SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 10-4, UT Martin 4-12
Southeast Missouri 8, @SIUE 4
Morehead State 11-5, @Southern Indiana 4-1
@Little Rock 10, Lindenwood 0
Davidson 6,
Tennessee Tech 5
EASTERN ILLINOIS 10-4, UT MARTIN 4-12
MARTIN, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois baseball (13-5, 1-1 OVC) bounced back after an opening game loss with a 10-4 win against UT Martin (6-18, 1-1 OVC). The Panthers scored the first 10 runs of the game to secure the win.
Chris Worcester went 3-4 in game one with two doubles and two RBI. Nicholas Rucker had a hot start to the double header with three hits and three RBI. Seven different Panther collected a hit in game one.
Starting pitcher Ky Matthews-Hampton (W, 4-0) went seven innings allowing just five hits with five strikeouts. Jordan Armstrong (L, 1-3) suffered the loss for the Skyhawks after allowing 10 hits and five runs in five innings of work.
Eastern Illinois wasted no time in the second game of the three game series as they scored 10 straight runs to open up the game. Worcester got EIU up early with an RBI double in the first after Lincoln Riley got on base.
In the third inning, Cole Gober, Rucker and Kolten Poorman had back-to-back-to-back RBI singles to push EIU ahead 4-0. Eastern Ill. would also score in the fourth with an RBI single by Worcester to score Joey Hagen.
With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, EIU would score on back-to-back wild pitches by UT Martin which brought home Riley and Worcester. Rucker capped off the inning with a sac fly that brought the score to 8-0.
Eastern Illinois would finish their scoring run in the bottom of the eighth after Rucker and Poorman slapped RBI singles together which gave EIU a 10-run lead heading into the final inning.
UT Martin would score four runs in the ninth off of Colton Coca. Caleb Hobson had a two RBI triple while Andrew Fernandez had a two-run home run to end the scoring at 10-4.
The Panthers would score 10 runs on 13 hits with two errors while the Skyhawks scored four runs on 10 hits with two errors in game one.
Eastern Illinois baseball (13-6, 1-2 OVC) would lose the rubber match against UT Martin in game three of their opening Ohio Valley Conference series as UT Martin (7-18, 2-1 OVC) took game three by a final score of 12-4.
The Panthers scored all four runs in the fourth inning after Kolten Poorman had a three RBI double which put EIU on the board. EIU only posted four hits in the game three loss.
Ryan Ignoffo (L, 0-1) suffered the loss for the Panthers after coming in relief for starter Blake Malatestinic. Ignoffo allowed seven hits on five runs in 1.2 innings of work. Erica Steensma (W, 1-1) picked up his first win for UTM after throwing in four innings.
After scoreless innings by both teams in the first inning, UT Martin got on the board early after two errors by the Eastern defense. The Skyhawks would go up 2-0 in the second after a wild pitch and ground out RBI by Nate Self.
Poorman would give EIU the lead in the fourth inning after he hit a rope down the third base line to clear the bases. Gallaher would then add an RBI single to score Poorman and put EIU on top 4-2.
The Skyhawks wouldn't stay down long as Fernandez would hit an RBI single before Hunter McLean hit a grand slam off of Ignoffo to put UTM back on top 7-4. Will Smith later hit a two-run home run for the Skyhawks which put the game out of reach.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, SIUE 4
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri (12-14, 2-1 OVC) picked up the Ohio Valley Conference opening weekend series with an 8-4 victory over SIUE (14-8, 1-2 OVC) on Sunday afternoon at Roy E. Lee Field.
Tied at 4-4 in the top of the ninth inning, first baseman Danny Sperling reached first with a HBP and advanced to second following a sacrifice bunt by Ben Palmer.
Shortstop Peyton Leeper delivered the go-ahead RBI single to score Danny Sperling from second base to give SEMO the 5-4 advantage.
Right-fielder Josh Cameron added some insurance in the same inning, crushing a three-run home run to right field to give SEMO's RHP Kyle Miller a four-run lead.
Kyle Miller (1-1) was credited with the victory Sunday. Miller pitched two complete innings, allowing just one hit. He recorded two strikeouts in seven SIUE batters.
LHP Haden Dow got the nod on the hill for SEMO in Sunday's series-finale. The New Brunswick-native threw 4.2 innings, allowing just one run on three hits. Dow also struck out four in the outing.
The Redhawks jumped out early with an RBI single to center field by third baseman Chance Resetich. Resetich's two-out single scored Jevon Mason to make it 1-0.
SIUE would tie it in the third inning with an RBI groundout to Leeper by Brady Bunten to tie it at one.
In the fifth inning, the Redhawks outfield sparked some life into the offense as Brett Graber hit a solo blast to left-center field to give the Redhawks a 2-1 lead.
Left fielder Carlos Aranda homered four batters later, and this time with a runner aboard and two-outs in the inning. Aranda homered to straight-away center field to give the Redhawks the 4-1 lead after the fifth.
SIUE would rally for three runs in the eighth inning to tie the game at four heading to the ninth inning. A Brennan Orf leadoff home run sparked the three-run eighth as SIUE and SEMO were tied heading to the ninth.
The Redhawks rattled off a four run ninth inning to take a 2-1 series victory to begin Ohio Valley Conference play.
Josh Cameron and Jevon Mason paced the Redhawks offense with two hits apiece. Cameron finished the day with three RBIs.
