SATURDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 6, @Murray State 4
@Belmont 5, Southeast Missouri 3
@Tennessee Tech 15-9, Eastern Illinois 11-14
@Toledo 7,
Austin Peay 4
SIUE 6, MURRAY STATE 4
MURRAY, Ky. - SIUE baseball erased a four-run deficit Saturday on its way to a 6-4 win over Murray State in the second game of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Johnny Reagan Field.
SIUE improved to 20-19 overall and 7-7 in OVC play. Murray State slipped to 23-19 overall and 8-9 in league play.
Bryson Bloomer doubled in a run and Drew Vogel hit a two-run home run in a three-run first inning to put the Racers ahead early. Murray State picked up a run in the second inning on a wild pitch to lead 4-0.
The Cougars got run-scoring singles from Drew Mize and Josh Ohl and an RBI-double from Brett Johnson in the fifth inning to cut the Racers' lead to 4-3.
Ohl put the Cougars head for good in the seventh when he took a 2-2 pitch from Murray State reliever Jordyn Naranjo out to center for his ninth home run of the year. The two-run shot put SIUE on top 5-4. The home run was the 70th of the season for SIUE, breaking the school record held by the 1998 team.
Steven Pattan scored from second base on a Richie Well single in the eighth to give the Cougars the two-run advantage.
Kaid Karnes (5-3) settled in to throw seven innings, throwing five scoreless innings to finish his outing. He struck out seven. Kyle Dixon followed with two scoreless innings. He allowed just a single hit and struck out three to earn his first save.
The Cougars finished with six hits, two of which came from Mize.
BELMONT 5, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
NASHVILLE - A two-run home run in the eighth inning from Jack Capobianco lifted the Belmont University baseball team to a huge 5-3 win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday at E.S. Rose Park.
With the series tied at 1-1 heading into Sunday's series finale, the winner of the rubber match scheduled for 1 p.m. will hold first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Capobianco's home run to left-center field was just the second of his career, and his first-ever at E.S. Rose Park. It broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning and helped cement one of the most dramatic comebacks of the season.
Trailing 3-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Belmont (28-15, 10-4 OVC) got a leadoff double from Tommy Crider before Logan Jarvis singled to center field to score Austin Ehren, who was on to pinch-run for Crider, and tie the game at 3-3.
After a strikeout of a Bruin batter, Capobianco then homered off Kyle Miller, one of the best relievers in the OVC, to send the Belmont crowd and dugout into a frenzy.
Dusty Baird (SV, 1) came on to shut the door in the ninth inning and hand Belmont the series-tying victory.
Joshua South (W, 6-2) delivered one of his best performances of the year, going eight innings with a season-high nine strikeouts on 122 pitches, the second-most pitches he has thrown in his career.
South limited one of the best offenses in the conference to just six hits and three runs, while only walking two Redhawks.
Southeast Missouri grabbed the lead first in the opening inning, but Belmont was able to tie the game back up on a Guy Lipscomb RBI single through the right side that drove in Carson Shacklett in the third inning.
After the Redhawks took the lead again in the fourth frame, Lipscomb delivered another game-tying RBI single, this time to second base to drive in Capobianco in the seventh inning.
Lipscomb finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Following a home run from Southeast Missouri in the top of the eighth to take a 3-2 lead, the Bruins rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning and held on for the win.
TENNESSEE TECH 15-9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 11-14
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois (28-13, 9-6 OVC) split a doubleheader to win the series at Tennessee Tech (22-19, 6-9).
In game one, Eastern went three-up three-down to start the afternoon off starting pitch Matt Gelmore. The Golden Eagles would put runners on first and second against Doherty but were shut down after back-to-back strikeouts from Doherty.
Tennessee Tech was the first team to get on the board after Austin Turner hit a sac bunt to second base to score John Dyer. Doherty would get a flyout to end the second.
Panthers would strike back in the top of the third after Rucker and Grant Lashure both reached safely to start the inning. Doyle would hit a sac bunt to move the runners over. Rucker would then score off a wild pitch from Gelmore to tie the game at one.
Jason Hinchman would single down the left field line to bring home Gabe Lacy after he doubled. Ryan Guardino continued his strong series when he doubled to right field to bring home henchman. Dyer continued the inning with a two-run home run to center field off Doherty. Turner ended the inning for the Golden Eagles with an RBI triple to give TTU a 6-1 lead.
After a scoreless fourth from the Panthers, Tennessee Tech would add four more to their lead. Guardino singled to center field to collect an RBI. Golston Gillespie then added a two RBI single through the right side and was followed by an RBI single by Noah Hattier to push the lead to 10-1.
The Panthers would have runners on in the fifth but were doubled up off a strikeout by Riley and a pick off from TTU's catcher to first to get Dalton Doyle. Tennessee Tech added another runoff a sac fly by Guardino to extend their lead to 10.
EIU would start to climb their way back in the top of the sixth with five runs added to their total. After two singles by Lucas DiLuca and Eickhoff and a walk by Ignoffo, Aide would hit a grand slam to cut the lead to five. Nicholas Rucker then followed Aide with a solo home run for the Panthers' second home run of the inning. TTU's Gillespie hit a leadoff homerun off Tyler Conklin for their only run of the inning.
