SUNDAY'S SCORES
Butler 11,
@Morehead State 10
@North Carolina A&T 6,
Eastern Illinois 4
@Lindenwood 4, Omaha 1
@Lindenwood 9, Bradley 3
Toledo 10,
@Southeast Missouri 9
Western Illinois 5, @Eastern Kentucky 3
Notre Dame 14,
@Tennessee Tech 11
@SIUE 6, South Dakota State 5 (10)
@Belmont 6
, Little Rock 2
St. Thomas 7,
@Southern Indiana 6
Middle Tennessee 10,
@UT Martin 8
BUTLER 11, MOREHEAD STATE 10
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State baseball team took a 10-8 lead into the ninth inning, but could not hold on and fell 11-10 to the Butler Bulldogs Sunday. The Eagles did win the series; however, thanks to wins on Friday and Saturday.
Junior Will Grimmett (1-1) took the loss on the mound for Morehead State (7-4).
Senior Roman Kuntz led the way offensively for the Eagles, going 2-for-5 in the ballgame with two home runs and three RBI. Senior Ryley Preece compiled a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a walk. Nick Gooden also chipped in, going 4-for-5 for Morehead State with a home run and an RBI.
Preece hit five home runs this weekend, and his on-base streak now sits at 50 games -- two shy of tying the school record.
The Eagles got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Morehead State scored twice, with one run coming across on Isaias Guzman's single.
The Bulldogs failed to push any runs across before the Eagles offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. Morehead State got a grand slam from Preece to score all four of their runs in the inning, which brought the score to 6-0 in favor of the Eagles.
Butler narrowed Morehead State's lead to 6-3 before the Eagles stretched the advantage to 7-3 in the third inning.
The Bulldogs fought back, closing the gap to 7-4 until Morehead State added some insurance in the fourth. The Eagles scored twice on solo home runs from Kuntz and Gooden, bringing the score to 9-4 in favor of Morehead State.
Butler got within 9-8 until the Eagles scored again in the sixth inning to stretch its lead to 10-8. Morehead State picked up a run on Kuntz's one-out solo home run off of senior Cole Graverson. The Eagles were unable to hold the lead, as Butler scored three times over the remaining three innings to grab the 11-10 win.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T 6, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (1-9, 0-0 OVC) lost their series finale against North Carolina A&T (9-2, 0-0 CAA) by a score of 6-4. The Panthers never trailed until the bottom of the eighth inning but were unable to hold off a strong Aggies team.
After the first six batters for each team were retired in order to start the game, EIU got on the board first with a Cole Gober sacrifice fly that plated Dylan Drumke. Chris Worcester followed that up with a double to left field that drove home Trenton Pallas to make the score 2-0.
The Aggies responded in the bottom of the third with an Enrique Wood RBI double. Wood would then score two at bats later to tie the game.
After a quiet fourth, the Panthers jumped back in front when Lucas Loos doubled to bring in Cole Gober and Tyler Castro, who had both reached on base hits.
Eastern held the lead through the bottom of the fifth inning, but a TJ Ash double in the bottom sixth drove in two runs to bring the score back to even.
Neither team scored in the seventh inning, but A&T's Camden Jackson drove in two runs with a single in the eighth to give the Aggies their first lead of the game.
The Panthers were unable to put anything together in their last at-bat, as they fell 6-4.
Chaney Trout (0-1) takes the loss for EIU, while NCAT's Connor Blantz (1-1) picks up the win and Trent Simmons is credited with the save.
Starting pitcher Casey Perrenoud had a solid outing for the Panthers. The Southeastern CC product allowed two runs on just three hits while striking out four Aggies through 5.0 innings of work.
Five EIU batters recorded a hit in the contest. Lucas Loos led the team with two RBI.
LINDENWOOD 4, OMAHA 1; LINDENWOOD 9, BRADLEY 3
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team hosted a round-robin from Friday to Sunday with the University of Nebraska Omaha and Brandley University. On Sunday, the Lions faced Omaha at noon and Bradley at 3:00 pm. Lindenwood defeated Omaha 4-1 and Bradley 9-3. With the two wins today, LU went 4-0 for the weekend.
Lindenwood went up 1-0 in the bottom of the second when Evan Funkhouser singled to score Logan Stevens. The Lions scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kam Edwards reached first on a fielder's choice, allowing Mitch Cummins to advance home. The second run of the inning came when Anthony Stellato took advantage of a wild pitch. The final run for Lindenwood came in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the bases loaded, Cummins was hit by a pitch, pushing Dawson Hokuf home.
The Mavericks scored in the top of the ninth. Josh Newell earned the win for the Lions on the mound.
