SUNDAY'S SCORES
Saint Louis 8,
Western Illinois 5 (Millington, Tenn.)
@Little Rock 10, Illinois State 5
@Southeast Missouri 10, St. Thomas 3
@Oral Roberts 8,
SIUE 3
@Tennessee Tech 21, Sacred Heart 8
Morehead State 13, @North Alabama 9
@Southern Indiana 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Brown 13,
@UT Martin 6
@Nicholls 9,
Eastern Illinois 6
@Arkansas State 6,
Lindenwood 5 (11)
SAINT LOUIS 8, WESTERN ILLINOIS 5
MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Western Illinois baseball fell late in the final game of their three-game set against Saint Louis. The 8-5 loss moves WIU to 1-5 overall.
Both teams' offenses stayed dormant during the first two innings as the defenses shined. WIU and Saint Louis combined to have the first 11 batters retired in order before Chris Hege worked a two-out walk. The offense picked up in the third inning as Saint Louis plated a run in the top half of the inning. Western Illinois got on the scoreboard in the bottom half. Trevor Leon started it all with a one-out single. He would advance to second on a wild pitch and third on a Maxton Polad double. Liam Bushey moved both runners 90 feet with an RBI single as the Leathernecks tied the game at 1-1. J.R. Heavilin kept the train moving with an infield single to the shortstop that saw Polad come home to give WIU an early 2-1 lead. Reece Davis gave WIU their third-inning run as he reached on an error.
Tyler Kapraun would be dealing as he shut down Saint Louis's offense over the next two innings. The Leatherneck offense picked up their pitcher in the 4th and 5th inning. In the 4th, WIU would load the bases as a pitch hit Kyree Alexander, and Jackson Horn would single. Poland was the third runner as a pitch hit him. Bushey would add to his RBI total with two outs with an RBI ground out to second base, pushing the Leathernecks in front 4-1. Brock Lummus got his first start and got into the scoring with a solo home run to start the 5th inning as WIU was in front 5-1.
Saint Louis scored seven unanswered runs as they took the 8-5 win.
Tyler Kapraun pitched a gem, going 6.0 innings, allowing just four hits and three runs while striking out four. Maxton Polad and Brock Lummus both had multi-hit days with two hits. Liam Bushey had two RBIs to lead the Western Illinois offense.
LITTLE ROCK 10, ILLINOIS STATE 5
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Little Rock Baseball boasts first series victory of the season after winning the rubber match against Illinois State behind two big 6th and 7th innings.
The Trojans fell behind in the first inning after an RBI triple put the Redbirds up 1-0. The Redbirds would then go on to shut the Trojans down in the home half of the inning.
The Trojans would come back and take the lead with a 3-run second inning. Ty Rhoades battled through a 15-pitch at bat which resulted in an RBI double bringing Skyler Trevino home. Andrew Pickering then brought Ty Rhoades home off an RBI single to right center. The final run of the inning would come off an RBI double to left center from Jake Wright.
The Redbirds would then tie it up with 2 runs in the third and take the lead with a 1-run fifth inning. Alex Seguine would score the equalizer with a home run to center field. The Redbirds would again take the lead with a run in the sixth inning. Jake Wright would give the Trojans the lead with a 2-run homer to left field.
The Trojans then had a big 4-run inning in the seventh scoring 4 times. Ty Rhoades hit an RBI single through the right side bringing Nico Baumbach home. Andrew Pickering would bring Noah Brewer home with an RBI single to center field. The final score for the Trojans came from Alex Seguine's 2 RBI double single. Jacob Weatherley would then enter the game in the 8th and throw 6 strikeouts to close out the game.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 10, ST. THOMAS 3
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (2-6) picked up its second win of the season on Sunday afternoon with a 10-3 victory over St. Thomas (4-4) in Cape Girardeau, led by freshman Brooks Kettering.
Kettering, who has made every start of the season so far at second base, finished the day going 4-for-5 with an RBI and scored three of SEMO's 10 runs in the ball game. He is now hitting .259 through the first eight games of 2024.
Outfielder Michael Mugan hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday afternoon, crushing a ball over the right-field fence off St. Thomas' Nolan Kemp. Mugan finished the day 1-for-4 with the home run and four RBIs.
LHP Haden Dow (1-0) picked up his first win of the season in his 2024 Capaha Field debut. The Canadian pitched a gem, going 7.0 innings and allowed just two earned runs on five hits and recorded a season-high five strikeouts.
The Redhawks wasted no time getting runs on the board as they tacked on two first inning runs on Sunday afternoon against RHP Devon Schewe. Kettering recorded the first SEMO hit of the ball game two batters into the game with a single to the left side.
