TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Ball State 12,
Southern Indiana 5
@#1 Arkansas 11,
Little Rock 0
@Morehead State 13, Bellarmine 2
@#5 Tennessee 11,
Tennessee Tech 1
SIUE 14, @Evansville 6
UT Martin 8, @Southern Illinois 7 (10)
BALL STATE 12, SOUTHERN INDIANA 5
MUNICE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost the opening contest of a four-game road swing at Ball State University, 12-5, Tuesday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. USI is 11-13 overall, while BSU goes to 14-12.
The Cardinals took the lead early, scoring in each of the first five frames. BSU had a 4-0 lead after the first inning and sealed its win with two more in the second for the 6-0 advantage.
After BSU scored another run in the third, the Screaming Eagles got onto the scoreboard with a pair of tallies in the top of the fourth to narrow the gap to 7-2. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) produced the first two USI runs with one swing of the bat, hitting a two-run blast to right center. The homer was his team-high fourth of the season.
BSU re-extended its lead and pushed the run differential to 12-2 after scoring three more in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the fifth.
The Eagles would get the final two runs of the game scoring once in the sixth and two more in the eighth. USI freshman leftfielder Ethan Rothschild (Evansville, Indiana) pushed the Eagles' tally across in the sixth with a RBI-single to center, while junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) and senior catcher Tyler Kapust (Sellersburg, Indiana) hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to finish the scoring in the 12-5 game.
USI senior right-hander Trent Robinson (Louisville, Kentucky) took the loss for the Eagles. Robinson (0-2) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in 1.2 innings of work.
#1 ARKANSAS 11, LITTLE ROCK 0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The Little Rock Trojans fall in Fayetteville against the number one ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Razorbacks got off to a hot start jumping out to a 2 run lead in the first inning and forcing starting pitcher, Austin Stubber, to a 40 pitch inning. The Razorbacks followed in the second inning with another 2-run inning after a 2-run home run.
The Trojans were able to complete 3 straight shutout innings before a break out sixth inning. The Razorbacks managed to knock three back-to-back-to-back home runs including a grand slam to start it off. This pushed the lead to 11 activating the run rule.
MOREHEAD STATE 13, BELLARMINE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Ryley Preece put together an outstanding outing at the plate Tuesday, hitting two home runs to help lead the Morehead State baseball team over the Bellarmine Knights 13-2.
Freshman Bradley Poynter (1-0) started on the mound and picked up the win for Morehead State (14-11). The right-hander went three innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits. Sophomore Zach Taylor also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing one shutout inning while allowing no hits, with no walks and one strikeout.
Preece went 2-for-4 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with three RBIs. Nick Gooden added to Preece's awesome power-hitting performance by going 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Hunter Thomas also chipped in for the Eagles, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBI.
The Eagles scored in six different innings on the way to the win. Morehead State broke a 0-0 tie and took the lead for good at 2-0 in the first inning The big hits for the Eagles in the inning were a two-run double off the bat of senior Kyle Bartman and a two-run single from Gooden.
#5 TENNESSEE 11, TENNESSEE TECH 1
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The offense couldn't quite get started for the Tennessee Tech baseball team, as the No. 5-nationally ranked Tennessee Volunteers topped the Golden Eagles in midweek action at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Tuesday evening, 11-1 in a seven-inning, run-rule decision.
Tennessee (22-4) avenged its losses to the purple and gold in the previous two meetings in 2022 and 2023, kicking off the scoring in the first as the Golden Eagles (13-12) traded a double play for a run. Other than the initial run, it was a pitcher's dual over the opening three frames.
Tech's Matt Gelorme covered each of the first three innings, scattering four hits and a pair of walks while allowing just the one run. Following his exit from the contest, the Vols turned the offensive pressure up and never looked back.
UT reentered the scoring column in the fourth with a couple of runs, but it was the fifth that provided the big blow. Behind an RBI double and a pair of home runs, the Vols dented the dish six times in the frame, taking a 9-0 lead.
The Golden Eagles plated their lone run of the contest in the top of the sixth, thanks in large part to a double to right-center field off the bat of right fielder Theo Bryant IV. He would later come around to score on a muffed throw at first base.
Bryant accounted for two of Tech's three hits in the ball game, with catcher Hayden Gilliland providing the other knock in the seventh. Tennessee scored twice in the seventh to officially walk off the contest, gathering both runs on a ground-rule double. Seven Vol hurlers combined to cover one inning each in the contest.
SIUE 14, EVANSVILLE 6
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Lucas Spence and Ryan Niedzwiedz had four hits and four RBIs apiece and SIUE baseball enjoyed its best offensive output of the year in a 14-6 win on the road at Evansville Tuesday night.
