SATURDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 8, @Lindenwood 4
@Eastern Illinois 5-7, Little Rock 3-6
@Southeast Missouri 5, Tennessee Tech 4
@UT Martin 7, Southern Indiana 3
@VMI 13-10,
SIUE 3-4
MOREHEAD STATE 8, LINDENWOOD 4
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - After tying the game three times, the Morehead State baseball team finally broke through and took the lead late on Saturday on the way to its eighth straight victory. The win tied the Eagles' longest winning streak of 2023.
Joe Rotkis (4-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Morehead State (21-12, 7-1 OVC), allowing just one run in 1.2 innings. Grant Herron started the game and navigated through a pair of rough innings before settling in. Herron ended with five strikeouts, moving his team-leading total to 51 on the season, and ended up with a no decision. Riley Bradshaw, Luke Lyman, and Jarrett Miller assisted Rotkis in shutting down Lindenwood to close it out.
Morehead State was paced offensively by multi-hit games from Nick Gooden, Colton Becker, Carter Owens, and Carter Sakamoto. Gooden drove in two runs to lead the team.
Lindenwood got on the board first with a run in the second, but Morehead State tallied a run to tie the game at one in the fourth. Colton Becker led off the inning with a single before stealing both second and third. He advanced home on a throwing error on his steal of third. The Lions made the score 2-1 in the fifth before a sac fly from Ryley Preece tied the game once again.
A run crossed of Lindenwood against Rotkis in the sixth, but Colton Becker led off the seventh with a single before getting all the way to third on a wild pitch. Chase Vinson launched an RBI ground-rule double to score Becker, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and gave MSU the lead when he scored on Isaias' Guzman's sac fly.
MSU blew the game open in the eighth, as Carter Sakamoto and Ryley Preece both singled to start the inning. Roman Kuntz drew a walk to load to bases before Nick Gooden drove in a pair on a single. A throwing error allowed Roman Kuntz to score and moved Gooden to third before he scored on Becker's sac fly. Lindenwood pushed across a run against Bradshaw, but he, Luke Lyman, and Jarrett Miller shut down the Lions to end the game.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 5-7, LITTLE ROCK 3-6
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois baseball (19-13, 3-6 OVC) won their first Ohio Valley Conference series of the season after winning the Saturday double header over Little Rock (19-14, 7-5 OVC). The weekend was capped off with a walk-off win by Kolten Poorman in game two.
The Panthers won game one by a final score of 5-3 in which Colton Coca earned his third win of the season after throwing 2.1 innings in relief. EIU took game two by a final score of 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning thanks to Poorman's heroics.
Eastern Illinois put up double digit hits in their 5-3 victory over the Trojans in game one of an OVC double header. Colton Coca took home the victory for Eastern Illinois after throwing 2.1 innings of relief for starting pitcher Ky-Matthews Hampton.
Hampton went 6.0 innings in the game allowing nine hits and three runs while striking out four. Zane Robbins also picked up his third save for the Panthers in the victory.
Lincoln Riley was steady at the plate for Eastern Illinois in game one as he collected his three hits including a double to lead the way for the Panthers. Dominic DiLello also added two hits and a run scored in the game after being subsituted into the game in the fifth.
Grant Lashure got EIU on the board in game one in the fourth inning after a two RBI single which brough home Poorman and Ryan Ignoffo. DiLuca would score DiLello in the sixth to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
Little Rock scored all three of their runs off of Hampton in the seventh inning with Trey Hill and Tyler Williams picking up an RBI to tie the game. Coca would enter the game and only allow one hit the rest of the way.
Nicholas Rucker earned his only hit of the game in the seventh inning, but gave the Panthers the go-ahead run to put EIU on top 4-3. Riley would later score on a wild pitch in the eighth inning to give EIU an insurance run.
Robbins entered the game with one out in the top of the ninth and delivered his third save of the season. He added one strikeout of the two batters he faced.
The Panthers won game one with five runs on 10 hits with one error. Little Rock scored three runs on 10 hits with two errors.
Late game heroics from Kolten Poorman allowed Eastern Illinois to collect their first OVC series win of the season. Eastern Illinois improved to 3-6 in conference play and moved up the seventh in the standings.