RHP Collin Wilma had a nice day out of the bullpen, relieving Dow in the fifth with two outs. Wilma threw 2.1 innings striking out three batters. He allowed just two runs on three hits over 10 batters faced.
MOREHEAD STATE 11-5, SOUTHERN INDIANA 4-1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Recap coming soon.
LITTLE ROCK 10, LINDENWOOD 0
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Trojans played perhaps their most complete came, dominating in all three facets of the game, en route to a 10-0 win over Lindenwood in Sunday's series finale. The win improves Little Rock's record to 13-8 on the year and 3-0 through the first weekend of the Ohio Valley Conference schedule.
Lindenwood presented its biggest threat early on in the game when the Lions got runners to second and third with just one out in the inning. Starter Noah Burkey was able to wiggle out of the inning with a lineout to short and a popup to third base which ended the threat of early runs.
Little Rock took this momentum and ran with it, each of the first five Trojans not only reached base via hit but also scored, chasing Lindenwood starter Bennett Stice from the game before recording an out. Luke Pectol reached on the first pitch he saw with a single to right where he was then driven in by a homerun off the bat of Tyler Williams, who took a 1-2 breaking ball and put it over the right-center field wall.
Nico Baumbach followed this with a single up the middle on the first pitch he saw, and Noah Brewer then ripped a single to left to put two on for Skyler Trevino. The Whitehouse, Texas native quickly went down 0-2 but then got a pitch he liked and shot it to left field where it sailed over the maroon fence. In the end the Trojans batted around and took a 5-0 lead after the first inning.
Camden Sargent took the mound in the top of the third to relieve Burkey and worked a perfect 1-2-3 inning while striking out one in his first inning of work.
The Trojans got off to another hot start in the bottom of the third. Trevino began the inning by ripping a double to right which was followed by a single from Alex Seguine to put runners on the corners. Ty Rhoades then stepped up to the plate and slugged a high fly ball to right-center, landing at the base of the wall. Rhoades scrambled to third on the hit, his second of the day, and brought home Trevino and Seguine on the play to pick up a pair of RBI. Rhoades would later score on a wild pitch to put Little Rock up 8-0 after three innings of play.
Both offenses quieted for the next three innings as pitching and defense began to take over. The Lions would get baserunners in each of the middle innings, but every time was met with an inning ending double play. Double plays in three consecutive innings aided the already solid Little Rock pitching staff in retaining the shutout and kept momentum out of the opposing dugout.
Little Rock went down in order just once on the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth which was promptly met by a 1-2-3 inning by Jacob Weatherley as he struck out two in the top of the seventh.
Leading 8-0, Brewer was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, his fourth hit by pitch in two days. Trevino then stepped up to the plate and delivered the dagger, a two run homerun over the center field wall that put the Trojans up 10-0 and ended the game. This was the juniors second long ball of the game and his team leading ninth on the year.
Every Trojan in the starting lineup reached base in one way or another today and seven of the nine collected at least one base hit.
On the bump it was a collective effort for the shutout, Little Rock's third of the season as a staff, as the pitchers for today's game scattered six hits across the seven innings.
Trevino had a spectacular day at the plate in a 3-for-4 performance that saw him hit two homeruns. The junior second baseman also hit a double while collecting five RBI and scoring three times. In addition, he paired up with Brewer and Seguine to turn the three consecutive inning ending double plays.
Rhoades was perfect at the plate with a 3-for-3 game that included a triple. The Freshman from Jonesboro drove in two runs and scored once while also stealing a base.
Williams hit his first homerun that left the ballpark and his second of the year in a 2-for-4 game, collecting two RBI and scoring once.
Brewer reached three times in the game with one hit and two hit by pitch, the Trojan first baseman scored twice in the matchup.
Sargent was credited for the win as he pitched three innings of relief in the game, not allowing a run on just one hit while striking out two.
DAVIDSON 6, TENNESSEE TECH 5
DAVIDSON, N.C. - For the second day in a row, the Tennessee Tech baseball team suffered a heart-wrenching loss at Davidson, falling to the Wildcats Sunday afternoon at Wilson Field, 6-5, behind another walk-off hit by the home squad.
It was a back-and-forth affair much of the day, with Davidson (13-10) taking the early 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the second. The Golden Eagles (8-15) fought back in the third, responding with a solo run to cut the deficit in half.
Center fielder Nicho Jordan hammered a lead-off home run to right field in the third, his second long ball in as many days. After holding the Wildcats scoreless in the bottom half, Tech continued its run in the fourth.
Rookie Kayne Jinks ripped a single through the left side with one out in the fourth, and moved on to third following a double to left-center off the bat of right fielder Theo Bryant IV. Jordan came through again for the purple and gold, peppering a single to center field for a pair of RBI and a 3-2 Tech lead.
Davidson instantly clapped back, plating a pair in the fourth to move back out front by a score of 4-3. The Wildcats made it a 5-3 advantage in the fifth, but the Golden Eagles once again had a response.
Leading off the sixth, second baseman Troy Baunsgard smashed a solo bomb to left field, his fifth round-tripper of the year. The Golden Eagles evened things at 5-5 in the seventh, with shortstop Nick Spardone scoring on a bases-loaded walk to Baunsgard.
The scoring stopped for both sides until the bottom of the ninth, when the Wildcats picked up an RBI single down the right-field line with one out and the bases loaded.
Jordan led the Tech offense in the contest, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Baunsgard drove in the other two Golden Eagle runs, while left fielder Preston Ford represented Tech's other multi-hit effort with a pair of base knocks.