TUESDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 14, @Bellarmine 6
@Morehead State 19, Ohio 14
@#3 Arkansas 12,
Southeast Missouri 2
@Belmont 6,
Southern Indiana 3
Alabama A&M 8,
@UT Martin 7
Middle Tennessee 13,
@Tennessee Tech 5
@Memphis 5,
Little Rock 3
EASTERN ILLNOIS 14, BELLARMINE 6
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Eastern Illinois baseball (11-4, 0-0 OVC) earned their seventh straight win this season with a 14-6 win over the Knights of Bellarmine (7-14, 2-1 ASUN). The Panthers were able to score their most runs on the season during Tuesday's matchup.
Despite being limited to just one hit during the game, Ryan Ignoffo delivered a three RBI triple to clear the bases in the sixth inning which helped lift EIU after trailing early. Lincoln Riley had a two RBI double while Kolten Poorman had a two-run home run.
In relief, Blake Malatestinic (W, 2-1) earned the win for EIU after throwing in three innings and allowing only one earned run on five hits. He also threw a team leading four strikeouts for his second win of the season. Arren Hash suffered the loss for the Knights after allowing five runs on four hits.
During their Tuesday matchup, EIU went pitcher by committee after throwing all three weekend starting pitchers in limited roles. Ky Matthews-Hampton started the game for EIU and threw the first two innings.
EIU would lead early in the second inning after Poorman hit a soft fly ball to center field which was dropped and scored a run. Bellarmine would bounce back with three runs off of Hampton including a two-run home run by Jackson Case. BU took a 3-1 lead heading into the third.
Tyler Conklin would enter the game in the third and would strike out two. Conklin would only pitch one inning before Malatestinic took over in the fourth. Despite having two men on, Malatestinic was able to get out of the fourth without surrendering a run.
The Panthers were able to tie the game in the fifth after Poorman hit his second home run of the season while also bringing home Jared Evans. Evans had three walks and three runs scored during the game.
Eastern Illinois started to pour on the runs in the sixth after Nicholas Rucker delivered his first home run of the season while giving EIU the 5-3 lead. EIU was not finished in the sixth with Grant Lashure hitting a double to score Evans. Ignoffo would deliver his three RBI triple after that to bring the lead to 9-3.
Malatestinic and the Panther defense would stumble in the bottom half of the inning after allowing two errors resulting in two runs scored. Davis Crane for Bellarmine would be credited with two RBI in the inning to cut the lead to 9-6.
In back-to-back innings, EIU would score at least four runs to put the game away. To start the seventh after two walks and a single, Ja'Lil Akbar came in and hit a single to right field to score one. Sean Lynch Jr. would then score off a wild pitch by Bellarmine. Riley would finish the inning with a two RBI double down the third base line to put EIU up seven runs.
Ignoffo picked up his fourth RBI of the game off of a fielder's choice in the ninth to bring the final score to 14-6. Jackson Nichols finished the game with a three inning save, only allowing two base runners against his 11 batters faced.
EIU scored 14 runs on 11 hits with four errors while Bellarmine scored six runs on 14 hits with three errors.
MOREHEAD STATE 19, OHIO 14
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The seven-game slide is over for the Morehead State baseball team thanks in part to Ryley Preece, who notched his second career three home run day in the victory over Ohio on Tuesday.
Luke Lyman (1-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Morehead State (10-10), his first as an Eagle. The right-hander went 1.1 shutout innings without giving up a hit, three walks and striking out one, while Jarrett Miller ran into some trouble in the ninth but ultimately collected his fourth save of the season.
Preece went 4-for-4 at the plate, supplementing his three home runs with five RBIs. Roman Kuntz added to Preece's awesome power-hitting performance by going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI along with two walks. Junior Colton Becker also helped out for the Eagles, going 3-for-6 with a double, a triple and three RBI. Carter Owens smashed a three-run blast in his first at-bat at Allen Field, and finished 2-5, and Nick Gooden finished with a three hit day.
The Eagles scored in six different innings on the way to victory. After holding the lead two different times earlier in the ballgame, Morehead State took the lead for good at 15-13 in the sixth inning on Preece's three-run homer before Colton Becker's two-run triple in the eighth inning effectively put the game away.
#3 ARKANSAS 12, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Southeast Missouri (10-13) fell in seven innings to No. 3 ranked Arkansas (19-2) by a final score of 12-2 in seven innings due to the new Southeastern Conference 10-run rule, implemented this season.
RHP Eddie White got the start for the Redhawks in the game pitching 1.0 innings, allowing just one earned run with two strikeouts.
Esteban Hernandez (0-1) took the loss in the contest, relieving White in the second inning. Hernandez threw 3.0 innings while facing 11 Arkansas batters. He surrendered just one run and recorded four strikeouts.
Josh Cameron broke out of his offensive slump with a home run to right field in the SEMO fourth inning. Cameron roped the ball off Arkansas RHP Ben Bybee (2-0) to give the Redhawks their first run of the game.
A 10-run sixth inning for Arkansas proved the difference as the Razorbacks took advantage of three Redhawks errors in the inning.
Josh Cameron led the way offensively for the Redhawks as the left fielder went 1-for-3 with a home run in the contest.
SEMO was outhit in the contest by an 11-4 Arkansas advantage.
The SEC-leader in home runs Jared Wegner paced the Razorbacks going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
BELMONT 6, SOUTHERN INDIANA 3
NASHVILLE - University of Southern Indiana Baseball allowed three runs in the eighth in falling to Belmont University, 6-3, Tuesday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee. USI watched its record go to 7-14, while Belmont goes to 12-11.
