SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 5-5, @SIUE 4-11
@Belmont 4, Tennessee Tech 1
@Southeast Missouri 8, Murray State 5
Austin Peay 14, @UT Martin 3
Presbyterian 11,
@Morehead State 7
EASTERN ILLINOIS 5-5, SIUE 4-11
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Eastern Illinois (20-7, 4-0 OVC) picks up their fourth Ohio Valley Conference win of the season off of a walk-off single from Lucas DiLuca in the bottom of the ninth inning against SIUE (13-15, 2-5 OVC) by a score of 5-4. Nathan Aide picked up his second straight game with a homerun with a two-run blast in the first inning. Lincoln Riley had the doublle that lead to the DiLuca single to win the game. Starting pitcher Trevor Nicholson threw in 5.0 innings, gave up seven hits, four runs, and had three strikeouts. Hayden Birdsong picked up the win for EIU.
Brett Johnson for SIUE lead the game off with a homerun off of Nicholson to give SIUE the early lead. It was the first homerun Nicholson has given up this season. Nathan Aide would give the lead right back to EIU with a two-run homerun in the bottom of the first. DiLuca was able to reach on-base on an error that set up Aide for the two-run shot.
Nicholson would give up his second run of the afternoon after he gave up two singles and walked a Cougar to have the bases loaded. SIUE was able to force Nicholson into another walk that tied the game at 2-2.
SIUE would get to Nicholson in the fourth inning after a walk and a double by Johnson to put runners on second and third. Richie Well would step up for the Cougars with a single through the left side to score Brett Pierson from third. Josh Ohl would then hit a sac fly to score Johnson and give the Cougars a two run lead 4-2.
Panthers would battle back in the bottom of the fifth. DiLuca was walked to leadoff the fifth and Logan Eickhoff single through the right side to put runners on first and second. Nathan Aide would pick up his second hit of game one with a single to center field to load the bases. Dalton Doyle hit into a fielder's choice but was able to still score DiLuca from third. After a Nichols Rucker walk, Worcester hit a sac fly to center field to score Eickhoff and tie the game at four a piece.
Chaney Trout would replace Nicholson and shut down the SIUE offense in his two innings of work. He allowed only two hits and one walk without giving up any runs. Birdsong would relieve Trout on the mound for the final two innings. After stranding two runners in the eighth, Birdsong would go three-up three-down in the ninth to give EIU the chance to walk it off.
Lincoln Riley stepped up as the leadoff batter in the ninth with a double to left center to put himself in scoring position. After a wild pitch to put him on third, DiLuca hit a high chopper to second base and got an infield single to score Riley and give EIU the win. Birdsong would go on to win his third game of the season.
EIU scored five runs on 10 hits and posted no errors. SIUE scored four runs on nine hits and had two errors.
Eastern Illinois (20-8, 4-1 OVC) lost their first OVC game of the year after they lost the second game of Saturday's double header to SIUE (14-15, 3-5 OVC) by a final of 5-11. Logan Eickhoff and Nathan Aide both had two hits and a RBI for EIU in their loss. Starting pitcher Cameron Doherty lost his third game of the season after he gave up six runs (five unearned) in the second inning to lift SIUE past the Panthers. SIUE took advantage of two errors in the second inning to give them the win.
The SIUE offense got a big lift in the second inning off of two costly errors by the EIU offense. After a double by Avery Owusu-Asiedu to lead off the second, Brady Bunten reached on an error by Ja'Lil Akbar at shortstop. With runners on the corners, Orf was walked to load the bases. Steven Pattan hit a ball the right field where Eickhoff lost sight of the ball and let it drop for their second error of the inning. SIUE would score one after that error.
Doherty would then give up a single to Pierson to right field which scored two more. Well would hit a sac fly for the Cougars to bring another run in to increase their lead to four. Ohl came back up to the plate and hit a double to left center field to bring home Pierson. Kiffer would add one more to give them a 6-0 advantage in the top of the second.
The Panthers offense would find some rhythm in the third inning when Akbar hit a double to left center. Lincoln Riley would be granted first base after a catcher's interference was called. Eickhoff and Aide would both pick up RBI singles to cut SIUE's lead to 6-2.
Hampton would give up a sac fly in the fourth to add one more to the Cougar's lead. The Panthers offense would struggle in the fourth and fifth inning with two straight three-and-outs. Hampton would have his night end in the seventh after he gave up back-to-back doubles and a run. Owusu-Asiedu picked up his second double of the evening. DeCicco would enter the game for Hampton, and gave up a homerun to Bunten to push the lead to 10-2. DeCicco would pick up one his four strikeouts to end the seventh.
After DeCicco picked up two more strikeouts in the eighth, Riley was able to single in the bottom of the inning with two runners on to give another run to the Panthers. Nichols Rucker scored the third run for EIU. Owusu-Asiedu came back up in the ninth and hit his third double of the night (4-5 for the game). He would score to end the ninth and give the Cougars 11 runs.
