SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Northern Kentucky 6,
Western Illinois 1
@Murray State 8,
Lindenwood 7
@Little Rock 6, Northwestern State 3
@Tennessee Tech 8, Queens 7 (10)
Omaha 20,
@SIUE 0
@Marshall 7,
Southeast Missouri 5
@Arkansas State 20-3,
Eastern Illinois 3-6
@North Alabama 10,
UT Martin 0
@Ole Miss 13,
Morehead State 1
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 6, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Western Illinois Baseball team fell 6-1 Saturday afternoon to the Northern Kentucky Norse. WIU moves to 3-9 overall on the season.
Western Illinois fell behind early as Northern Kentucky strung together two hits in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Western Illinois collected their first hit as Chris Hege singled back up the middle in the third inning. Northern Kentucky added a run in the bottom of the third, doubling their advantage.
Western Illinois got on the scoreboard as Cesar Franco hit a solo home run to cut the deficit in half. The home run was the third one of the season for Franco. Northern Kentucky kept the offensive pressure on the Leathernecks as they scored four runs over the next three innings, while WIU trailed 6-1 after six.
WIU put together scoring threats in the final three innings. Kyree Alexander had a one-out single in the 7th to give the Leathernecks a baserunner. In the 8th inning, Hege started a two-out rally with his second single of the day. Maxton Polad singled behind him as Hege advanced to third on an error by the center field. A strikeout ended the scoring threat for WIU in the 8th inning. In the 9th, Adam Juran led off the inning with a walk but was thrown out trying to steal second base. With one out, Liam Bushey had a one-out single. He advanced to second base on a ground out. With two outs and a runner in scoring position, WIU would ground out as they fell 6-1.
Chris Hege led the way with two hits in his four at-bats. Liam Bushey and Kyree Alexander reached base twice, tallying a hit and a walk. Cesar Franco had the only RBI on his solo home run. Kyle Rosenfeld had five strikeouts in relief in his three innings of work.
MURRAY STATE 8, LINDENWOOD 7
MURRAY, Ky. - Game two of the three game series ended with Murray State edging past Lindenwood 8-7.
The Racers scored twice in the bottom of the first, once in the sixth, two in the seventh and three in the eighth. The Lions scored once in the second, five in the fifth and once in the seventh.
Bryson Arnette finished with two runs, one hit and one RBI, while Dawson Hokuf finished with two hits and RBIs. Chase Honeycutt also tallied two hits, one run and one RBI. Eli Brown recorded the loss for Lindenwood on the mound, pitched 6.2 innings, giving up four hits and five runs.
The Lions tallied seven runs on eight hits.
LITTLE ROCK 6, NORTHWESTERN STATE 3
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Little Rock Trojans take game one at home against the Northwestern State to take a 1-0 series lead. Trojans score the most runs in a victory since February 25 against Illinois State.
The Trojans and Demons were knotted through the first two innings as neither team could cross the plate. Jackson Wells record 4 strikeouts during the first two innings of play.
In the bottom of the third, the Trojans found life and posted a 3-run inning. It all started with a single up the middle from Ben Harmon. Alex Seguine followed suit with a double to right field moving Harmon to third. With 2 in scoring position, Luke Pectol hit an RBI double to bring Harmon and Seguine home. Nico Baumbach then stepped to the plate for an RBI single down the left field line to take Pectol across the plate. The Trojans ended the inning with 3 runs on 5 hits.
In the top of the fourth, Ty Rhoades took it upon himself to put all 3 Demons out with 3 consecutive flyouts to right field.
In the next half inning, the Trojans padded the lead by 2. Jake Wright led the charge with a single to center field. Ben Harmon then notched a double down the left field line advancing Wright to third base. Alex Seguine then sends a sacrifice fly out to left field which allowed Wright to score. Luke Pectol then stepped to the plate for what would appear to be a routine 3-1 groundout; however, the hustling Pectol beat the toss for an RBI single as Harmon would take it from second to home. The Trojans ended the inning with 2 runs on 3 hits.
