FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 11, Butler 6
@Lindenwood 8, Omaha 7
@Southeast Missouri 6, Toledo 5
Notre Dame 14,
@Tennessee Tech 3
South Dakota State 6,
@SIUE 3
Little Rock 2, @Belmont 1 (10)
@Southern Indiana 14, St. Thomas 11
@UT Martin 14, Middle Tennessee 2
MOREHEAD STATE 11, BUTLER 6
MOREHEAD, Ky. - -Ryley Preece continued his climb up the program's all-time home run list on Friday, hitting two home runs in the Morehead State baseball team's 11-6 win over Butler in the Eagles' home opener.
Preece's two home runs moved his career tally to 44 -- tied for third in program history alongside Niko Hulsizer (2016-18) and Drew Lee (2007-10). Preece is five home runs shy of tying Jody Hamilton (1977-80) and Cary Page (2000-03) for the record. He also moved his on-base streak to 49 games, just three shy of the school record 52 set by Alex Jacobs in 2022.
Luke Helton (3-0) started on the mound and picked up the win for Morehead State (6-3). The right-hander went seven innings, giving up four runs, all of them earned, on six hits, allowing one walk and striking out four. Matt Bettio also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing one inning, giving up one run on one hit, with no walks and two strikeouts.
Preece went 2-for-3 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with three RBIs. Freshman Alex Kean added to Preece's awesome power-hitting performance by going 3-for-4 with two RBI along with one walk. Freshman Davis Germann also helped out for the Eagles, going 2-for-5 with two doubles.
The Eagles got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Morehead State scored twice, with one run coming across on senior Ryan Grabosch's single.
The Eagles then held the Bulldogs scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Morehead State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of senior Colton Becker, which brought the score to 3-0 in favor of the Eagles.
Morehead State held Butler scoreless before building their lead to 7-0 in the fourth inning. The Eagle bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a two-run home run off the bat of Preece.
The Bulldogs fought back, closing the gap to 7-1 until Morehead State added some insurance in the fifth. The Eagles added two runs, scoring one on a solo round-tripper from Preece, bringing the score to 9-1 in favor of Morehead State.
Butler got within 9-5 until the Eagles scored again in the eighth inning to stretch its lead to 11-5. Morehead State picked up two runs when a single from Kean brought home senior Roman Kuntz and Nick Gooden. Butler put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Eagles still coasted to the 11-6 win.
LINDENWOOD 8, OMAHA 7
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood baseball comes from behind in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Mavericks of the University of Nebraska Omaha, 8-7.
In the first inning, the Lions allowed four runs from the Mavericks. Both teams were scoreless in the second and third innings, however, Lindenwood exploded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Bryson Arnette reached first after being hit by a pitch. Dawson Hokuf's single to left field advanced Arnette to second. A single up the middle by Jack Meyer scored Arnette and advanced Hokuf to second. Logan Stevens singled on a bunt, advancing both Meyer and Hokuf. A sacrifice fly by Filip Sarota resulted in Hokuf scoring. Evan Funkhouser sent a long sacrifice fly to left field to score Meyer. Kam Edwards walked to load the bases with two outs. James Jett singled to score Stellato and Stevens.
Lindenwood allowed one in the seventh and two in the eighth. Entering the final inning, the Lions denied the Mavericks' offense, holding them scoreless. In the bottom of the inning, LU scored three runs to win the game. A single to right field by Arnette scored Funkhouser and T. Ludwig, knotting the score at seven. A single by Meyer led to Arnette scoring the winning run.
Easton Rakers moved to 2-0 on the season, after recording the win for the Lions.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6, TOLEDO 5
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (4-6) used a bottom of the ninth inning solo home run from outfielder Josh Cameron to beat Toledo (3-5) in the first game of the weekend series on Friday afternoon at Capaha Field.