The Lions understood the assignment and they accomplished everything they set out to do on the field against the Braves of Bradley University. In the bottom of the second, Lindenwood exploded with five runs and never looked back.
Colin Shea singled to right field and his teammates rounded the bases. Chase Honeycutt and Tyson Ludwig scored on the play. A homerun over the left field wall by James Jett earned runs for Funkhouser, Shea and Jett. In the third, a well-placed sacrifice bunt by Ludwig scored Hokuf.
The Braves were able to score three runs in the fifth but from there it was all LU. In the sixth, Lindenwood scored two runs and finished with one final run in the seventh. Honeycutt scored on a wild pitch for the first sixth inning run, and Shea tripled to score Funkhouser for the other. The final run in the seventh inning came on a single by Honeycutt just past third base which allowed Cummins to score.
Preston Salazar took the win for Lindenwood on the mound.
TOLEDO 10, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (6-7) dropped the series finale against Toledo (4-7) on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 10-9 from Capaha Field.
An offensive battle on Sunday, the fourth game of the series between the clubs featured 19 runs and 27 hits. The Redhawks outhit Toledo by a 15-12 mark led by outfielders Michael Mugan and Josh Cameron who finished with three hits each.
Mugan was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Cameron, who hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning of Friday's contest, finished 3-for-5 as well with an RBI.
The Redhawks hit .429 as a team on Sunday with two outs in an inning (6-14), a stellar .444 with runners-on-base (8-18), and .714 with runners in scoring position (5-7) in the loss.
The Rockets scored the first two runs of the ball game off Redhawks' RHP Sam Heyman. A solo home run in the second inning by Rockets' left fielder Caden Konczak made the score 1-0 after the second.
A 1-out double in the third inning by JP Wagner put a Rocket on second base as center fielder Garrett Pike roped a single to right field the next at-bat to score Wagner.
SEMO would respond with three runs to regain the lead in the home third. Catcher Ty Stauss led off the inning with a single to left field. Two hitters later, Peyton Leeper singled to right field and advanced Stauss to second base.
A two-out, two-RBI double by second baseman Brooks Kettering plated both Leeper and Stauss to tie the game at two. With Kettering on second base, Mugan drove him in with an RBI single to left field and the Redhawks led 3-2 after three innings.
The Rockets did their damage in the top of the fourth inning with a seven-run inning registered by a three-run home run by designated hitter Owen Jackson and another three-run home run by catcher Brayden White. The Rockets would get their seventh run of the inning on a passed ball and took a 9-3 lead into the fifth inning.
SEMO would get a run back in the home fifth inning as Mugan, following Kettering's second double of the day, drove in his second RBI of the day as Kettering came around to score on a single to right field.
Josh Cameron roped a one-out double in the sixth inning to spark a three-run inning for SEMO. Stauss singled to right field to score Cameron off RHP Kyle Pijaszek.
One batter later, designated hitter Gavin Baldwin hit his first home run of the season, and the first in a Redhawks uniform, to dead center field to get the Redhawks to within 9-7.
The Redhawks would score a run in the home seventh and ninth innings, but a solo home run by Toledo's Scott Mackiewicz proved to be the difference as Toledo held on for a 10-9 win.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 5, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
RICHMOND, Ky. - Western Illinois baseball completed their first series win as they took down Eastern Kentucky 5-3 in the rubber match on Sunday afternoon. A two-run double by Adam Juran ended up being the difference as the Leathernecks moved to 3-6 on the season.
A tight 1st inning broke open in the second as the Leathernecks plated two early runs. Patients at bat were a common theme for WIU as Liam Bushey led off the second inning with a walk. Bushey advanced to second base on a wild pitch and then to third on a fly out by Brock Lummus. Kyree Alexander followed suit, drew a four-pitch walk, and then swiped second base, giving WIU two runners in scoring position. J.R. Heavilin took advantage of runners in scoring position as he drove a ball into deep right field for a sacrifice fly. Alexander advanced 90 feet on the flyout and came home to score on a wild pitch as WIU saw a 2-0 lead after two.
As Tyler Kapraun shut down the Eastern Kentucky offense, WIU added a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Trevor Leon drew a one-out walk before Maxton Polad advanced him with a single up the middle. Adam Juran did the rest and one-hopped the wall in the right-center, bringing home Leon and Polad as WIU extended their lead to 4-0. Eastern Kentucky got a run back in the bottom half of the 5th and 6th, cutting WIU's lead in half by 4-2.