The Demons would respond in the top of the sixth notching 3 runs to cut the lead t just 2. Jack Cline entered the game in the sixth to relieve Jackson Wells. Wells would ultimately finish pitching 5.2 innings conceding 3 runs on 4 hits and 7 strikeouts.
The Trojans responded in the home half of the sixth with another run to pad the lead. Ty Rhoades led off with a double down to left center. Jake Wright then grounded out to short stop, but advanced Rhoades to third. Rhoades would then score after an RBI single from Ben Harmon.
The remainder of the game stayed steady as the Trojans maintained the 3-run lead. Jackson Wells (1-1) earned his first win of the year and Jack Cline (1) notched his first save of the year.
TENNESSEE TECH 8, QUEENS 7 (10)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a wild day at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex Saturday, with delays, an incredible pitching performance, a comeback, and a walk-off all in play as the Tennessee Tech baseball time delivered a thrilling, 8-7 victory over Queens University of Charlotte in 10 innings.
Before the contest could even get started, a pop-up rain storm caused first pitch to be pushed back by two hours, delaying what would become an instant classic in Cookeville. When the rain finally departed, the Golden Eagles (9-5) were off to the races, building off a spectacular start from senior Peyton Calitri to take a hefty lead.
It took just 11 pitches for the right-hander to set down the Royals (4-11) in order in the first, providing the Tech bats the chance to light up the scoreboard first. After a quick out, second baseman Troy Baunsgard, catcher Hayden Gilliland, and center fielder Nicho Jordan drew three straight walks to load the bases.
Queens gathered the second out of the frame, looking to avoid any damage, but the Golden Eagles had other plans. Third baseman Tanner Shiver ripped a screaming line drive to left field just out of reach of the diving left fielder. The junior was off to the races, landing safely at third base with a three-run, bases-clearing triple.
Tech got back after it in the second with first baseman Preston Ford leading things off with a double to left field. A walk to right fielder Jackson Green and a subsequent double steal put a pair in scoring position. Gilliland blooped an infield single to shortstop to plate Ford for a 4-0 lead before a wild pitch brought Green home for the 5-0 Tech advantage.
Calitri cruised through the opening four frames, including an impressive fourth inning that saw all three Royals go down swinging in order. Queens broke through a bit in the fifth, plating its first run with a single and a double before Calitri ended further threats.
The Golden Eagles took back the run in the sixth, moving out front 6-1 with Green flashing the wheels again along the way. The junior beat out an infield single to third base and stole second base to get into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed him to reach third without a throw before Gilliland brought him home with a single to a diving second baseman deep in the hole on the right side.
Back out for the seventh, Calitri once again struck out the side swinging, growing his punch-out total to nine for the night. The senior returned to the hill in the eighth, but was replaced after surrendering a lead-off double. He took a tough-luck, no-decision in the contest, tossing 7.0 inning with just two runs allowed, nine punchies, and zero walks.
The Royals went on to score four runs in the eighth, taking advantage of a pair of defensive miscues by the Golden Eagles. Tech shortstop Preston Steele collected a bases-loaded walk and RBI in the bottom half to put his squad back up by a pair at 7-5, but Queens wasn't finished.
In the ninth, the Royals took advantage of another Golden Eagle error and the one mistake made by hurler Andrew Guardino, smacking a game-tying, two-run home run to right field with nobody out. Guardino, who entered in the eighth and helped Tech escape the frame with minimal damage, struck out the next three batters to give his offense a chance at a walk-off.
It was nothing doing in the ninth for the Cookeville crew, but Guardino showed his clutch genes again in the 10th, working around a pair of hits to hold the Royals off the scoreboard. This time around, his offense would reward his effort.
Baunsgard led off the bottom half with a beautiful double down the right-field line. Back-to-back fly-outs to left field left the purple and gold in a precarious position, but not an impossible one. Steele took advantage of the Royals' lone defensive mistake of the night, a throwing error from third base after the rain returned to the Quill.
That little bit of life was all Tech needed, as Shiver came to the dish and watched the first offering miss its mark. He waited for the right pitch to attack and ripped a base hit to right field. Baunsgard took off from second base and never hesitated while rounding third, sliding into home plate safely just ahead of the throw from the outfield for the walk-off win.