SIUE improved to 8-17 overall. Evansville fell to 9-15.
The Cougars outhit Evansville 17-7. The 14 runs and 17 are both season highs for the Cougars.
Trailing 5-3 after five innings, the Cougars reeled off 11 runs between the sixth and ninth innings.
The Cougars pulled within a run when Daniel Gierer's double scored Gage Franck in the sixth inning to make it 5-4. SIUE then took the lead in the seventh, taking advantage of two Aces' errors and a balk to score two runs.
Spence roped a two-run triple to center in the eighth inning to extend SIUE's lead to 8-5 and Niedzwiedz picked up an RBI when he reached on a fielder's choice which brought Spence to the plate.
Spence and Niedzwiedz each drove in two more runs with singles in a five-run ninth inning. Ethan Willoughby added a sacrifice fly to make it 14-5.
Spence finished the game 4-6 with four runs score in addition to his four RBIs. Niedzwiedz was 4-5 with a run scored and four RBIs.
Spence extended his team-leading hitting streak to 10 games. He is hitting .415 for the year, which leads the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Cougars broke out on top in the third inning, thanks to a leadoff home run by Mack Mitchell. Spence reached on an infield single and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 SIUE.
Evansville took the lead in the fourth inning on a three-run home run by Chase Hug.
A Niedzwiedz RBI-single in the fifth tied the game at three before Evansville regained the lead with two in the bottom of the inning.
Freshman Joseph Martin (1-0) worked three scoreless innings in relief. He struck out four and walked one. Alex Rodriguez gave up two unearned runs in two innings and struck out one.
Garrett Helsel started and worked three innings. He allowed three runs on the home run, struck out four and did not walk a batter.
Evansville used seven pitchers. Jakob Meyer (2-4) allowed two runs an inning of work and was charged with the loss.
UT MARTIN 8, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 7 (10)
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Down by three runs going into the ninth inning, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team completed an impressive comeback to take down Southern Illinois, 8-7 at Itchy Jones Stadium.
The Skyhawks (9-16) took their first lead of the night in the top of the 10th inning after a three-spot in the top of the ninth sent the game into extra innings. Cameron Brady (RBI double) and Hunter McLean (RBI single) had clutch hits in the ninth to extend the contest before Alec Beaman came through with the eventual game-winning RBI single in the 10th. Zach Wager (1-2) tossed a clean ninth for his first win of the season while Tucker Reed slammed the door in the 10th for his first save of the spring, snapping the Salukis’ (17-8) four-game winning streak in the process.
Garner Anderson hit his first career home run to highlight a 3-for-5 night while Zac Rice (2-for-5, 2 RBI’s) bashed his fourth jack of the year. Brady doubled twice while Jonah Wichman recorded a multi-hit night, going 2-for-5 in his first start of the season.
A total of eight pitchers saw time on the mound for UT Martin. Choyce Diffey started the game and went four innings while striking out three batters. Eli Martin (one inning), Campbell Cleveland (one inning), Kaleb Baskin (0.2 innings), Wager (one inning) and Reed (one inning) all provided scoreless performances out of the bullpen.
Southern Illinois crossed the plate twice in the first inning before Diffey shut out the Salukis in the second.
In the top of the third, a double from Brady would lead to a Rice RBI single as the Skyhawks got on the scoreboard. Diffey would then work a perfect inning in the bottom half, needing just nine pitches to breeze through the heart of the Southern Illinois lineup.
Anderson led off the top of the fourth by belting a game-tying solo homer. The Salukis retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 3-2 advantage.
Martin stranded a pair of runners in a scoreless fifth, allowing UT Martin to even the score once again in its next at-bat. With two away, Anderson singled up the middle and advanced to third on a Wichman single. The Skyhawks then attempted a double steal as Anderson crossed the plate to knot the score at 3-all.
Two runs from Southern Illinois in the sixth gave the Salukis another lead before Cleveland coasted through a perfect seventh inning.
After a Rice solo bomb shaved UT Martin’s deficit to 5-4 in the top of the eighth, Southern Illinois added two runs in the bottom half to take a three-run advantage into the ninth. Anderson once again was a catalyst in the Skyhawks’ rally, singling to open the inning. Beaman reached on an error before Brady and McLean’s aforementioned RBI hits tied things up.
Wager entered in the bottom of the ninth and worked his way out of a jam, inducing an inning-ending double play after an intentional walk loaded the bases and set up a force play at any bag.
Blaze Bell smacked a double to left center to open the top of the 10th and Beaman – also making his first start of the season – drove in the go-ahead run with one out in the frame.
UT Martin’s first win in Carbondale since 2015 was sealed in the bottom of the 10th as Anderson showed great range in tracking down a flyball in left field for the third and final out.