SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 7, Butler 2
@Tennessee Tech 5-7, North Alabama 4-3
@Little Rock 6, Grambling 0
@#2 Tennessee 6-6,
Morehead State 0-3
@Alabama State 4-9,
Lindenwood 3-2
Oakland 7,
@Southern Indiana 5
@Central Arkansas 11,
UT Martin 1
Eastern Illinois 12, @Arkansas State 6 (10)
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7, BUTLER 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (6-10) blasted three home runs in Saturday's contest as the Redhawks took game two of the series with Butler (2-13) by a final score of 7-2.
SEMO's offense recorded 10 hits and seven runs batted in as the Redhawks picked up their second-straight victory and evened the overall series with Butler at 2-2.
Jevon Mason, Chance Resetich, and Peyton Leeper were responsible for the homeruns in Saturday's contest, all coming in the fourth inning.
For Mason and Leeper, the blasts were their first of the season. Leeper's came from the right side of the plate off Butler starting pitcher Cole Graverson (0-2).
Jevon blasted one the opposite way over the right-center field fence for a two-run shot to give the Redhawks a 7-1 lead midway through the game.
Mason led the Redhawks offense Saturday going 2-for-3 including 3 RBI, a homerun, and two runs scored.
Centerfielder Josh Cameron and second baseman Chance Resetich each had two hits apiece.
The Redhawks got on the board early in the contest with a RBI single by Lincoln Andrews, with the bases loaded after a leadoff base knock (Gunnar Doyle), and back-to-back walks (Mason, Josh Cameron).
Andrews flare into left field plated designated hitter Gunnar Doyle. Making his second-straight start in right field, Carlos Aranda drove in the second run of the game with an RBI sacrifice fly to left field to plate Mason.
Butler would answer in the top of the second inning with a solo blast from second baseman Ian Choi off Redhawks starter Collin Wilma (1-1). The homerun would prove to be the Bulldogs' only run until the ninth inning.
Wilma, who recorded his first win of the season, pitched four complete innings for the Redhawks including four stirkeouts over 17 batters.
SEMO's bullpen was lights out in the contest pitching the final five innings, and despite a ninth inning run, pitched a shutout.
Esteban Hernandez and Eddie White combined to pitch three innings, allowing just four hits, and recording four strikeouts as the middle-relievers faced 13 Bulldog batters.
RHP Jonah Sarabia and Michael Laudando finished up the eighth and ninth innings as the pair recorded three strikeouts over eight batters.
The Bulldogs would score an unearned run in the top of the ninth inning due to an error on second baseman Chance Resetich to make the score 7-2.
TENNESSEE TECH 5-7, NORTH ALABAMA 4-3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A pair of comebacks propelled the Tennessee Tech baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of visiting North Alabama Saturday, as the Golden Eagles claimed the weekend series with the Lions after pulling off victories of 5-4 and 7-3 at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The day started with a wild contest, one that saw the home purple and gold pick up its first walk-off victory since the season-finale of the 2021 campaign. North Alabama (5-9) got the offense going first in the contest, plating three runs in the second frame without the benefit of a hit.
Two bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly provided the early damage, but reliever Matt Gelorme was able to somewhat limit the damage after entering the contest with no outs and the bases loaded. The Lions added one more to their total in the third with an RBI double, but the Tech pitching was spectacular the rest of the way.
Following three innings by Gelorme, who allowed just one run on two hits and a walk with three punchouts, the Golden Eagles turned to junior right-hander Andrew Guardino. The Santa Barbara, Calif. native was brilliant, completing four, no-hit frames with just one walk allowed and a pair of strikeouts.
Sophomore Parker MacCauley picked up his first career win after finishing the ninth inning with just one hit allowed and no runs.
The Tech offense went to work in the fourth with Gelorme controlling the Lion bats, nabbing its first marker of the day thanks to an RBI single through the left side off the bat of left fielder Preston Ford. In the fifth, the Cookeville crew struck again, this time with Theo Bryant IV delivering a sacrifice fly ball to left field to shrink the deficit to 4-2.
Ford produced again in the sixth, this time blasting his first career home run to center field to make it a 4-3 ball game. The junior JUCO transfer finished the contest a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
North Alabama handled its business up until the ninth, and even then looked well on its way to a series win. The Golden Eagles had other plans, as Bryant drew a four-pitch walk to keep hope alive.
After UNA's first pitch to third baseman Peyton Mills missed its mark, the senior transfer from Charleston Southern hammered a two-run jack down the left-field line, clearing the fence for the walk-off win and sending the Golden Eagle faithful into a frenzy. It marked his team-leading fifth dinger of the season.
In game two, the home purple and gold once again rallied back, albeit in less dramatic fashion. North Alabama was quick to score a run in each of the first two innings, but Tech starter Hunter Mann pitched well enough to keep his team alive. The junior completed three innings, allowing one earned run, two total runs, and two walks while fanning five.
The Golden Eagles cut the deficit in half in the second inning, with second baseman Troy Baunsgard stealing third base and scoring on an errant throw by the UNA catcher. Tech turned things up a notch in the fifth, with Baunsgard providing the initial spark.