Guardino earned his first win of the season after completing the final 2.2 innings of the contest, fanning five along the way. The Golden Eagle pitching staff did not issue a single walk in the affair while punching out 14.
Shiver not only delivered the game-winning hit, but finished with team-highs of three knocks and four RBI. Gilliland tallied a 2-for-3 day with three walks and a pair of ribbies while both Ford and Green recorded two-hits days. Green dented the dish twice and stole three bases.
OMAHA 20, SIUE 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball dropped game two of a weekend series to Omaha 20-0 in seven innings Saturday at Roy E. Lee Field.
The Mavericks picked up their first win of the year to improve to 1-12. SIUE fell to 3-12.
Omah scored in six of the seven innings and scored multiple runs in five of the seven innings. The Mavericks scored six runs in the third and five runs in the fifth inning.
SIUE starter Jacob Kampf (0-1) surrendered eight runs in 2.1 innings. He struck out three.
Ethan Willoughby's first-inning single was the only hit for the Cougars who were outhit in the game 17-1.
"This was an overall poorly played game," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said. "We didn't pitch it well, obviously, and we did not swing the bats.
Matt Goetzmann and Tyler Bishop each had three hits for the Mavericks. Bishop homered and drove in four runs. Grant Sommers had two hits and drove in three.
Omaha starter Caleb Riedel (1-1) struck out seven over six innings for the win.
MARSHALL 7, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (7-9) fell in game two of the series with Marshall (5-9) by a final score of 7-5 on Saturday afternoon at Jack Cook Field.
Offensively, the Redhawks rattled off five runs on nine hits led by designated hitter Caleb Corbin (2-2) and short stop Ben Palmer (2-3). The pair accounted for three RBIs in the contest as seven Redhawks recorded a hit in the contest.
LHP Haden Dow made the start on the mound as the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week pitched 5.0 innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits. The lefty recorded five strikeouts in the outing.
The Redhawks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Catcher Shea McGahan drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Corbin lined a single to center field to move McGahan up 90-feet.
Second baseman Brooks Kettering, the hero in game one, singled up the middle to score McGahan and the Redhawks had a 1-0 lead after the third inning.
SEMO continued scoring, plating another run in the fifth inning. Leading off the inning, short stop Ben Palmer walked and a single from McGahan, plus an error on Marshall's pitcher advanced Palmer to third base.
Caleb Corbin drove in Palmer with an RBI single to left field to give SEMO a 2-0 lead after the fifth.
The Redhawks would score another run in the sixth inning off Palmer's first RBI of the day. A double by right fielder Josh Cameron got SEMO in scoring position as Palmer stepped into the box.
Palmer's RBI single to right field gave SEMO a 3-0 advantage midway through the contest, but the Thundering Herd would use a five-run sixth inning to take the lead.
An RBI double, an RBI ground out, an RBI single, and a two-run home run by Marshall all in the home sixth inning put the Thundering Herd in front, 5-3, after the sixth inning.
Marshall would add a run in the seventh inning as a wild pitch scored their sixth run of the contest.
SEMO would fight back, trailing 6-3 in the eighth, to plate a pair of runs in the eighth inning.
Outfielder Michael Mugan lead off the inning with a walk. First baseman Bryce Cannon roped a double down the left field line to put Redhawks on second and third with no outs in the inning.
An RBI groundout by Josh Cameron made the score 6-4 with just one out in the eighth. Ben Palmer crushed a single up the middle, that hit off the Marshall pitcher, to score Cannon from third base and the Redhawks were within a run as they trailed 6-5 heading to the home eighth.
Marshall would score an insurance run in the bottom half off an RBI double down the left field line to make the score 7-5, as the Thundering Herd held on for the game two win.
ARKANSAS STATE 20-3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 3-6
JONESBORO, Ark. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (2-10, 0-0 OVC) got back in the win column on Saturday as they split their doubleheader at Arkansas State (10-5, 0-0 Sun Belt). After dropping the opener, the Panthers earned a 6-3 victory in game two to snap their eight-game losing streak and even up the series.