The Screaming Eagles got off to a good start with a 1-0 lead in the third when junior leftfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) drove in senior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) with a single to center. Kahre had moved into scoring position on a single and wild pitch. USI would hold onto the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth when the Bruins knotted the game at 1-1.
After Belmont took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, USI rebounded to tie the game in the top of the eighth with a pair of runs. The Eagles cut the deficit to 3-2 on a RBI-single by junior pinch hitter Gavin McLarty (Buckner, Kentucky) and tied the game when junior rightfielder Steven Molinet (Elberfeld, Indiana) crossed the plate after junior second baseman Alex Archuleta (Evansville, Indiana) reached on an error.
The Bruins would decided the game in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three times to take a 6-3 lead on two walks, a hit batter, a hit, and a pair of USI errors. Eagles' junior right-hander Cory Anderson (Linton, Indiana) took the loss in relief. Anderson (0-1) was charged for two runs on a walk and a hit batter without getting an out in the eighth.
A bright spot on the mound for USI was sophomore right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana), who got the start and picked up the no decision. Morris struck out two in three scoreless frames, allowing a walk and a hit.
ALABAMA A&M 8, UT MARTIN 7
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team held a lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning but Alabama A&M scored two runs to cap off a rally in an 8-7 Skyhawk setback.
UT Martin took a 1-0 lead after the top of the second and also held leads of 2-1, 3-2 and 7-1 before the Bulldogs scored seven unanswered runs to end the game.
For the fifth time in the last six games, the Skyhawks (5-17) outhit their opponent as UT Martin banged out 10 hits to Alabama A&M’s eight. The Skyhawk offense set a season-high with four doubles while also drawing seven walks and swiping three bases today.
On the mound, UT Martin allowed four earned runs while striking out six Bulldogs.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 13, TENNESSEE TECH 5
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A red-hot Middle Tennessee offense was too much for the Tennessee Tech baseball team to contain Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell to the visiting Blue Raiders at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex, 13-5.
MTSU piled up 18 hits on the night to back up a pitching staff that secured 10 strikeouts in the contest. The purple and gold were held to six hits offensively, but did manage to clear the fence twice in the match-up.
The Blue Raiders kicked off the scoring in the first, producing a pair of runs with two sacrifice fly balls to the outfield. The Golden Eagles answered in the bottom half as shortstop Nick Spardone dented the dish on a wild pitch.
In the second, Middle Tennessee dropped four runs on the scoreboard, including one unearned, to move out front 6-1.
Both sides traded zeroes in the third and fourth, with Tech hurler Elvin Delic providing a spark on the mound to keep the purple and gold in the contest. The right-hander covered three and two-thirds frames without allowing a run, holding the Blue Raiders to four hits while inducing a large number of ground balls.
Tech scored a second run in the fifth on another wild pitch, but MTSU answered with a single run in the sixth. In the bottom of the frame, the Golden Eagles pulled back within a trio of runs thanks to the bat of John Dyer.
After third baseman Peyton Mills reached base safely on an error, Dyer made the next at-bat count, hammering a two-run blast to left-center field. It marked the first baseman's second long ball of the year and cut the deficit to 7-4.
Middle Tennessee blew the game open in the seventh, scoring six times, including a three-run dinger to left-center field. Mills answered in the bottom of the inning with a solo jack down the left-field line four his seventh round-tripper of the season, but that would finalize the scoring for the evening for both sides.
Six different Golden Eagles picked up hits in the contest, with Dyer leading the team with a pair of RBI. Southpaw Brock Smith turned in a scoreless inning of work in the ninth, striking out a pair. Catcher Hayden Gilliland, who finished 1-for-3, also threw out a pair of Blue Raider base runners trying to steal third in the contest.
MEMPHIS 5, LITTLE ROCK 3
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Little Rock took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning but ended up dropping Tuesday's contest to Memphis by a final score of 3-5. The loss drops the Trojans record to 10-8 on the season as the team enters conference play beginning on Friday at Gary Hogan Field.
Both starters got out to hot starts in the game, allowing just one hit between the two of them through the first three innings. Little Rock started the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. Tyler Williams hit a one out double to right field which set up Ty Rhoades for an RBI single up the middle in the very next at bat.
Sophomore Noah Burkey would continue the strong start and retired the Tigers in order in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings. The Trojans would strike again in the top of the sixth with another extra base hit from Williams, this time a one out triple, as he later scored on a wild pitch to give Little Rock the 2-0 lead.
A leadoff bunt single chased Burkey from the game and the Tigers would go on to score three runs in the inning, all with two outs, to take the lead for good. Memphis tacked on two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to stretch the lead to three at a score of 5-2.
The Trojans would attempt a comeback in the top of the ninth after Jake Wright reached on a hit by pitch and Jaxson Anderson scored him with a double, but the lead was too much to overcome.
Despite out hitting the Tigers eight hits to six, Memphis did a better job of stringing hits together, batting .417 (5-12) with runners on base compared to the Trojans .188 (3-16). The Tigers also scored four of their five runs with two outs in the inning.
Burkey put forward a strong effort and finished the game going 5 plus innings and allowing just two hits while striking out four, his one run against came after he had exited the contest.
Williams was impressive at the plate in a 2-for-4 performance with two extra base hits, including his team leading fourth triple of the season. The Lilburn, Georgia native also scored two of the three Little Rock runs.
Anderson picked up an RBI in his pinch hit appearance, knocking a double the other way into left-center field.
Camden Sargent pitched a clean inning of relief in the eighth and struck out two in the process.