Back-to-back hit-by-pitches on Mugan and Chance Resetich loaded the bases for SEMO early. First baseman Bryce Cannon roped a single to left center to plate Kettering and Mugan, respectively, and the Redhawks led 2-0.
St. Thomas would respond in the visitor's second inning with a run. Catcher Max Moris doubled to left center to score Max Nyrop after an error awarded Nyrop first base.
The Redhawks would score a run in the home half of the second, third, and fourth innings.
In the third inning, catcher Shea McGahan recorded his first hit as a Redhawk. A towering fly ball left the park over the left field fence to give SEMO its fourth run of the ball game. For McGahan, the home run was his first in a SEMO uniform.
The Redhawks would explode for five runs in the fifth and never looked back as they led 10-3 after St. Thomas scored two in the visitor's half of the fifth.
An RBI triple by McGahan scored Josh Cameron after a 1-out walk to score the first run of the inning. A perfectly executed squeeze play by designated hitter Keoni Coloma would score McGahan from third.
McGahan finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a pair of runs scored.
Short stop Ben Palmer was hit-by-a-pitch, followed by a Brooks Kettering single to left field. In stepped Mugan who crushed the ball to right-field for a three-run jack to give SEMO a 10-3 lead.
LHP Alex Hayes made his Capaha Field debut and had a nice outing out of the bullpen for Dow. Hayes pitched 2.0 innings, allowing zero runs on zero hits, and struck out two over seven batters faced.
ORAL ROBERTS 8, SIUE 3
TULSA, Okla. - SIUE baseball dropped the finale of a three-game series at Oral Roberts 8-3 Sunday.
The Golden Eagles swept the weekend series to improve to 4-4. The Cougars fell to 1-7.
Zack Floyd's third home run of the year got the Cougars on the board in the second inning.
Oral Roberts scored single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings to lead 4-1 going into the sixth inning.
The Cougars scored twice in the inning to pull within one. Ethan Willoughby and Mack Mitchell each picked up RBIs in the inning. ORU responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to extend the advantage to 7-3.
The Golden Eagles loaded the bases before a hit batter added a run in the eighth inning for the final margin.
SIUE starter Spencer Stearns (0-2) took the loss. He allowed three runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. He struck out one and walked two.
Duncan McLaughlin allowed four runs over 1.2 innings. Lucas Spence allowed a run on three hits in 2.1 innings.
Liam McKillop pitched the final out.
Floyd finished with the home run and two hits overall.
TENNESSEE TECH 21, SACRED HEART 8
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The bats were singing for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Sunday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles secured a sweep of visiting Sacred Heart with a 21-8 victory at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Locking down its sixth straight win, Tech (6-1) was quick to attack right out of the gate and never looked back on its way to its largest offensive output since defeating Alabama A&M, 28-8, during the 2019 campaign. On the day, the purple and gold rack up 18 hits, including nine of the extra-base variety.
After rookie hurler Jack Brafa set the tone with a scoreless first, the Cookeville crew went right to work with the bats. Second baseman Troy Baunsgard lit the dynamite with one out, crushing a solo home run to left field for his first round-tripper of the year.
The Pioneers (0-6) got to two outs, but an error kept the frame alive and allowed the Golden Eagles to load the bases for third baseman Eddie Garza. It proved a costly mistake, as the sophomore immediately laced a two-run base knock the other way through the right side.
Still not satisfied, the Tech offense continued to roll thanks to a mighty swing by shortstop Preston Steele. The junior smashed a three-run blast to left-center field on a 3-1 count, his first trip around the bases this season.
Right fielder Jackson Green kept the massive inning going with a triple down the right-field line, but Sacred Heart finally recorded the first out to stop the bleeding, at least for the moment. Brafa turned in another scoreless frame before handing it back over to his lineup.
It delivered again, with Garza nearly repeating his performance in the prior frame. With the bases loaded thanks to a hit, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk, he dropped a double into left field to plate a pair and make it an 8-0 lead.
Sacred Heart got on the board in the third, taking advantage of a couple of mental mistakes in the infield that kept the frame alive. The Pioneers scored three runs, all earned despite Brafa's relatively clean inning.
The Golden Eagles took back the runs they surrendered and then some in the bottom half of the inning, with Green making some history along the way. The junior became just the second Tech player in program history to record two triples in a game, hammering a three-bagger off the top of the wall in center field to open the frame. He joined Thomas Nelson, who picked up a pair of triples against Illinois State back during the 2008 campaign.
