TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Ball State 7,
Southern Indiana 6 (11)
@Eastern Kentucky 10,
Morehead State 6
@Bradley 8,
Eastern Illinois 5
SIUE 14, @Saint Louis 12
@Southern Illinois 6,
UT Martin 5 (10)
BALL STATE 7, SOUTHERN INDIANA 6 (11)
MUNCIE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost a heartbreaker in 11 innings to Ball State University, 7-6, Tuesday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. USI watched its record go to 7-18, while Ball State goes to 18-6.
USI junior first baseman Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) put the Eagles up in the second inning with a RBI-double for the 1-0 lead. Ball State tied the game, 1-1, in the bottom half of the third before junior centerfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) drove in USI's second run of the game in the fourth for the 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals responded with a two-spot in the bottom of the fourth for the 3-2 margin and would hold that lead until the top of the seventh. USI regained the lead for a third time when junior designated hitter Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) doubled in a pair of runs for a 4-3 advantage.
The Eagles held the 4-3 lead until the bottom of the ninth when the Cardinals scratched a run across to tie the score, 4-4, on a USI error and force extra frames.
USI had the advantage early in the extra innings by taking command 6-4. USI junior rightfielder Steven Molinet (Elberfeld, Indiana) gave the Eagles back the lead for the fourth time with a RBI-double, while Ellis put USI up two, 6-4, with a sacrifice fly.
Ball State, however, was not done and tied the score, 6-6, in the bottom of the 10th, scoring the tying run on a wild pitch and set the stage in the 11th. The Eagles stranded a pair of runners on in the top of the 11th before the Cardinals got the game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the frame.
On the mound, junior right-hander Zach Sliger (Franklin, Kentucky) took the loss for the Eagles. Sliger (0-1) allowed one run on one hit and struck out two in an inning of work after entering to get the Eagles out of the 10th.
On a staff day on the mound, the Eagles received strong relief pitching performances from junior right-hander Trent Robinson (Louisville, Kentucky), who allowed a single run in three innings of work; junior right-hander Corey Anderson (Linton, Indiana), who posted two-plus scoreless innings; and junior right-hander Matthew Moore (Newburgh, Indiana), who struck out four and allowed an unearned run in three innings of action.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 10, MOREHEAD STATE 6
RICHMOND, Ky. - Morehead State received contributions from every part of their lineup, as all nine starters reached base safely, but the Eagles fell to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels 10-6 Tuesday.
Alex Kafka (1-1) got the ball to start for Morehead State (13-11) and took the loss. Senior Matt Bettio was a bright spot for the Eagles, coming out of the bullpen and throwing 1.1 shutout innings, allowing no hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. Luke Lyman threw a scoreless eighth innin as well.
In the batter's box, the Eagles were paced by Roman Kuntz, who went 1-for-4 on the day with a double and two RBI. Nick Gooden extended his hitting streak with a two-run single in the third, his second straight multi-RBI game. Junior Ryley Preece also chipped in for Morehead State, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a walk.
The Eagles got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Preece came across to score the lone run of the inning for Morehead State and get them on the board.
The Eagles lost the lead they built in the first, but got back on the board in the third trailing 6-1. Morehead State scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run single off the bat of Gooden, which tightened the Colonels lead to 6-4.
Eastern Kentucky built their lead to 9-4 before the Morehead State offense got going, reducing that lead to 9-5 in the sixth.
The Colonels expanded their lead to 10-5 before the Morehead State offense got back in action, digging into that lead in the seventh. Preece crossed home plate with the lone run of the inning for the Eagles, bringing the score to 10-6 in favor of Eastern Kentucky. The Eagles were unable to get any closer, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.
BRADLEY 8, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5
PEORIA, Ill. - Eastern Illinois baseball (13-7, 1-2 OVC) suffer a non-conference loss on Tuesday evening to Bradley (9-11, 2-1 MVC) by a final score of 8-5. Eastern Illinois allowed five home runs to the Braves in the loss.
Grant Lashure had a solid day at the plate going 3-4 with a double and two RBI. Logan Eickhoff also had an RBI double in the game.
Nick Laxner (L, 2-1) suffers the loss for the Panthers after throwing eight innings and allowing eight runs on 11 hits. Laxner did throw seven strikeouts for his new season high. Anthony Potthoff (2-0) gets the win vs. the Panthers.
Bradley got on the board early against Laxner with a leadoff home run from Ryan Vogel. The Braves would score another run in the first with a sac fly to bring their lead to 2-0.
Eastern would not be held down for long as they would score two in the second to even the game. With the bases load, Lashure delivered his first RBI of the game with a single into right field. Riley would also bring home a run with a bases loaded walk, his 18th RBI of the season.
Laxner wallowed one run in the bottom half of the second inning after Carson Husmann hit his first of two home runs off of EIU. Eickhoff delivered his RBI double in the fourth to tie the game. Laxner pitched scoreless innings in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Bradley would regain the lead in the bottom of the sixth after Husmann hit a sac fly to left field to score one. The Braves led 4-3 after six innings.
