SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Lindenwood 11, SIUE 5
Eastern Illinois 4, @Southeast Missouri 2
Southern Indiana 8, @Tennessee Tech 6
@Illinois 15,
UT Martin 7
LINDENWOOD 11, SIUE 5
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Junior Logan Stevens racked up four hits to help propel the Lindenwood baseball team (13-42, 8-16 OVC) to a victory over the SIUE Cougars (26-27, 9-15 OVC) by a margin of 11-5 on Saturday at Lou Brock Sports Complex.
In addition to his four hits, Stevens had two doubles and three RBI to lead the Lions. Senior Joe Copeland furnished a standout performance at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, two walks and three RBI. Sophomore Dawson Hokuf also contributed for Lindenwood, putting together one hit in five trips to the plate while adding a double and two RBI.
Trailing 1-0, the Lions first put runs on the board in the third inning. Lindenwood got on the board thanks to Stevens' RBI double with two outs.
The score stayed at 1-1 until the very next inning, when the Lions put runs on the scoreboard once again. The Lindenwood offense exploded for seven runs, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Stevens and a two-run double from Hokuf, which brought the score to 8-1 in favor of the Lions.
Lindenwood held SIUE scoreless before expanding their lead to 11-1 the following inning. The Lions recorded three runs in the frame, two of them coming across on a two-run triple from Copeland. SIUE put four runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Lindenwood still coasted to the 11-5 win.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Eastern Illinois baseball (33-18, 13-11 OVC) earn their second straight Ohio Valley Conference sweep after defeating Southeast Missouri (26-29, 14-10 OVC) by a score of 4-2. Marks the second straight season for EIU with 33 wins.
Starting pitcher Nick Laxner (W, 5-1) had one of his best outings of the season against the Redhawks. He pitched in 7.0 innings allowing just one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts. Zane Robbins (S, 5) picked up his second save in as many games.
Ryan Ignoffo was the hero at the plate with his 15th home run of the season that put Eastern out front early on in the game. Ben Gallaher also pitched in an RBI single to lift Panthers to their seventh straight victory.
For the first time in the series, the Redhawks struck first in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single by Lincoln Andrews off of Laxner. He would go on to retire the next 16 batters he faced.
EIU would not be down for long as they would tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the second. After three straight singles to start the second, Gallaher delivered his eighth RBI of the season. SEMO got out of the inning that included a throw out to home of Cole Gober.
It was a pitcher's dual between Laxner and Haden Dow from there on out until the fifth inning. Chris Worcester led off with a double and was followed by Robby Taul reaching on an error before Ignoffo blasted a three-run home run to give EIU a 4-1 lead.
SEMO was able to score another run in the seventh inning after an RBI single by Danny Sperling to cut the lead to two runs. Colton Coca would enter in the eighth an shut the door with a runner in scoring position with two strikeouts.
Closer Robbins earned his fifth save after coming in relief in the bottom of the ninth. He struck out one in the final inning to secure the 33rd win for Eastern Illinois.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 8, TENNESSEE TECH 6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball concluded the 2023 regular season and a three-game series with Tennessee Tech University by holding on to win, 8-6, Saturday afternoon in Cookeville, Tennessee. USI watched its record go 17-37 overall and 8-15 in the OVC, while TTU is 19-32, 10-14 OVC.
The victory wrapped up an Ohio Valley Conference Championship berth for the Screaming Eagles, who will be the eighth seed in the tournament which is slated for May 24-27 at Mt. Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. USI will play fifth-seeded Eastern Illinois
University in the first-round game at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
USI jumped out in front early during the series finale with a pair of runs in the second inning. Senior catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) put the Screaming Eagles up 1-0 with his fifth home run of the season and the 25th of his career.
The USI Eagles followed McNew's homer with a second run when freshman third baseman Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) singled in junior designated hitter Parker Stroh (Grand Forks, North Dakota).
USI followed the two-run second with a five-run fifth, scoring five times on four hits, two walks, and an error to extend the lead to 7-0. The 7-0 margin lasted until the bottom of the sixth when the Golden Eagles closed the gap to 7-1.
After allowing the sixth-inning tally, USI pushed the lead back to seven, 8-1, when junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) scored on a ground out by junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan). TTU bounced back to cut the USI advantage to 8-4 with a three-run seventh.
The Golden Eagles made a game with it in the ninth, scoring a pair of runs on a two-run homer, cutting the gap to 8-6, and proceeded to put another pair of runners on with one out against USI sophomore right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana). Seebold settled down to get the final two Golden Eagles to preserve the 8-6 victory.
Seebold posted his first save of the season, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk. He also struck out two in three innings of work.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) gave USI a great start and posted his second win of the year. Hutson (2-7) allowed one run on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five in 5.2 innings of work.
ILLINOIS 15, UT MARTIN 7
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The regular season finale for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad took place today as the Skyhawks fell by a 15-7 margin on the road against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
UT Martin (22-33) saw four players record multi-hit games today, led by leadoff man Caleb Hobson (three hits, walk, run scored, RBI, stolen base). Mac Danford doubled twice while driving in three runs while freshman Jackson Cooke creamed his first career homer, a two-run shot as part of a six-run top of the fourth.
Blaze Bell and Benny DeTrude each had two hits, a walk and scored a run for the Skyhawks while Alec Beaman, Jonah Wichman and Travis Stauter also scored once apiece.
Seven UT Martin hurlers made appearances on the mound today. Choyce Diffey started a series finale for the second straight weekend, going three solid innings. Tucker Reed, Colin Millar (0-2), Baylor Jones, Trey Ricko, Eli Martin and Nate Self also saw time on the hill this afternoon.
Diffey retired the side in order on just nine pitches in the bottom of the first before Illinois (25-25) scored twice in the second inning. He then kept the Fighting Illini scoreless in the bottom of the third, stranding the bases loaded to keep the score at 2-0.
A total of 11 Skyhawks marched to the plate during the aforementioned six-run top of the fourth as seven consecutive batters reached base safely after two outs were recorded. Bell led things off with a double before Cooke jumped on a 1-0 pitch for a two-run homer, evening the score. Stauter (hit by pitch), DeTrude (single) and Hobson (walk) loaded the bases for Beaman, who was hit by a pitch for an RBI. With the bases still juiced, Danford went the opposite way for a three-run double down the right field line, pushing UT Martin ahead by a 6- 2 margin.
Illinois scored twice in the bottom of the fourth but the Skyhawks got one run back in their half of the fifth. Wichman was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and advanced to second after DeTrude worked a walk. On the next pitch, Hobson lined an RBI single up the middle to plate Wichman for a 7-4 UT Martin advantage.
The Fighting Illini scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth and once in the sixth to reclaim the lead. The Skyhawks brought the tying run to the plate by loading the bases with one away in the top of the seventh but could not cut into their deficit.
Illinois was responsible for two runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings to provide the final 15-7 tally.