southeast Missouri (28-11) lost to Southern Illinois (29-11), 7-6, on a walkoff home run in extra innings.
Jack Rigoni led off SIU's final at-bat with a game-winning home run to left field, his fourth hit of the game.
SEMO led, 6-1, when the Salukis scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game.
The Salukis made their late surge after Andrews homered for the fourth time in three games with his two-run bomb in the top half of the frame.
Jeremy Schork doubled home two runs to cut the Redhawks lead in half. J.T. Weber then hit a three-run home run with two outs to make it a 6-6 ballgame.
SEMO built a quick lead in the top of the first inning, where Jevon Mason led the game off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Wilber.
Andrew Keck doubled to left field to push the Redhawks lead to 2-1 in the third.
An inning later, Ben Palmer delivered a two-RBI double to score both Spencer Parker and Brett Graber.
SEMO edged SIU, 11-10, in the hit column. Mason and Palmer joined Andrews with two hits, while five other Redhawks had a hit.
Kyle Miller (7-3) suffered the loss. Miller struck out two and gave up a hit in one inning.
The Salukis completed a sweep in this year's home-and-home series with a pair of one-run victories.