Bryce Hayman would pinch hit in the ninth with two outs and get walked. He would then score from first after Rucker was able to hit a double to left center. Doyle followed Rucker with a double of his own and give EIU two more runs. The Panthers' comeback would fall short as EIU would lose game two by a final of 5-11.
EIU scored five runs on 11 hits and had three errors, which is the most in a game for EIU this season. SIUE would score 11 runs on 16 hits and have one error.
BELMONT 4, TENNESSEE TECH 1
NASHVILLE - Behind an eight-inning gem from Andy Bean, the Belmont University baseball team locked down their third straight conference series win with a 4-1 defeat of Tennessee Tech on Saturday at E.S. Rose Park.
Bean (W, 5-1) threw 108 pitches over eight innings, scattering just five hits and one run while recording seven strikeouts. Saturday's win marked the longest outing of the season for the sophomore left-hander from Fisherville, Tenn., and was his team-leading fifth win.
Belmont (21-10, 7-1 OVC) has now won seven of their last nine games, and has clinched series wins over each of their first three conference opponents (Austin Peay, Murray State, Tennessee Tech).
The Bruins will go for a series sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. at E.S. Rose Park. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
All five of the game's runs were scored in the fifth inning.
After the Golden Eagles took the lead in the top of the frame, the Bruins responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth.
First, Grayson Taylor and Carson Shacklett put together back-to-back singles to knock out the Tennessee Tech starter and get to the Golden Eagle bullpen.
Facing the new reliever, Guy Lipscomb belted an RBI single into right field that scored Taylor. Then, Brodey Heaton doubled to left field to score Shacklett and give Belmont a 2-1 lead.
Logan Jarvis then delivered a two-run single through the right side that brought in both Heaton and Lipscomb to hand Belmont a 4-1 advantage they would not relinquish.
Heaton finished 2-for-4 with a double, a run, and an RBI, and Lipscomb went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Tommy Crider and Shacklett each collected two hits in the win as well.
Kyle Brennan (SV, 11) picked up the save by pitching a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts. The senior closer now has 28 career saves, the most in program history.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, MURRAY STATE 5
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Tyler Wilber finished 4-for-4 at the plate, hitting the game-winning home run to complement three RBI and two runs to push Southeast Missouri baseball (22-7, 6-2 OVC) past Murray State (15-14, 1-7 OVC), 8-5, at Capaha Field Saturday afternoon.
Wilber knocked a career-best four hits for the second-straight game and eighth time in his career as SEMO improved its record at Capaha Field in 2022 to 16-0. With the victory, the Redhawks secured the series win on league rival, Murray State.
In a back-and-forth game where the Redhawks continued to match the Racers scoring, Wilber needed one pitch to provide SEMO the lead in a three-run eighth inning.
Tied at 5-5, Wilber, the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year from Los Alamitos, California, knocked his 10th home run of the season to right center for the game-winning run.
Brett Graber then singled before moving up 90 feet on a stolen base and taking third on a wild pitch. Lincoln Andrews then drew a walk to put Redhawks at the corners. Ty Stauss hit a two-run double to left to increase the Redhawk advantage to 8-5.
Kyle Miller then closed the game to improve his record to 4-2 in 2022. Miller, a sophomore from Eureka, Missouri, allowed just two hits over his two innings of work with a strikeout.
SEMO and the Racers both exchanged four run first innings to commence Saturday afternoon. Murray State jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the top of the first. Starter Noah Niznik gave up a pair of walks that both came around to score during the inning. Jake Slunder opened the frame with a leadoff walk and touched home on a single from Brennan McCullough. Slunder advanced to second on a groundout before a walk to Bryson Bloomer. Drew Vogel then knocked a three-run home run to left to clear the base paths and increase the Racers early lead to 4-0.
The Redhawks responded, opening the bottom half of the first with four straight hits for four runs. Jevon Mason led off with a double down the left field line and came home on a RBI single from Wilber. Peyton Leeper added a base hit during the sequence to move Mason to third. Andrew Keck then blasted a three-run homer to right to even the contest at 4-4. The round tripper was his sixth of the season.
The Redhawks looked to threaten in the third, with a double from Leeper followed by a single by Wilber to start the inning. Leeper was then called out at home trying to advance from second on a terrific relay from right fielder Seth Gardner to first baseman McCullough to catcher Alex Crump.
The Racers pulled ahead 5-4 on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs on the scoreboard, Niznik was relieved by Blake Cisneros. Jordan Holly touched home after a wild pitch from Cisneros to switch the lead in favor of Murray State. Cisneros ate up 2.1 innings out of the pen, allowing just two hits to go with a strikeout.
SEMO responded with a run of its own in the bottom half of the fifth. Wilber singled home Mason to retie the game at 5-5. Mason reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a throwing error after Joel Vaske was hit by a pitch. Leeper also walked prior to Wilber's RBI hit.