Tied at 5-5 going into the bottom of the ninth, right fielder Josh Cameron led off the inning and on the first pitch from Toledo's RHP Camryn Szynski (0-1), Cameron crushed a ball over the right-center field wall to give SEMO the victory.
Cameron, who finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs, hit his second home run of the season.
Both teams hit the baseball well on Friday afternoon to the tune of 21 combined hits between the squads. The Rockets narrowly edged SEMO in the category, 11-10.
Toledo got on the board first after taking advantage of a Redhawks error. With a runner on second base, Toledo's short stop Kaleb Herbert roped a single into left field to plate the first run of the game.
The Redhawks would respond an inning later scoring three in the third inning. Center fielder Michael Mugan led off the inning and reached base via a single up-the-middle.
A passed ball advanced Mugan, and in the same at-bat, Chance Resetich reached first base on an error by Herbert.
First baseman Bryce Cannon continued his big week with a two RBI double to left center field, plating Mugan & Resetich. The Redhawks were not done.
Designated hitter Cole Warehime, making his first start of the season, drew a walk to put Cannon on second. A passed ball moved Cannon to third base and with two outs, the Redhawks were on the corners.
Third baseman Peyton Leeper returned to the lineup and smacked an RBI base hit to left center to score Cannon and the Redhawks led 3-1 after the third inning.
Toledo would score a single run in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth innings and led 5-4 going into the bottom half of the eighth inning.
SEMO would respond with a single run in the seventh, eighth and ninth inning(s). Cameron would record his first RBI of the ballgame in the seventh inning with an RBI sacrifice fly to right field that plated Michael Mugan from third base after his leadoff single.
A leadoff single by Mugan, followed by a hit-by-pitch on Resetich, and then a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Cannon got the Redhawks into scoring position for Cameron.
Second baseman Brooks Kettering tied the game with one out in the eighth inning. Kettering, a freshman from Springfield, Mo., went the opposite way off RHP Jackson Bergman and scored Peyton Leeper.
A scoreless ninth inning from RHP Kyle Miller (1-0) gave the Redhawks a chance to win the ball game in the home half. Miller recorded the win Friday night and struck out all three hitters he faced in his 1.0 inning of work.
Cameron's second home run of the year gave SEMO their fourth win of the season and their first win on Friday all season long.
NOTRE DAME 14, TENNESSEE TECH 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - In the first-ever meeting between the Tennessee Tech baseball team and Notre Dame, it was the Fighting Irish claiming victory in the weekend's series opener, 14-3, at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
A contest that was much closer than the final score indicated, the visitors from South Bend, Ind. pulled away with a pair of big offensive frames in the eighth and ninth. Notre Dame (6-2) plated nine runs over the final two innings of the day, turning in three of its six long balls to provide the damage.
The Golden Eagles (6-3) struggled to get much going with the bats against the Fighting Irish pitching staff, which combined to allow just three hits with 12 strikeouts.
Tech hurler Landon Smiddy turned in a performance better than the numbers indicated, with three mistakes all finishing as round-trippers. While the right-hander surrendered four earned runs and five overall, he mostly gave up soft contact and punched out three.
Notre Dame picked up three runs in the first, with the lead-off batter reaching on an error and later scoring on a light flair to right field. The first mistake of the day, an 0-2 offering, was turned around for a dinger, leading to the 3-0 lead for the Fighting Irish early.
From there, Smiddy locked in, allowing just one hit over the next four frames. Trotting back out in the sixth, the ETSU transfer gave up two solo homers before calling it a day with 5.2 innings of work.
The purple and gold got right back in the contest in the bottom half of the inning, with second baseman Troy Baunsgard and catcher Hayden Gilliland drawing back-to-back walks on full counts to prompt a pitching visit by the Fighting Irish.
The meeting didn't work, as center fielder Nicho Jordan turned on the first pitch he saw for a mammoth, three-run bomb to right-center field. Picking up his first jack of the year, Jordan trimmed the Notre Dame lead to just two.