Ignoffo hit his 12th homerun of the season after a no-doubt two run home run to left field off Colt Taylor in the top of the seventh. Guardino collected his sixth RBI on the game after a three-run home run in the bottom half of the seventh inning.
Chris Worcester started the eighth inning with a double to left center and was followed by Ben Gallaher who picked up an RBI single up the middle. EIU scored in three straight innings after the RBI by Gallaher. Riley would drive in a run after he grounded out to shortstop, and Doyle would add the final run in the eighth after a pass ball to cut the lead to 15-11. EIU would go scoreless in the top of the ninth to end the game.
In game two, Logan Eickhoff and Ryan Ignoffo both hit grand slams for the Panthers in game two on Saturday to lead EIU at the plate. Kyle Lang picked up his second win of the season after throwing 2.1 innings and only allowing two hits and two runs. Blake Malatestinic threw the last two innings in the win and struck out four. Lincoln Riley, Eickhoff, Dalton Doyle and Ja'Lil Akbar all had multiple hits for the Panthers.
EIU got the scoring underway in the first inning in game two with an RBI single by Eickhoff to score Lucas DiLuca. The Golden Eagles would get out of the inning leaving two Panthers stranded.
After a scoreless inning by TTU, Dalton Doyle and Grant Lashure singled to start the second. After a sac bunt by Akbar, Riley grounded out to shortstop to score Doyle from third. Ky Hampton would strikeout one in a scoreless bottom of the second.
Tennessee Tech took the lead after a three run third inning. Ed Johnson started the third with a two-run home run off of Hampton. Jason Hinchman followed Johnson by hitting a solo shot to give TTU the lead.
EIU wouldn't be down for long in the fourth. With two outs, Akbar, Lincoln Riley and DiLuca all reached safely to load the bases. Eickhoff stepped up and delivered his first grand slam of the season. Hampton would end the fourth with a double play to keep TTU off the board.
The Golden Eagles would not go away as they would score four of their own in the fifth. Gabe Lacy and Ryan Guardino both hit two-run home runs in the fifth to put them in the lead by one.
The Panthers kept the bats going in the sixth as Ignoffo hit the Panthers' second grand slam of the afternoon. Eickhoff, DiLuca, and Akbar all scored as EIU took the three run lead. Kyle Lang kept the Golden Eagles off the board in the sixth.
Two more Panthers would hit home runs in the seventh to extend their lead. Dalton Doyle blasted a solo home run with one out in the seventh off of Jackson Berry. Two batters later Akbar hit his first home run of the season with a two-run shot to left center field. TTU would score two in the bottom of the inning with two back-to-back home runs from Hinchman and Guardino.
Blake Malatestinic comes in the eighth inning and strikes two out to shut down TTU to enter the ninth. Riley gets one run in in the ninth after an RBI single up the middle. Malatestinic strikes out two in the ninth to secure the win for EIU.
EIU scored 14 runs on 12 hits with zero errors. TTU scored nine runs on 12 hits and no errors.
TOLEDO 7, AUSTIN PEAY 4
TOLEDO, Ohio - Austin Peay State University’s baseball team broke through for four runs in the sixth inning but could not overcome Toledo’s fast start in a 7-4 nonconference loss, Saturday at Scott Field.
An early miscue proved decisive in Saturday’s affair, leading to Toledo’s (24-17) five-run second inning. First baseman Mason Sykes reached on an error to start the inning and the Rockets would load the bases with a pair of walks.
Governors starter Harley Gollert got the inning’s second out with a strikeout of second baseman Brian Fry, but the top of the Toledo order would not allow him to close the inning. Shortstop Jeron Williams, center fielder Scott Mackiewicz, and right fielder John Servello each hit singles that combined to drive in five runs for an early 5-0 lead.
Austin Peay (16-28) could not solve Toledo starter Kyle Jones through five innings with only center fielder TJ Foreman’s third-inning single being the only hit he allowed. However, the Govs started the sixth inning with left fielder Gino Avros’ walk and Foreman’s double to put two in scoring position.
First baseman Ty DeLancey drove in a run with a ground out and catcher Jack Alexander tacked on a second run with a single. Designated hitter John McDonald would walk to put two in scoring position again, ending Power’s day.
Reliever Brennan McCune was greeted by back-to-back run-scoring singles from right fielder Harrison Brown and third baseman Michael Robinson, narrowing the Rockets lead to 6-4. However, they would not get any closer as McCune struck out the next two batters and Toledo would not allow a run over the final three innings.
Gollert (2-5) suffered the loss after allowing six runs (one earned) on nine hits in four innings of work. Reliever Kyle Nunn allowed one run over three innings and Jacob Weaver tossed a scoreless eighth, striking out two batters.
Power (5-2) collected the win after holding Austin Peay to four runs on three hits and four walks in his 5.1 innings of work. The Rockets bullpen saw three pitchers combine for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Austin Peay’s offense was held to six hits with Foreman and Harrison Brown posting two hits each.
Williams and Mackiewicz had three hits and two RBI each to lead Toledo’s 12-hit outing.