Blake Malatestinic had a good outing as the starting pitcher for Eastern Illinois. Despite the no decision, Malatestinic threw in 5.0 innings allowing six hits and one run with two strikeouts.
Logan Eickhoff had the big day at the plate for the Panthers as he had three hits and two RBI to lead Eastern Illinois. Lucas DiLuca also provided a spark by having to sacrifice flyouts for the Panthers to net two runs.
After Little Rock scored a run on a double play by the Panther defense in the second inning, Eastern Illinois struck back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second. DiLuca and Eickhoff both had an RBI in the inning.
Eastern Illinois wouldn't score until the fifth inning starting with a bunt RBI single by Dominic DiLello. That was followed by Ben Gallaher scoring on a throwing error by the Little Rock defense. DiLuca would deliver his second sac fly of the ball game to give EU the 5-1 advantage.
Jonathon Hanscom would enter the game in the sixth inning for the Panthers. He would allow two runs in the sixth inning, but would settle down and retire the next nine Trojans he faced.
With the score at 5-3, Zane Robbins entered the game with two runners on in the top of the ninth inning. After a wild pitch by Robbins, Graydon Martin delivered the game tying two RBI single for the Trojans. Tyler Williams then hit an RBI single to put Little Rock up one. Ryan Ignoffo would enter the game in the ninth to close of the side.
In the bottom of the ninth, DiLuca and Lincoln Riley both got on with just one out. Eickhoff then hit an RBI single to score DiLuca and tied the game at 6-6. After an intentionally walk of Ryan Ignoffo, Kolten Poorman had his biggest RBI of the season with a fielder's choice to end the game.
Eastern Illinois scored seven runs on 11 hits with one error. Little Rock scored six runs on 12 hits with six errors.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5, TENNESSEE TECH 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (20-17, 9-2 OVC) picked up the ninth Ohio Valley Conference victory on Saturday afternoon over Tennessee Tech (10-23, 2-6 OVC) by a final score of 5-4.
Tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Jevon Mason crushed his fourth home run of the season off TTU RHP Peyton Calitri (2-4) to provide the game-winning run. The solo shot resulted in Mason's 26th RBI of the season.
Calitri took the loss for the Golden Eagles.
The Redhawks got on the board in the first inning for the second-straight game in the series via a sacrifice fly with Carlos Aranda with the bases loaded. Jevon Mason came into score to give SEMO a 1-0 lead after the first frame.
The Golden Eagles responded with a four run, third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Left fielder Austin Turner walked with the bases loaded to tie it at one.
A bases clearing double into the left-center field gap by designated hitter Hayden Gilliland plated three runners off Redhawks starter Payton Lawrence.
Lawrence finished his outing after 1.1 innings pitched, allowing just one hit and four runs over 10 TTU batters faced.
RHP Hunter Ralls relieved Lawrence in the second inning and pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball to halt the Golden Eagles at four runs.
Ralls registered three strikeouts and just three hits over 18 Tech batters.
The Redhawks would respond in the bottom of the second following TTU's big second inning.
Peyton Leeper hit his fifth home run of the season off of TTU starting pitcher Andrew Guardino in the bottom of the second to cut the Tech lead to two.
Back-to-back doubles by Chance Resetich and Josh Cameron plated runs three and four to tie the ballgame at four.
Chance Resetich stayed red-hot at the plate with a double to right-center field to bring in Brett Graber, as Cameron doubled down the right field line to bring around Resetich.
Resetich finished 4-for-5 with an RBI and a double.
RHP Kyle Miller picked up his third save of the season. Miller recorded the six out save allowing just two hits and striking out three over nine hitters faced.
UT MARTIN 7, SOUTHERN INDIANA 3
MARTIN, Tenn. - Caleb Hobson and Jack Culumovic each homered and drove in three runs while Tristan Walton delivered a quality start as the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad rolled to a 7-3 triumph against Ohio Valley Conference foe Southern Indiana this afternoon at Skyhawk Field.
The win clinched a series victory over the Screaming Eagles as UT Martin (11-25, 6-5 OVC) has now taken three of its first four OVC series for the first time in school history.
Hobson reached base safely three times today, also roping an RBI triple and drawing an RBI walk while homering for the second straight game. Culumovic continued his torrid stretch at the dish as the redshirt senior from Simpsonville, SC blasted his fifth homer in the past eight games – a three-run bomb that gave the Skyhawks a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Slade Taylor (two hits) and Zac Rice (triple, two walks) also guided UT Martin offensively.