After the two sides traded zeroes in the seventh, the Fighting Irish gathered their fourth long ball, a two-run shot, on a 3-2 offering left up in the zone. They scored two more times in the inning following an error, accounting for a pair of unearned runs.
In the ninth, Notre Dame kept swinging, gathering two more round-trippers and five runs total on four hits to put the game out of reach at 14-3.
Gilliland extended his remarkable streak of reaching base safely to a ridiculous 13 consecutive at-bats before fouling out to the catcher to end the eighth inning. He picked up one of Tech's three base knocks on the day and walked twice.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 6, SIUE 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - South Dakota State scored three times in the top of the ninth inning Friday and held on to defeat SIUE baseball 6-3 in the opener of a four-game series at Simmons Baseball Complex.
SIUE has dropped six straight and fell to 1-8. South Dakota State improved to 4-5.
With a runner on second and nobody out, SDSU pinch hitter Thatcher Kozal dropped a bunt down the third base line, which went for an infield single, moving the runner to third. After an RBI-single to put the Jackrabbits ahead and a sacrifice bunt, SIUE elected to load the bases with an intentional walk. Cougar reliever Duncan McLaughlin induced a popup for the second out before Cael Frost laced a double off the right field fence to score two.
South Dakota State built a 3-1 lead after a run on four hits in the first and back-to-back homers to start the third inning.
The Cougars got a sacrifice fly from Gage Franck in the second inning and then RBI-hits from Ryan Niedzwiedz in the third and Chase Bloomer in the fifth to even the score 3-3.
Tyler DeLong started and threw six innings for SIUE. He allowed three runs on seven hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
McLaughlin (0-1) struck out two in three innings of relief. He allowed three runs on four hits.
SDSU outhit SIUE 11-9 in the game. Lucas Spence paced the Cougar offense going 3-5. Bloomer, Niedzwiedz and Ethan Willoughby each had three hits.
SIUE stranded nine runners, including five in scoring position.
"We had a couple of situations in the game with runners on first and second and nobody out and we were unable to score a run," Lyons said. "When things are tough and you're trying to find ways to win games those types of things aren't going to help you."
Frost led SDSU with three hits and three RBIs.
LITTLE ROCK 2, BELMONT 1 (10)
NASHVILLE - Little Rock Baseball escapes a dog fight against the Belmont Bruins with a 2-1 victory following late home runs from Luke Pectol and Ben Harmon. Jacob Weatherley gets his second win of the season as he inches closer to breaking the career appearances record.
The Trojans found themselves in a grind-it-out battle to open the series against Belmont. Jackson Wells pitched the first 6.1 innings before being replaced after throwing 9 strikeouts and only 1 walk. The Bruins struck blood first as Wells' would ultimately concede a run in the 7th. Shorty after, Erik McKnight would enter the game to pitch 2.1 innings with 3 strikeouts.
Little Rock struggled to find offense throughout the game, but when it mattered most, the hot bat of Luke Pectol stepped to the plate and sent one over the left field wall to tie the score in the top of the 9th. Pectol has hit home runs in back-to-back games.
In the 9th inning, Jacob Weatherley entered the game inheriting a bases loaded, 2 out jam. The senior closer stepped to the mound and struck the last batter out to send the game to extra innings.
At the top of the 10th, Ben Harmon (who entered as a DH in the top of the 8th) sent a home run of his own over the right field wall to give the Trojans the lead. The game winning home run was Harmon's first career home run.
Jacob Weatherley returned to the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning with a chance to win it for the Trojans. Weatherley struck out his first batter, conceded a single, struck out the next batter, and conceded another single. With a the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run at first, Weatherley stepped up and struck another batter out bumping his total to 4 in 1.1 innings pitched. Weatherley has still yet to concede a run all season.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 14, ST. THOMAS 11
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored eight times in the seventh to defeat University of St. Thomas (Minn.), 14-11, Friday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 3-6 to start the season, while St. Thomas goes 4-5.