First baseman John Dyer drew a leadoff walk before the Lions gathered their first out. Baunsgard took his turn at the dish and proceeded to pulverize the first pitch he saw to left field for a two-run, go-ahead tank. His fourth round-tripper of the year move TTU out in front 3-2.
For good measure, left fielder Elijah Brooks and center fielder Austin Turner worked a pair of full counts before each taking a free pass with two outs. On a 3-1 offering, catcher Hayden Gilliland opted to take a mighty hack and the decision paid off.
The junior's mash just squeaked over the outstretched glove of the UNA left fielder and over the fence in left field for a three-run oppo taco. The blast marked Gilliland's fourth of the year and increased the lead to 6-2.
Taking over on the mound in the fourth, junior Reece McDuffie provided three strong innings, allowing just one, unearned run on one hit before Colt Taylor took over in the seventh. The right-hander finished one and one-third frames without allowing a run, but got into a little trouble in the eighth after a pair of Lions reached.
Redshirt junior Jacob Morin stepped in and induced a double-play ball to end the frame. He went on to pitch a perfect ninth with a pair of punchies, picking up his first save of the season.
For good measure, shortstop Nick Spardone added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, smashing his first career jack to left field. Gilliland and Spardone each picked up a pair of hits in the second ball game of the day to lead the offense.
LITTLE ROCK 6, GRAMBLING 0
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - With on and off rain throughout the course of the game, the Trojan pitchers were able to maintain focus and limit Grambling to just one hit in Saturday's contest. The win clinches the series victory with the chance for a sweep on Sunday and improves Little Rocks record to 8-4 on the season.
Little Rock got into a bit of hot water to start the game as a Tigers baserunner was able to reach third base with less than two outs, but a strikeout and popup ended the inning with no damage done on the scoreboard.
The Trojans then made a threat of their own, loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first but were unable to push a run across. After a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts from starter Jackson Wells in the top of the second the offense got to work.
Ryan Lee led off the second Trojan offensive chance with a double down the left field line, which was followed by a single from Ty Rhoades to put runners on the corners with no outs. Back to back doubles from Luke Pectol and Tyler Williams scored Lee and Rhoades and by the end of the inning Little Rock had a 2-0 lead.
Little Rock doubled the lead in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with no outs before a single from Rhoades scored both Skyler Trevino and Noah Brewer. Wells faced the minimum in the third and fourth innings and retired the first two batters in the top of the fifth before a looping hit into shallow right field gave Grambling their only knock on the afternoon.
Wells was relieved by Noah Burkey after back to back walks to begin the sixth inning. Burkey was able to escape the jam with strikeouts of the first two hitters followed by a groundout to short, ending the danger.
Williams added an insurance run in the leadoff spot of the sixth inning, hammering a ball out to deep center that hit off the padding and left Grambling outfielders scrambling to get the ball in. By the time they did Williams had already rounded the bases for his first homerun of the season and put Little Rock up 5-0.
Burkey got three straight ground balls for outs in the seventh before being relieved by Jacob Weatherley to start the eighth. The Jonesboro, Arkansas native struck out the side in order in his first inning of work.
The Trojans added one more run in the ninth on a bases loaded wild pitch that scored Williams before Weatherley headed back out to the mound to finish off the Tigers. He would strike out two and get a fly ball to center in the inning to end the game and complete the combined shutout.
Wells had yet another solid start for Little Rock, pitching five full innings and not giving up a run on just one hit with five strikeouts.
Burkey got the Trojans out of a tough situation in the sixth and ended his outing with two innings pitched giving up no runs and no hits and striking out two.
Weatherley dominated in his two innings of work, striking out five of his six outs and not allowing a hit along the way. No Grambling hitters reached base once Little Rock went to the bullpen as 12 straight batters were retired to end the game.
Williams led the Trojans in hits on the day with a 3-for-5 performance that saw him drive in two runs as well as score twice. He also stole a base in the game.
Rhoades had his fourth multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-3 with two singles which brought in two runs, he also scored once.
Brewer was the third Trojan with multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-5 while also scoring a run.
#2 TENNESSEE 6-6, MOREHEAD STATE 0-3
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.
ALABAMA STATE 4-9, LINDENWOOD 3-2
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Recap coming soon.
OAKLAND 7, SOUTHERN INDIANA 5
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball allowed a pair of big innings and lost to Oakland University, 7-5, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles watched their record go to 5-9, while Oakland goes to 5-8.
The Eagles flew out to a 3-0 lead after three innings with a tally in each of the frames. USI senior centerfielder Evans Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) led off the first with a triple and scored on a ground out by senior catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) to make the score, 1-0.
USI upped the lead to 2-0 when freshman infielder Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) scored on a wild pitch in the second, while senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) tripled and scored in the third for the 3-0 lead when McNew reached on an error.
The Grizzlies exploded for four runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead, aided by three Eagle errors. USI responded to regain the lead in the fifth, 5-4, with a pair of runs on a RBI-double by junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) and a RBI-single by Niehaus.