Western Illinois' offense picked up its pitching staff in the 7th, adding an insurance run. Chris Hege drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Juran was hit by a pitch as WIU had two baserunners on. Lummus was struck by a pitch with two outs as WIU loaded the bases with two outs. Alexander stayed patient again, drawing his second four-pitch walk as Hege scored, extending WIU's lead to 5-2.
Eastern Kentucky picked up a run in the 8th inning, but in the 9th, it was all Caden Kratz. Kratz started the inning with a punchout. After a single by EKU, Kratz rebounded with his second strikeout and then a pop-out as he would pick up his third save on the season, second on the weekend.
Western Illinois only saw four players get on base via a hit but had eight out of their starting nine reach base safely. Adam Juran led the way with two RBIs and had the only extra-base hit for WIU. Kyree Alexander and J.R. Heavilin had the other two RBI.
Tyler Kapraun pitched a gem for the Leathernecks as he went 5.1 innings, allowing just two runs while striking out five, including a strikeout that had EKU stranded the bases in the 4th inning. Western Illinois bullpen was once again stellar, allowing just two hits in 3.2 innings of work. Kapraun picked up his first win of the season, and Kratz earned his third save.
NOTRE DAME 14, TENNESSEE TECH 11
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Another early onslaught from the offense was not enough to hold off visiting Notre Dame in Sunday's series finale, as the Tennessee Tech baseball team fell to the Fighting Irish, 14-11, at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Much like Saturday night's barn burner that ended in a 15-11 Notre Dame (8-2) victory, Sunday's affair saw the Golden Eagles (6-5) go nuts with the bats right out of the gate. This time, however, they would be doing it while trailing.
The Fighting Irish plated a pair early in the top of the first, drawing a lead-off walk before a two-run blast to take a 1-0 lead. Tech first baseman Kayne Jinks made a spectacular stab on a line drive with one out and quickly took the ball to the bag for an inning-ending double play.
He turned things over to his offense, which sent a whopping 14 batters to the dish to open the day. Left fielder Austin Turner set the standard right out of the gate, drawing a seven-pitch walk before second baseman Troy Baunsgard ripped a single through the right side as part of a hit-and-run that saw Turner take off on the pitch and slide in safely to third.
Center fielder Nicho Jordan drew a walk to load the bags, setting up Preston Steele for the chance to play hero. The Tech shortstop delivered, belting a grand slam to right-center field for his team-leading fourth round-tripper of the year.
It marked the first Golden Eagle grand slam since Gabe Lacy smashed a four-run circus clout at Murray State back on May 20, 2022.
Far from done in the frame, right fielder Theo Bryant IV was plunked by the next Notre Dame offering before third baseman Eddie Garza smacked a single to right-center field. First baseman Kayne Jinks ripped a base knock through the left side to load the bases again.
Designated hitter Jackson Green made it nine straight Golden Eagles to reach base to kick off the game, drawing a bases-loaded walk to drive in another run for the purple and gold. Even after a pitching change, Turner kept the train chugging along, getting plunked by another errant offering by the Fighting Irish for another Tech marker.
Baunsgard picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to center field for the first out of the frame, but Gilliland made sure to make it a whopping nine runs for the Golden Eagle offense before the end of the inning. The Tech backstop laced an RBI single through the left side with a beautiful piece of hitting the other way.
Both sides traded zeros in the second before the visitors from South Bend, Ind. started to crawl back bit by bit. In the third, a lead-off home run and RBI double cut the Tech lead to 9-4.
The Irish drove in two more in the fourth, despite a highlight play by Bryant and Gilliland. Notre Dame sent a fly ball to Bryant in right field for the first out and the senior gunned down a Fighting Irish runner trying to tag from third base for a double play.
The visitors squared things up in the fifth, picking up a two-run long ball and RBI double for a 9-9 score. In the sixth, the Tech offense made its final impact on the day.
Tanner Shiver, who entered the contest as a pinch runner for an injured Bryant in the fourth and stayed in right field, drew a lead-off free pass. After two outs, the newest member of the Tech lineup stole second base before Green picked up his own walk.
Shiver and Green each flashed the wheels on a truly wild pitch to Turner, both advancing a pair of bases on the miscue. Shiver slid in safely at the play at the plate while never breaking stride rounding third and Green followed suit by sprinting his way around second to reach third.
Green then scored on a passed ball to make it an 11-9 Golden Eagle lead before the end of the inning. Unfortunately for the Cookeville crew, that would end the offensive threat for the day with Tech securing just two hits across the final seven frames of the contest.
Notre Dame gathered another two-run jack in the seventh to tie the game for a second time and then delivered the final blow in the eighth. A go-ahead, RBI double was followed by another two-run jack to left-center field for the 14-11 final score.