USI fell behind in third, allowing a trio of Tommie tallies. St. Thomas' 3-0 lead would last until the bottom of the fourth when USI plated a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 3-2.
USI sophomore shortstop Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) got the Eagles on the scoreboard when he scored on a wild pitch. Niehaus walked before stealing second and third to move into scoring position.
The Eagles cut the deficit for a second time in the fourth when junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) crossed the plate for a 3-2 score. Thompson-Allen, who had reached on a walk, advanced to second on a stolen base, and took third on a wild pitch, scored on a base hit by freshman leftfielder Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky) that ricocheted off the Tommie pitcher.
After the Tommies built a 5-2 lead, USI closed the gap to 5-3 on a home run by senior designated hitter Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas), who led off the frame with his first round tripper of the season. The Eagles closed to within one, 5-4, when Boyd scored on a single by junior first baseman Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri).
Following a three run seventh by St. Thomas, USI erased the deficit with an eight-run frame that included a two-run single by Niehaus as Eagles built a 12-8 lead. The Tommies climbed back into the game with three runs in the eighth to trail by one, 12-11, before USI sealed the victory with a pair of runs in the eighth for a 14-11 final.
At the plate, Ebest led the Eagle hitters by going three-for-five with two runs scored, a RBI, and a home run.
USI junior right-hander Gavin Wilson (Lee's Summit, Missouri) picked up his first win of the season. Wilson (1-1) pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing a hit and a walk to get the win. USI junior right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) posted his first save of the year, going the final 1.2 frames, allowing two hits and striking out four.
UT MARTIN 14, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team scored in every inning of its run-rule triumph against Middle Tennessee with a season-high 14 runs in the fifth win of the season.
Andrew Fernandez tied a career-high in runs batted in, driving in five Skyhawks in a 3-for-5 day. Mac Danford doubled for the fourth time this season and had a perfect day in the box, going 3-for-3 with four RBI’s. Cole Smith recorded a four-RBI performance while Will Smith scored a team-high three runs for UT Martin. Additionally, Jalen Fithian went 2-for-4 with an RBI against his former team.
Senior southpaw Tristan Walton (2-1) was surgical on the mound, going 6.2 innings while allowing only two earned runs and matching a career-high in strikeouts (nine). Shawn Perez entered with one out to go and put the finishing touches on the Game 1 win in his Skyhawk debut.
From the very first pitch, Walton was locked in as he struck out two batters in the top of the first. The offense followed with a double from Will Smith that set up Danford for a two-out RBI single in the bottom half of the inning.
In the second, UT Martin quickly answered a Blue Raider run with a Fithian RBI groundout. Middle Tennessee did not get a ball out of the infield in the third inning before a Cole Smith sacrifice fly put the Skyhawks on top by a 3-1 margin through three frames.
With just one hit through the fourth inning, Middle Tennessee’s offense was still being thwarted by Walton, who fanned two batters and got another pop out in the fourth. The offense of the Orange and Blue got rolling in their biggest inning of the game, bringing in five runs in the bottom half thanks to a RBI singles from Fernandez (two runs), Danford and Cole Smith (two runs).
Facing trouble for the first time, Walton was unfazed with two runners on base in the fifth frame. The senior punched out one batter, got another to pop up and recorded the third out on a rare batter’s interference call.
Four more runs were plated by UT Martin in the bottom of the fifth. Fernandez singled in Cameron Brady before a Danford two-run double to right field and yet another Cole Smith sacrifice fly to stretch the Skyhawk lead out to 11.
The Blue Raiders went down 1-2-3 in the sixth and Fernandez’s third and final hit of the game was a double that brought in Fithian and McLean in the bottom half.
In the seventh, Walton collected the first two outs before Perez was summoned from the bullpen. The final out was recorded when Brady threw out a potential basestealer at second base for the second time in the contest.