It didn't take long for him to dent the dish either. After left fielder Austin Turner and Baunsgard drew back-to-back walks, Gilliland blistered a double off the wall in center field to drive in two. Center fielder Nicho Jordan finished clearing the bases three pitches later, lifting a two-run triple off the wall in center field for a 12-0 Golden Eagle advantage.
Jordan's triple helped Tech tie the single-game school record for the category, the fifth time the purple and gold pulled off the feat and first since the Feb. 23, 2008 contest with the Redbirds dominated by Nelson. For good measure, designated hitter Mack Whitcomb plated Jordan with a ground out to second base.
Getting yet another chance at the dish in the fourth, Jordan produced again, ripping an RBI single through the left side. Sacred Heart looked to mount a rally in the fifth, scoring three times to make it a 14-6 deficit, but Tech had more offense to provide.
Gilliland drove in a run in the sixth on a single to right-center field before the Pioneers answered with a single run in the top of the seventh. Tech had one more huge blow out to provide a double-digit lead and leave no doubt.
Following the seventh-inning stretch, it looked like it would be a zero for the Golden Eagles, as Sacred Heart picked up two quick outs to open the frame. Garza lit the spark for a big, two-out rally, doubling to right-center field on a beautiful approach the other way.
Good base running by Garza and Steele, who walked, allowed both to advance a base on separate wild pitches. Green continued his strong day at the plate with a base knock to left-center field, driving in both of his teammates.
After a walk to Turner and subsequent pitching change by the Pioneers, Bombsgard…wait…sorry… Baunsgard dropped the bat for a second time. The senior slugger slaughtered a three-run bomb to left-center field for his first multi-home run showing and a 20-7 Tech lead.
Both sides trade a run in the eighth, with outfielder Theo Bryant IV, who came into the game on defense in the seventh, opening the frame with a gorgeous opposite-field approach on a single to right field. The senior swiped second base and reached third after the attempt to catch him sailed into center field.
First baseman Kayne Jinks brought him home, sending a sacrifice fly to left field to secure Tech's football-like 21-8 final score.
Baunsgard and Garza each drove in four run on the day thanks to three hits apiece. Green also racked up three hits while plating a pair and scoring twice. Baunsgard crossed home plate a whopping five times, the first Golden Eagle since Anthony Carrera in 2019 to do so.
Gilliland reached base in all five of his trips to the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with a walk, three RBI, and three runs. Steele and Jordan each drove in three runs as well.
Freshman Juan Vargas picked up his first career win following 1.1 innings of relief following Brafa's three-inning start. Vargas punched out a pair while yielding two earned runs. Fellow rookie Drew Mattox took over from there, covering the next 2.2 innings with just one run allowed and four strikeouts.
Veteran Matt Gelorme shut out the Pioneers over the final 1.1 frames, fanning one without allowing a base runner.
MOREHEAD STATE 13, NORTH ALABAMA 9
FLORENCE, Ala. - The Morehead State baseball team secured a series win in breathtaking fashion, breaking a 9-9 tie in the ninth for a 13-9 victory over the North Alabama Lions Sunday.
Hayden Robbins' three-run homer, the first of his career, broke the tie with one out in the ninth inning, and on the very next pitch Ryley Preece hit his second home run of the series. Preece moved into fifth place on the program's all-time home run list, just eight home runs from becoming the all-time leader.
Junior Will Grimmett (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Morehead State (4-3). The right-hander went 1.2 innings without giving up a hit. Matt Bettio also pitched well, going 1.1 shutout innings without allowing a hit.
In the batter's box, the Eagles were led by senior Roman Kuntz, who went 2-for-6 on the day with a double, a home run and four RBI. Senior Ryley Preece furnished a noteworthy performance as well, going 4-for-5 with a home run, a walk and an RBI. Freshman Hayden Robbins also helped out for Morehead State, putting together one hit in five trips to the plate while adding a home run and four RBI.
Trailing 2-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the third inning. Morehead State scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run homer from Kuntz.
The Eagles lost the lead they built in the third, but got back on the board in the fourth trailing 4-3. Morehead State scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-RBI double from senior Colton Becker, which brought the Eagles lead to 6-4.
Morehead State's lead had disappeared by the time the sixth inning arrived and turned into a 7-6 North Alabama advantage, when the Eagles re-took control at 8-7. The Eagles pushed two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Kuntz that scored freshman Davis Germann and Preece.
Morehead State held the Lions scoreless before building on their lead in the eighth inning. The Eagles sent in a run on Isaias Guzman's two-out RBI double, bringing the score to 9-7 in favor of Morehead State.