SIUE 6, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 5 (10)
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball scored four unanswered runs Sunday, culminating in a walk-off 10th inning 6-5 win over South Dakota State at Simmons Baseball Complex.
The Cougars snapped an eight-game losing streak and improved to 2-10 overall. South Dakota State is 6-6.
With the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Gage Franck singled with one out before advancing to second on an errant pickoff throw. He moved to third on a wild pitch. John Stallcup walked to bring in Drew Mize hit the first pitch past a drawn-in infield into right, bringing Franck home with the winning run.
SDSU led 5-2 going to the bottom of the ninth inning where Franck singled to start the inning. John Stallcup followed with his second home run of the year to pull the Cougars within a run at 5-4.
The Cougars had two on when Ryan Niedzwiedz grounded a ball to the right side for a run-scoring fielder's choice to tie the score at 5-5.
South Dakota State scored twice in the top of the ninth inning to extend its lead from 3-2 to 5-2.
SIUE trailed 3-1 before getting an RBI-triple from Ethan Willoughby in the sixth inning and a sacrifice fly following a triple from Niedzwiedz in the eighth inning.
Niedzwiedz, Willoughby and Franck each finished with two hits.
SIUE starter Spencer Stearns threw a career-high 7.2 innings, allowing three runs and striking out four.
Ian Benner (1-0) earned the win with 2.1 innings in relief. He struck out four.
BELMONT 6, LITTLE ROCK 2
NASHVILLE - Recap coming soon.
ST. THOMAS 7, SOUTHERN INDIANA 6
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost a slugfest with the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), 7-6, Sunday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 4-7 to start the season, while St. Thomas goes 5-6.
USI, which won its second-straight weekend series, found itself down 2-0 after the first half and rebounded to take a 3-2 lead on an RBI-single by junior catcher Joe Ricchio (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin) in the bottom half of the inning. The Tommies regained command in the top half of the second with a four-run rally to lead, 6-3.
USI would rebound once again with a three-run frame of its own, tying the 6-6 on a RBI-ground out by junior first baseman Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri). St. Thomas jumped back in the lead with a single tally in the top of the fourth to take a 7-6 advantage.
After 13 runs in the first three-and-a-half frames, bats on both sides went silent and leaved the game with a 7-6 final.
On the mound, junior right-hander Peyton Brown (Clemons, North Carolina) took the loss for the Eagles. Brown (0-1) allowed seven runs, five earned, on six hits and a walk in two-plus innings of work.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 10, UT MARTIN 8
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team fought hard but dropped Game 3 of the weekend series to Middle Tennessee, 10-8.
Will Smith and Mac Danford each had two hits with a home run and two RBI’s apiece while Jalen Fithian (2-for-4), Andrew Fernandez, Cameron Brady and Garner Anderson also drove in a run for the Skyhawk offense today. The trio of Zac Rice, Cole Smith and Blaze Bell all crossed the plate for UT Martin (5-7), who had 12 hits on the day.
Zach Wager got the start on the mound and kept the Blue Raiders (5-6) off the scoreboard in four of his five innings. The sophomore lefty received a no-decision while Kaleb Baskin (0-1) and Jeb Bartle tossed two frames apiece out of the bullpen.
Wager stranded a pair of baserunners in the top of the first, setting the stage for a big blast in the home half. Will Smith roped a two-out single before a Danford round-tripper on a 3-2 count over the right field wall gave the Skyhawks a 2-0 advantage.
Wager would continue to slice through the Blue Raider lineup, posting two more scoreless frames in the second and third innings – retiring six of seven batters during that stretch.
Middle Tennessee scored three runs in the top of the fourth but Wager tossed another zero on the scoreboard in his final inning, pitching around a two-out error that caused a pair of runners on the basepaths in the fifth. Trailing by one run in the bottom of that inning, Rice doubled down the third base line and would later score from an Andrew Fernandez single to knot the game up at 3-all.
Baskin delivered a scoreless frame in the top of the sixth, allowing UT Martin to take a lead in its next at-bat. Cole Smith was issued a leadoff walk and Bell singled right behind him to ignite a rally. Following a groundout, Brady lifted a sacrifice fly before Fithian lined an RBI single to left center, putting the Skyhawks on top, 5-3.
The Blue Raiders reclaimed the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh and added four runs (one unearned) in the top of the ninth. With its back against the wall, UT Martin made things interested in the bottom half as Will Smith launched a two-run homer and Anderson doubled off the wall in right center to plate Danford. The Skyhawks brought the tying run to the plate but Middle Tennessee was able to escape with the win.