USI held the slim lead until the seventh when Oakland posted three runs to take the lead for good in the 7-5 final. Oakland scored the three runs on four hits, two walks, and a hit batter.
The Eagles tried to rally in the final three frames, but hit into three double plays that squashed any comeback rallies.
On the mound for USI, sophomore right-hander Adam Weihe (Louisville, Kentucky) took the loss in relief. Weihe (0-3) allowed the three runs in the seventh on four hits.
USI sophomore right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) started and got the no-decision. Seebold allowed four runs, one earned, on four hits and three walks, while striking out two in three innings.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 11, UT MARTIN 1
CONWAY, Ark. - Junior right fielder Zac Rice collected his second 3-hit game of the 2023 campaign today but the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team fell 11-1 in Game 2 of its road series at Central Arkansas.
A Fort Mitchell, Ala. native, Rice reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances. He recorded two doubles, a single, a walk and swiped his fifth stolen base of the spring. Overall, it was his fifth multi-hit performance of the season.
Will Smith also had a two-hit day with a walk while scoring a run out of the cleanup spot in the Skyhawk lineup.
On the mound, Jordan Armstrong (1-2) received the starting nod and struck out six batters with just one walk over five innings. Trey Ricko pitched a career-high 2.1 innings out of the bullpen while Eli Martin struck out a pair of hitters in a scoreless relief appearance.
Armstrong kept the Bears off the scoreboard in the bottom of the first but Central Arkansas (7-7) scored three of its four runs in the second inning with two outs. The Bears were able to tack on two runs in the third before Armstrong compiled three strikeouts in the fourth inning alone in a scoreless frame.
Central Arkansas added four runs in the bottom of the fifth but Ricko kept the Bears off the scoreboard in the next two frames. The senior right-hander from Plainfield, Ill. did not allow a ball out of the infield in the sixth and silenced the Central Arkansas once again in the seventh.
After UT Martin placed a runner in scoring position in each of the second through seventh innings, the Skyhawks broke through for a run in the top of the eighth. Smith went the other way for an opposite-field single and advanced to second on a groundout. He then came home following a wild pitch and error for UT Martin’s first run of the contest.
The Bears scored one more run in the eighth but Martin got out of a jam by stranding the bases loaded after back-to-back called strikeouts.
The Skyhawks once again produced a runner in scoring position in the eighth after Rice crushed a double that one-hopped the wall out in left field. However, UT Martin’s deficit was too large to overcome.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 12, ARKANSAS STATE 6 (10)
JONESBORO, Ark. - After two days of rain delays, Eastern Illinois baseball (8-4, 0-0 OVC) swept the Red Wolves of Arkansas State (7-7, 0-0 Sun Belt) in game two by a final score of 12-6 in 10 innings. Game three of the series was canceled.
With one out in the top of the 10th inning, EIU rattled off six runs to earn their eighth win of the season. Lincoln Riley, Ryan Ignoffo and Robby Taul all had two RBI for EIU during the game. Five different Panthers had multiple hits in the win.
Zane Robbins (W, 2-1) gets the win after pitching in the ninth inning for EIU. Kevin Wiseman suffers the loss for the Red Wolves after allowing one run in the top of the 10th.
In a game that started on Saturday morning, starting pitcher Ky Hampton found himself in an early hole after an RBI single by Kody Darcy which gave ASU the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Riley was also hit by a pitch in the first, the first of four times during the game (EIU record).
After three straight singles by EIU in the top of the second, Riley was hit for the second time during the game to bring home a run and tie the game up at one a piece. Riley's two RBI in the game both came without a hit.
Arkansas State's Darcy would earn two more RBI after a home run in the bottom of the fourth off of Hampton to push the lead to 3-1. The game would be delayed due to rain in the top of the fifth and was resumed on Monday.
With two scoreless innings in part to Jonathan Hanscom on the mound for EIU, the Panthers would strike back with a five-run seventh to push the lead to 6-3. Cade Zalewski and Grant Lashure both had RBI singles while Kolten Poorman reached on an error which brought home two more. Lucas DiLuca would walk home another run for EIU in the inning.
Blake Burris for the Red Wolves cut the EIU lead after and RBI single in the bottom half of the inning. Another run would score off an error by the Panthers which brought the score to 6-5.
Winning pitcher Zane Robbins would come on in the ninth inning and would allow one run off a pass ball which tied the game at 6-6.
In the top of the 10th Eastern Illinois would secure the victory with six runs scored off of three different pitchers for ASU. With the bases loaded, Taul would bring home two runs with an RBI single through the left side of the infield. DiLuca would follow that with an RBI single.
Riley was walked with the bases loaded to bring home his second non-hit RBI of the afternoon. Ignoffo would finish off the inning with a two RBI single which put the game out of reach. Jackson Nichols would close of the 10th by only allowing one hit through four batters.
Eastern Illinois would score 12 runs on 14 hits with two errors while Arkansas State scored six runs on 10 hits with one error.