Ignoffo helped the Panthers tie the game for the second time after a ground out to first base which brought home Sean Lynch Jr. The Braves scored three runs in the seventh to extend their lead. Vogel hit is second home run of the game for Bradley.
Lashure would bring home Eastern's final run of the evening with an RBI double in the eighth. Bradley would score on more off on Laxner in the ninth to seal the win.
Eastern Illinois would score five runs on eight hits with one errors. Bradley would score eight runs on 11 hits with no errors.
SIUE 14, SAINT LOUIS 12
ST. LOUIS - SIUE baseball sent nine hitters to the plate and scored four times on three hits to complete a come-from-behind 14-12 win at Saint Louis Tuesday.
SIUE improved 15-8 with the win. Saint Louis slipped to 12-10.
Drew Mize and Chase Bloomer each drove in two runs in the deciding inning, Mize with a single and Bloomer with a double. The ninth was the second four-run inning of the game for SIUE, who trailed 9-3 after five innings.
The Cougars scored twice in the first on a two-run double from Avery Owusu-Asiedu. Mize homered leading off the third to make 3-1 before the Billikens took over.
Saint Louis scored three runs each in the third and fourth innings and then scored two in the fifth for the 9-3 lead. The Cougars scored four times in the sixth inning to cut the lead to two. Mize drove home a run with a single and Brennan Orf connected on a three-run double to center to make it 9-7.
SLU answered with two in the bottom of the sixth.
Owusu-Asiedu tripled to start the seventh and came home on a Kyle Ratliff ground out. Orf homered in the eighth after a Logan Smith single to cut the lead to 11-10. The Billikens made it a 12-10 game with a run in the bottom of the inning.
Freshman Gunner Millsap (1-0) worked the final 1 2/3 innings he struck out two and walked two for his first career win.
Mize and Orf combined for five hits and nine RBIs. Orf finished with five.
Luke Gasser (0-2) allowed three runs in the ninth to take the loss for Saint Louis.
The Cougars finished with 11 hits, but we're outhit by the Billikens 12-11.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 6, UT MARTIN 5
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team was two outs away from a victory this evening but Southern Illinois forced extra innings before plating an unearned run in the bottom of the 10th in a 6-5 Skyhawk setback.
UT Martin took a lead in the top of the fifth and held on to its advantage until the Salukis scored once in the ninth. With one out and two baserunners aboard in the bottom of the 10th, a throwing error off a fielder’s choice groundball resulted in Southern Illinois’ fifth consecutive win.
At the plate this evening, Blaze Bell (one RBI), Hunter McLean (two runs scored) and Mac Danford (one RBI, one run scored) each produced multi-hit outings. Nate Self and Caleb Hobson each drove in runs while Andrew Fernandez and Will Smith both crossed the plate for the Skyhawks (7-19).
Six hurlers saw time on the hill for UT Martin tonight. Zach Wager made the start and tossed two innings before reaching his allotted pitch count. Campbell Cleveland, Tucker Reed and J. Henry Hobson each threw two innings of relief while Colin Millar and Eli Martin (0-1) did not allow an earned run in their appearances.
The Skyhawks struck first as Smith laced a two-out triple in the top of the first and scored five pitches later after Bell singled him home.
Wager pitched around a leadoff double to put a zero on the scoreboard in the first inning before the Salukis (13-12) tied the game at 1-all after two innings, despite a pair of strikeouts from Wager in his final frame.
Southern Illinois briefly led after scoring once in the bottom of the third but UT Martin got the run back in its next turn up to the dish. McLean rifled a two-out triple into the gap in right center before jogging home on a Self RBI double that tied the score at 2-2.
Cleveland posted a scoreless inning in the fourth, allowing the Skyhawks to go ahead in the top of the fifth. Danford led the inning off with a single before advancing all the way to third base on an error from a failed pickoff attempt. Caleb Hobson lifted a sacrifice fly to put UT Martin ahead 3-2 but the Skyhawks weren’t finished. Fernandez reached on a three-base error and soon scored on a wild pitch to pad UT Martin’s advantage to two runs.
The Salukis scored on a sacrifice fly in the fifth but the Skyhawks once again answered right back with a run in the sixth. Danford went the opposite way for a single to right field to plate McLean, who reached on a wild pitch on a swinging third strike.
After Southern Illinois tallied a run in the sixth to make the score 5-4, the scoring halted for the next two-and-a-half innings. Millar worked his way around a scoreless seventh, getting a called strikeout for the final out to strand a pair of Salukis on the basepaths. J. Henry Hobson then accounted for a scoreless eighth inning as UT Martin was three outs away from the win.
A one-out RBI double by Southern Illinois in the bottom of the ninth sent the game into extra innings. The Skyhawks put a runner in scoring position in the top of the 10th as McLean singled and stole second base but the Salukis escaped a tight jam.
Southern Illinois led off the 10th with a walk and soon executed a sacrifice bunt. Following an intentional walk, the aforementioned defensive miscue – UT Martin’s first error of the night – gave the Salukis the win.