WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Bellarmine 16,
Austin Peay 8
Eastern Illinois 7, @Illinois Wesleyan 4
BELLARMINE 16, AUSTIN PEAY 8
LOUISVILLE - Catcher Tyler Cotto had two hits and two RBI but a trio of big innings proved Austin Peay State University baseball team’s undoing in a 16-8 loss to Bellarmine, Wednesday, at Knights Field.
Austin Peay (16-26) scored in each of the first four innings. Errors in the first and second innings aided the Govs in scoring a run in each frame. Left fielder TJ Foreman led off the third with a walk and the Govs would load the bases with back-to-back two-out walks, but settled for a single run on a wild pitch.
The Govs would tie the game, 5-5, with two runs in the fourth. Shortstop John Bolton started the frame with a single and center fielder Skyler Luna followed with a double. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by second baseman Gino Avros and Foreman brought both Bolton and Luna home to level the score.
Bellarmine (9-31) broke the tie with the next 10 runs to break the game. Left fielder Matt Higgins’ 16th home run of the season was a solo shot that broke the tie in the fourth. In the decisive fifth frame, the Knights base running aided in scoring the next three runs in the frame courtesy a trio of stolen bases. Right fielder Jacob Mulcahy’s solo home run capped the inning’s scoring with the Knights leading 11-5.
Reliever Kyle Nunn (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing the solo home run in the fourth.
He tossed two innings allowing one run on three hits as the second of six Governors pitchers in the game.
Cotto, who had a two-run single in the ninth, was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Luna was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored. The Governors finished with 11 hits on the day.
Bellarmine’s Ryan Johnson (1-2) was credited with the win as the fifth of nine Bellarmine pitchers. At the plate, Higgins was 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI. Catcher Ashton Smith was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Austin Peay continues its road trip with a three-game nonconference series at Toledo, Friday-Sunday. The Govs and Rockets start the series with a 2 p.m. (CT), Friday contest followed by noon starts Saturday and Sunday.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 7, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 4
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (26-12, 7-5 OVC) wins a bounce back game at Illinois Wesleyan (15-15, 6-6 CCIW) by a final score of 7-4. Relief pitcher Zane Robbins picks up his 11th save of the season to set the EIU single season record for saves. Robbins remains in second in the OVC in that category. Nicholas Rucker went 1-2 with an RBI and two walks at the plate and Ben Gallaher went 0-2 with an RBI and two walks in the win. Eastern throws nine pitchers in the game with starter Mac Hickman picking up his fourth win of the season.
Illinois Wesleyan scored two of their runs to start the afternoon in the first inning off of starter Hickman. Dominic DiLello singled through the left side of the infield to score the first run. Jared Mutter picked up another RBI later in the inning in a groundout to Ja'Lil Akbar.
EIU would get the bats out in the bottom of first by scoring four runs. After Lincoln Riley, Logan Eickhoff, and Ryan Ignoffo loaded the bases, Riley would score on a pass ball to put EIU on the board. Nathan Aide would load the bases again with a walk which would bring up Chris Worcester who would walk in an RBI. Rucker would follow him with another RBI walk. Ben Gallaher brought in the last of Eastern's four runs with an RBI fielder's choice.
Tyler Conklin would strike out two in one inning of work in the second, and Kyle Lang would add two more strikeouts after two straight scoreless innings for Wesleyan. EIU would tack on one more run after Aide scored on a balk by Nate Carlson.
Jackson Nicholas would enter the game in the fourth inning, and allow one run to IWU. Evan Hutson would single through the left side to score Mutter and cut the EIU lead to 5-3. Wesleyan would add one more run in the fifth inning off of Blake Malatestinic after Louis Perona singled to center field to score DiLello.
After a scoreless Titans sixth inning, EIU would bring the bats out again in the bottom half of the inning. Rucker, Gallaher, and Akbar all reached safely to load the bases with no outs. Rucker would score on a wild pitch for the first run of the inning. DiLuca would pick up his only RBI of the afternoon on a single to right field to score Gallaher, and put EIU up 7-4.
Jesse Wainscott, Hayden Birdsong, and Zane Robbins all recorded at least one strikeout in the last three innings to secure the Panthers win. Robbins earned his 11th save of the season to put him atop to EIU single season saves list. He is also tied for seventh all-time in saves.
EIU scored seven runs on six hits and one error. The Titans scored four runs on 11 hits and one error. The Panthers will be back in action on Friday when they start a three-game series against OVC opponent Tennessee Tech in Cooksville. Livestats and ESPN+ will be available for all games.