Niznik and Murray State starter Adrien Reese were both tagged with no decisions. Niznik allowed five runs on four hits, fanning a pair of Racers over 4.2 innings. Reese notched four strikeouts, while surrendering five runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. Cade Vernon was assessed the loss, allowing three runs on three hits in three innings.
Leeper finished 2-for-3 at the dish with a run and a walk. Mason, Keck, Graber and Stauss all notched hits in the Redhawk victory. Mason and Wilber both score twice.
Carson Garner paced Murray State, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate.
AUSTIN PEAY 14, UT MARTIN 3
MARTIN, Tenn. - Catcher Jack Alexander hit two home runs and Austin Peay State University’s offense pounded out a season-high 21 hits to swamp UT Martin, 14-3, in Ohio Valley Conference action, Saturday at Skyhawk Field.
Austin Peay (12-20, 5-3 OVC) clinched the three-game OVC series with the win.
After a scoreless first inning, the Governors broke through in the second with 10 batters going to the plate. Center fielder Jeremy Wagner’s sac fly provided the game’s first run and was followed by shortstop John Bolton’s run-scoring double.
UT Martin starter Jacob Smith then walked the next three batters he faced. Second baseman Jonah Beamon and first baseman Ty DeLancey each earned bases-loaded walks, extending the APSU lead to 4-0. Smith left with an injury after the first pitch he threw to Alexander, the 10th batter he faced in the inning,,,, turning the game over to the Skyhawks bullpen.
J. Henry Hobson followed Smith and retired Alexander to end the second then held APSU scoreless for the next two innings. He would surrender a home run to Alexander in the fifth before running into trouble again in the sixth when the first two batters reached base. Those would eventually turn into runs courtesy a Bolton ground out and left fielder Gino Avros’ single and the Govs lead swelled to 8-0. ,,,
Austin Peay starting pitcher Harley Gollert (2-3) took advantage of the extensive run support, opening the game with five scoreless innings. He would surrender two runs in the bottom of the sixth as the Skyhawks got back-to-back singles to start the inning and catcher Chance Merithew drove both runners in with a two-out double, cutting the APSU lead to 8-2.
The Governors scored the game’s next six runs, including Alexander’s three-run home run that opened a five-run eighth inning that broke the game wide open.
All nine Austin Peay starters recorded a hit in the 21-hit outburst. Alexander led the way with his 3-for-5, four RBI outing. Right fielder Harrison Brown and designated hitter Reid Brown also had three hits each.
Gollert picked up his first win since Feb. 25 while posting his fourth quality start of the season. He held UTM to two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six batters over six innings. Jacob Weaver supplied two scoreless innings of relief and Collin Loose pitched the ninth in the win.
Smith (1-3) suffered the loss after allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while facing 12 batters in 1.2 innings.
UT Martin (8-20, 1-7 OVC) was held to eight hits. Designated hitter Jack Culumovic led the way with his 2-for-4 outing while six other Skyhawks hitters had one hit each.
PRESBYTERIAN 11, MOREHEAD STATE 7
MOREHEAD, Ky. - On a cold and rainy afternoon at Allen Field, the Morehead State baseball team played catch-up from the first inning on and were unable to erase an early 5-0 deficit, dropping the series opener 11-7 to Presbyterian. The Eagles (12-16, 4-2 OVC) battled back, cutting the Presbyterian lead to two runs on multiple occasions, but the Blue Hose answered every time and took a 1-0 series lead.
The visiting Blue Hose pushed across five runs in the first three innings Saturday, as Jay Wetherington scored on a sacrifice fly in the first before Dalton Reeves scored on an error in the second. Both of those runs were unearned against MSU's starter Luke Helton (L, 1-4). In the third, a double from Jeremiah Boyd plated two more before a run scored on a double play to make the score 5-0 Blue Hose.
Morehead State chipped away at the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out rally. Alex Jacobs reached on a walk and scored on a double from Colton Becker before Isaias Guzman smacked a no-doubt two-run homer to centerfield, cutting the deficit to two. Guzman's homer off Charlie McDaniel (W, 3-2) was his first of the season and first as an Eagle.
A scoreless fifth inning passed before Presbyterian got a run back on a Jack Gorman sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half, a sacrifice fly from Colton Becker plated Alex Jacobs to make the score 6-4. Becker has an RBI in all four games of his current four game hit-streak, with seven total runs batted in during the streak.
In the seventh, Presbyterian plated four runs to give themselves a six-run advantage thanks to a pair of two-run doubles from Dalton Reeves and Jack Gorman. The ever-resilient Eagles got three back in the bottom half; however, as Bryce Ray drew a walk and scored on a double from Jackson Feltner before Alex Jacobs smashed a two-run homer into right field to make the score 10-7. Jacobs (2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) extended both his on-base streak to 26 games and his hit-streak to 17 games, both season-long streaks for the Eagles.
A Chase Hughes solo shot made the score 11-7 in the eighth, and Logan Ymker came on and got the last six outs for Presbyterian to secure the victory.