North Alabama fired back to tie the ballgame at nine before the Eagles reclaimed a 13-9 advantage in the ninth inning. Morehead State hit two home runs in the inning on the way to pushing four runs across. The score remained 13-9 for the rest of the game, as the Eagles coasted to the win.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, EASTERN MICHIGAN 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball senior catcher Tyler Kapust (Sellersburg, Indiana) and freshman right-hander Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky) propelled the Screaming Eagles to a 3-1 victory over Eastern Michigan University Sunday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 2-5 to start the season, while EMU also is 2-5.
For the first time in the series, USI got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second off a two-run single by Kapust. Freshman leftfielder Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky) started the rally by reaching on an error and was followed by junior first baseman Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri), who was hit by a pitch, before scoring on Kapust's two-out, two-run single.
After EMU cut the USI advantage to 2-1 in the top of the sixth, USI got the run back in the bottom half to go back up by two, 3-1. Sophomore shortstop Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second before stealing third and scoring on a throwing error.
On the mound, Parson picked up his first collegiate win in his second start of the year for USI. Parson (1-0) allowed one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven in six innings of work.
USI freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit (Ferdinand, Indiana) held the EMU Eagles in check for the final 2.2 frames to post his first collegiate save. Weisheit allowed one hit and struck out three for the save.
BROWN 13, UT MARTIN 6
MARTIN, Tenn. - Despite an offense that scored in five different innings and outhit the visitors for the third consecutive outing, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team fell to Brown in the series finale today, 13-6.
The Skyhawks (3-4) collected 13 hits on the day – their fourth game in double digits in that category through seven games in 2024. Zac Rice (double shy of hitting for the cycle), Will Smith (two hits, including a double), Jalen Fithian (double) and Cullen Box (double) each had extra-base hits on the day while Mac Danford also went 2-for-4 with a walk. Benny DeTrude, Andrew Fernandez, Blaze Bell and Jackson Cooke also recorded base knocks.
Zach Wager (0-2) made his second start of the season on the mound while Dylan Lapic, Eli Martin and Sam Smith each tossed scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
UT Martin got on the scoreboard in the third after Danford doubled and Rice brought him home with an RBI groundout, cutting the Skyhawk deficit to 2-1.
The Bears were able to score six runs in the top of the fourth but UT Martin kept battling. In the bottom half of the inning, Smith roped a leadoff double into the gap in right center and came home five pitches later on a Bell RBI single.
In the fifth frame, Rice would continue to bring in the runs for the Skyhawks with his first long ball of the season – a shot that landed over the right field wall. Two innings later, Rice smoked a one-out triple to right center and soon came around to score on a Fernandez RBI.
UT Martin pieced together four hits in the bottom of the ninth, starting with a Rice leadoff single. DeTrude followed with a single through the right side and Box ripped a pinch-hit double into the gap in right center for an RBI. Cooke later posted a pinch-hit RBI single but the valiant comeback attempt ran out of time.
NICHOLLS 9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 6
THIBODAUX, La. - Eastern Illinois scored six runs in the ninth inning, but it proved to be too little too late as the Panthers dropped their final game against Nicholls by a score of 9-6.
The Colonels scored the majority of their runs in the second inning, as they hung a six spot before the Panthers managed to stop the bleeding.
Nicholls would score a few insurance runs throughout the rest of the game, including a Drake Anderson home run, to push their lead to nine.
Eastern struggled to put pressure on the Nicholls defense for much of the afternoon, with only seven hits heading into the ninth inning while managing to move just three runners into scoring position.
However, the Panthers refused to go down without a fight, and they finally had an offensive breakthrough in the top of the ninth inning when a wild pitch with the bases loaded allowed Cade Zalewski to steal home.
After Dylan Drumke worked a walk to load the bases again, an Eli Hill single up the middle drove in Quade Peters and Robby Taul to make the tally 9-3.
In the next at bat, Lucas Loos cleared the bases with a homer to left field to pull the Panthers within three.
Cole Gober would reach base on a single to bring the tying run on deck, but Nicholls reliever Gavin Galy salted the game away with a strikeout and ground out to put an end to the Panthers' late rally and drop their record to 1-5.
Casey Perrenoud (0-2) was assigned the loss, while Michael Quevedo (1-0) gets credit for the win and Galy picks up a save.
Eastern relievers combined to give up just five hits and three runs through the Colonel's final six at bats.
Offensively, Lucas Loos had a big day with three hits including a three run homer. Cole Gober also had three hits on the afternoon.
ARKANSAS STATE 6, LINDENWOOD 5 (11)
JONESBORO, Ark. - Recap coming soon.