WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Cincinnati 8,
Western Illinois 3
@USC Upstate 8,
Tennessee Tech 7
@Belmont 3,
UT Martin 2
@SIUE 5, Gonzaga 4
@Evansville 6,
Southeast Missouri 5 (10)
CINCINNATI 8, WESTERN ILLINOIS 3
CINCINNATI - Western Illinois baseball split a two-game series with the University of Cincinnati as they fell in game two 8-3 on Wednesday afternoon. The Leathernecks move to 4-11 overall.
Western Illinois bats stayed quiet in the first inning for the second consecutive day as Cincinnati jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one. Colton Kachinsky came in relief for the Leathernecks and settled everyone down. A 1-2-3 inning started the outing for Kachinsky, in which he struck out one batter. Western Illinois, first scoring threat happened in the third as the Leathernecks loaded the bases on three walks. WIU couldn't push across any runs as a ground out ended the scoring threat.
Heading into the 4th inning, the Leathernecks trailed 4-0. Kyree Alexander would reach base with one out after a fielding error by the Bearcats shortstop. The Chicago, Ill native reached second base on a ground out. Brock Lummus brought Alexander around as he shot a fastball up the middle for an RBI single. Cincinnati got the run back in the bottom half of the inning as a couple of singles pushed across a run as Western Illinois trailed 5-1 after four.
The Bearcats kept the Leatherneck's offense in check throughout the middle parts of the ball game. In the 8th inning, as WIU trailed 8-1, Chris Hege worked a leadoff walk giving Western Illinois a baserunner. Polad followed with a single that hit Hege's foot, giving WIU only a runner at first. Adam Juran advanced Polad to second base with a sacrifice bunt, and Liam Bushey moved him 90 more feet with a single to right field. Alexander did the rest as he drove a ball into the left-center gap, scoring Polad and Bushey as WIU cut the deficit to five. The Leathernecks couldn't bring the deficit closer as they fell 8-3.
After collecting 13 hits on Tuesday, the Leathernecks bats cooled down to just four hits as a team. Kyree Alexander and Brock Lummus drove in the three RBIs for WIU. Western Illinois drew four walks as a team.
USC UPSTATE 8, TENNESSEE TECH 7
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In you-can't-make-this-stuff-up fashion, the Tennessee Tech baseball team fell to USC Upstate by way of a walk-off home run on Wednesday afternoon, as the Spartans lifted the first pitch of the ninth inning over the wall in center field for an 8-7 victory at Cleveland S. Harley Park.
It marked the fourth consecutive contest the Cookeville crew saw the day end on a walk-off hit, after picking up a pair of victories over Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday and Sunday. In Tuesday's tilt, USC Upstate smashed a two-run walk-off dinger to down Tech 7-5.
The Golden Eagles (10-7) struck first in Wednesday's contest, producing a two-out rally in the top of the first inning for an early 3-0 lead. Catcher Hayden Gilliland kickstarted the offense by drawing a free pass.
First baseman Nicho Jordan ripped a single through the right side that sent Gilliland to third and then stole second base. Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week and right fielder Tanner Shiver delivered the clutch at-bat, ripping a two-run triple down the right-field line to put Tech on the board first against the Spartans.
Shortstop Preston Steele kept the inning alive with what turned out to be an important walk. In the next at-bat, USC Upstate attempted a pick-off at first base, but the ball got away from the first baseman just long enough for Shiver to alertly take off for the plate and score the third run of the ball game.
The home squad gathered a two-out rally of its own in the bottom half, using a double and a base knock to make it a 3-1 contest. Another Spartan RBI single in the second frame cut the Tech lead to 3-2.
In the top of the third, the purple and gold appeared to have something going after Gilliland singled up the middle, Jordan walked, and Shiver tallied an infield knock to shortstop. The Spartans traded a double-play ball for a run, gathering a pair of outs as Tech increased its lead to 4-2.
Freshman hurler Juan Vargas, who got the Golden Eagles out of a two-out jam with runners on the corners in the second inning, was spectacular over the next three frames. The right-hander allowed just a single base runner through the fifth before the USC Upstate offense finally picked up some momentum in the bottom of the sixth.
The Spartans singled and homered to left field to open the frame and tie the contest, sending the Cookeville crew to the bullpen. Upstate took the lead later in the inning, picking up another two-run shot to left-center field to make it a 6-4 ball game in favor of the home team.
It didn't take long for the Golden Eagles to respond, thanks to a bunt single to third base by center fielder Jackson Green to lead off the top of the seventh. The Spartans turned to their bullpen, but the plan didn't pay off, as second baseman Troy Baunsgard peppered the first pitch he saw up the middle.
Gilliland lit the fireworks for the Tech squad, working a 2-0 count before uncorking a towering, three-run blast to dead-center field. The senior backstop's third round-tripper of the year not only gave his team a 7-6 advantage, it also represented the 20th long ball of his career, tying Colling Harris for 25th on the program's career charts.
USC Upstate stayed relentless, leading off the bottom of the eighth with a double down the right field line and eventually knotting the contest at 7-7 with a sacrifice fly ball to deep, left-center field.
Gilliland, Shiver, and Green all turned in multi-hit performances on the day, with Gilliland leading the day behind three RBI, three runs, and two walks to go along with his home run. Shiver plated a pair while Jordan drew a pair of walks with a run and a hit in his first game at first base in the purple and gold.
BELMONT 3, UT MARTIN 2
NASHVILLE - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team outhit in-state rival Belmont today and put together a solid effort on the hill but fell 3-2 to the Bruins at ES Rose Park.