In the day's first game, Arkansas State overpowered Eastern with a 20-3 route in seven innings. The Red Wolves scored 15 runs through the first three innings to break the game wide open.
Eastern got on the board first with a Michael O'Conor single that plated Kolten Poorman in the top of the first inning. The advantage was short lived however, as A-State responded with four runs in the bottom of the first to open up an early lead.
The Red Wolves' bats stayed hot in the second inning as they put up five more runs, including four off a Dylan DeButy grand slam. They hung another crooked number in the third inning with six runs to make the score 15-1.
EIU would eventually get back in the scoring column with a Cade Zalewski two-run homer in the seventh, but by that point the game was well in hand.
Colton Coca (0-1) suffered the loss for Eastern, while Jelle van der Lelie picked up the win.
The Panthers bounced back in a big way in game two with a 6-3 win. Some solid pitching and a five run seventh inning gave Eastern the edge.
The Red Wolves took an early lead with a Daedrick Cail RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. The teams then traded scoreless at bats in the second and third before EIU broke through in the fourth with a Kolten Poorman double that drove home Cade Zalewski.
A-State regained the lead in the fifth inning with a Cason Tollet sacrifice fly, but a five-run seventh from the Panthers would put Eastern ahead, where they would stay for good.
The scoring barrage started with a Dylan Drumke single down the left field line that drove home Grant Lashure to knot things up and load the bases for Cole Gober.
Gober delivered. With a full count, the senior smashed a ball to deep left center to clear the bases and give the Panthers a 6-2 lead. It was EIU's first grand slam of the season.
EIU reliever Jonathon Hanscom entered the game in the bottom of the seventh to shut the door on A-State. Through the final three innings, he allowed just one run on two hits, while recording three strikeouts.
Chaney Trout was credited with the win for Eastern, while Arkansas State's Bryce Schares suffered the loss. Trout pitched just one inning but allowed zero runs and no hits to keep the Panthers' deficit at one heading into the seventh inning.
Freshman Bryce Riggs had a strong outing in his first start of the season, throwing 5.0 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out three ASU batters.
NORTH ALABAMA 10, UT MARTIN 0
FLORENCE, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team fell in Game 1 of its series with North Alabama by a score of 10-0.
Starting pitcher Tristan Walton (2-2) matched his career-high in strikeouts for the second time this season, fanning nine batters over 5.2 frames. Kaleb Baskin and Dylan Lapic also spent time on the mound as the Skyhawk pitching staff only conceded three earned runs on the day.
Zac Rice and Will Smith each doubled to lead UT Martin (5-9) at the plate. Andrew Fernandez, Cole Smith, Blaze Bell and Jalen Fithian also drew walks today.
Through the first three frames, Walton fanned five batters despite the Lions taking a 3-0 advantage. In the home half of the fourth frame, the southpaw added two more punchouts to his ledger to close out the inning.
The Skyhawks had their best scoring opportunity of the day in the top of the sixth as the first two batters reached base safely. However, North Alabama recovered and was able to keep UT Martin off the scoreboard.
The Lions loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth but Baskin induced a groundout to escape the jam and keep the Skyhawks within striking distance at 4-0.
North Alabama ended the game in the bottom of the seventh as the first two batters reached on errors, leading to six unearned runs.
OLE MISS 13, MOREHEAD STATE 1
OXFORD, Miss. - The Morehead State baseball team struggled on Saturday, falling to Ole Miss in seven innings at Swayze Field in Oxford.
Senior Grant Herron (1-1) started and took the loss on the mound for Morehead State (7-7). Junior Andre Wojtarowicz was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going one shutout inning without allowing a hit.
Sepulveda led the way offensively for the Eagles, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame, his first multi-hit game of the season.
Trailing 9-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the fourth inning. Nick Gooden came across to score the lone run of the inning for Morehead State and get them on the board. The Eagles were unable to get any closer, as Ole Miss added four runs to their tally on the way to a 13-1 final.