The Skyhawk pitching staff put together one of their best outings of the season as three hurlers combined to concede only two earned runs on six hits and two walks while fanning eight. Walton equaled a career-high with six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Tucker Reed followed with two innings and no earned runs allowed before Zach Wager finished things off with a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.
Walton retired the side in order in the top of the first, needing only nine pitches to do so. The Screaming Eagles (9-25, 2-9 OVC) scored once in the top of the second to take an early 1-0 lead but Walton was back in shutdown mode in the third, chalking up a strikeout and two groundouts on just seven pitches.
UT Martin got cooking offensively in the bottom half of the frame, pushing across four runs. Hobson started the rally by crushing a one-out jack to straightaway center for the Skyhawks’ first hit of the contest. Will Smith followed with a two-out walk before Hunter McLean reached on a fielder’s choice. Culumovic then belted a no-doubter beyond the wall in right field for a three-run shot – his team-leading sixth homer of the 2023 campaign.
Walton worked around a one-out double to throw up another zero in the top of the fourth. Taylor led off the bottom half with a single and advanced to second on a Rice walk. Two batters later, Andrew Fernandez went the other way for an RBI single to plate Taylor, making the score 5-1 in the process.
UT Martin was able to hold Southern Indiana off the scoreboard once again in the fifth thanks to the hose that is Rice’s right arm. The rightfielder from Fort Mitchell, Ala. fired a strike for at home plate for an inning-ending double play on a would-be sacrifice fly to keep the Skyhawk lead at four runs.
The Screaming Eagles got one run back in the top of the sixth but Walton generated two more strikeouts – including a punchout to strand a pair of runners and end his day after 81 pitches.
Back-to-back two-out triples from Rice and Hobson resulted in UT Martin’s next run as the Skyhawks went ahead 6-2 through six innings of play.
Reed made his team-high 14th relief appearance in the seventh and got back-to-back strikeouts after an unearned run crossed the plate. The righty from Athens, Ala. recorded a scoreless eighth to keep the score at 6-3 in UT Martin’s favor.
The final run of the game came in the bottom of the eighth. Mac Danford led off the inning with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Blaze Bell. Taylor (single) and Rice (walked) both reached base safely before Hobson was issued a bases-loaded walk to extend the Skyhawk advantage out to 7-3.
Wager did not allow a ball out of the infield in the top of the ninth, striking out a pair of Southern Indiana hitters to clinch the win.
VMI 13-10, SIUE 3-4
LEXINGTON, Va. - VMI swept a baseball doubleheader from SIUE Saturday, winning 13-3 and 10-4.
The Cougars are now 20-14. VMI improved 20-16.
In game one, the Cougars got the scoring started on a home run in the first. Brennan Orf hit his 10th of the year. In the third, Orf scored on an error to make it 2-1.
VMI got a three run home run by Zac Morris to go up 4-2 in the fourth and extended the lead to 6-2 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Josh Ohl scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to make it 6-3.
SIUE starter Jake Bockenstedt (4-2) worked five innings. He allowed six runs, five earned, on 11 VMI hits. He did not walk a batter and he struck out six.
VMI's Grayson Fitzwater made it 9-3 with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. VMI scored twice more in the seventh and added two more in the eighth for the 13-3 final.
VMI outhit the Cougars 18-5 in the opener. Keydets second baseman Ty Swaim finished with four hits, while three other VMI players had three hits apiece.
In game two, the Keydets scored twice in the first inning on a pair of singles. SIUE got an RBI-single from Orf in the fifth to make it 2-1.
Fitzwater hit another three-run home run as part of a five-run fifth inning to push the lead to 7-1.
Drew Mize hit a one-out solo homer in the seventh to trim the lead to 7-2. VMI made it 9-2 with a pair of runs in the seventh before Kyle Ratliff homered for the Cougars in the eighth. It was 10-3 in the ninth when Avery Owusu-Asiedu singled to drive in a run.
Game two starter Teague Conrad (3-1) suffered his first loss. He allowed six runs over five innings.
Ratliff had two hits in game two. The Cougars finished with 10 hits.