A pair of home runs from Cole Smith and Andrew Fernandez helped the Skyhawks apply pressure in the back-and-forth contest. UT Martin’s offense also received base hits from Will Smith (who added two walks), Mac Danford, Jackson Cooke and Hunter McLean.
Senior righty Choyce Diffey (1-2) made his team-high eighth appearance and fourth start of the season and was very effective, allowing only two hits in 4.1 innings. Tucker Reed (2.2 innings, two hits allowed, three strikeouts) and Brock Arender (one inning, one strikeout) provided exceptional relief out of the bullpen, combining for 3.2 scoreless frames with no walks allowed.
Diffey began the game with two no-hit innings and was supported by a second inning Cole Smith blast over the wall in right field to give the Skyhawks (5-12) the upper hand early.
After the Bruins were able to obtain one run in the home half of the third to knot the score, a 1-4-3 inning-ending double play got UT Martin out of the frame tied at 1-all.
The ballgame remained tied until the bottom of the fifth as Belmont scored on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to go on top, 3-1.
The Skyhawks wasted no time getting back in it as Fernandez – the second batter in the top of the sixth – sent the first pitch he saw in the at-bat out of the ballpark for his team-best fourth jack of the spring.
Reed was surgical on the mound in the next two innings, striking out a pair of Bruins in the bottom of the sixth and adding another whiff to his line in the seventh.
UT Martin’s offense provided scoring opportunities in the seventh and eighth but couldn’t cash in. Danford and Cooke singled in the seventh to put runners on the corners with one out. In the following frame, the Skyhawks loaded the bases with one away following three walks to the first four batters of the inning. However, Belmont was able to escape both jams and cling to a one-run lead.
Arender induced a strikeout and inning-ending double play in the bottom of the eighth to give UT Martin a chance in the top of the ninth. Pinch-hitter Garner Anderson drew a one-out walk to put the potential tying run on the basepaths but once again the Bruins snuck out of the inning unscathed.
SIUE 5, GONZAGA 4
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Mack Mitchell's lead-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning broke a 4-4 tie Wednesday and SIUE wrapped up a 10-game home stand with a 5-4 win over Gonzaga at Roy E. Lee Field.
SIUE improved to 4-13. Gonzaga fell to 3-11.
The Cougars trailed 4-3 in the sixth when they took advantage of a Bulldogs' error to tie the score 4-4.
Mithell's home run, the first of SIUE career, came on a 2-2 pitch from hard-throwing Gonzaga reliever Liam O'Brien (0-1).
Gonzaga took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Jace Phelan homered off SIUE starter Garrett Helsel. It was the only run he allowed in four innings. He struck out four.
Gage Franck led off the second inning with a solo home run to left to tie the score before the Cougars took the lead when Daniel Gierer scored on a wild pitch. Gierer made it 3-1 SIUE with a lead-off home run in the fourth inning. Gierer finished the day 3-4 the homer and three runs scored.
Gonzaga took the lead with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.
Alex Rodriguez (1-2) earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief. He allowed a hit and struck out one. Duncan McLaughlin recorded his first save with a perfect ninth inning, including a strikeout.
Lucas Spence finished with two hits for the Cougars. Both Gonzaga and SIUE finished with seven hits.
EVANSVILLE 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5 (10)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (7-11) fell in extra innings to Evansville (8-8) by a final score of 6-5 on Wednesday night from Charles H. Braun Stadium.
UE plated the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning with an RBI single to left field by Harrison Taubert to seal the win.
Offensively, SEMO pounded out 11 hits led by center fielder Michael Mugan who finished 4-for-5 at the plate with his fifth and sixth home run of the season and three RBIs. He also scored a pair of runs.
LHP Alex Hayes started on the mound and cruised through the first two innings of the ball game. He pitched 2.2 innings on Wednesday night, surrendering three runs on four hits. He punched out three Purple Aces over 13 hitters.
The Redhawks got on the board in the first frame with back-to-back home runs with one out in the first inning. Short stop Ben Palmer hit a towering home run over the left field fence off UE's Kevin Reed.
Center fielder Michael Mugan answered Palmer's solo shot with his own as the Redhawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
SEMO would add to the scoreboard with a two-run third inning thanks to Mugan's second home run of the game.
Second baseman Brooks Kettering led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield. Palmer would ground out to third base to advance Kettering 90-feet, bringing in Mugan.
Mugan crushed his sixth home run of the season, and his second of the game, to straightaway center field off Reed for the second time, to give SEMO a 4-0 lead after the top half of the third.
UE would get on the board in the home half. A leadoff single by UE's right fielder Harrison Taulbert got the offense going for the Purple Aces. An RBI double by Cal McGinnis would plate the first run of the contest for UE.
The second RBI double of the inning got the second run of the game across for UE, this one by Brent Widder. A single by Brendan Hord plated the third run of the inning and after the third, SEMO led 4-3.
With two outs in the fourth inning, SEMO would plate its fifth run of the game off the bat of Kettering. Kettering drilled a single into center field to score designated hitter Gavin Baldwin from second base to grow SEMO's lead to two.
UE responded with a two-run fifth inning to tie the game at five and after six innings, the game was knotted at five.
A scoreless ballgame over the final three innings of regulation helped in large part by RHP Eddie White (0-1) who pitched 3.1 innings, his longest outing of the season. He recorded two strikeouts in his outing.
UE recorded 12 hits in the ball game as five Aces had multi-hit days.