FRIDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 7, Tennessee Tech 2
@Southeast Missouri 13, Morehead State 11
UT MARTIN 7, TENNESSEE TECH 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - Tristan Walton struck out a career-high 11 batters en route to his fifth victory of the season as the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team snagged a 7-2 Game 1 win over Tennessee Tech.
Walton (5-4) went at least seven innings for the fourth time in his last five outings, conceding just two hits. Tucker Reed finished off the final two frames, extending his streak of zero earned runs allowed in five straight appearances.
Cole Smith (three-run home run) and Mac Danford (solo home run) used the long ball amongst their multi-hit outings to provide momentum to the Skyhawks (16-25, 8-8 Ohio Valley Conference), who never trailed in the ballgame. Cameron Brady and Blaze Bell each had RBI’s while Andrew Fernandez tallied two hits with a run scored. Blaze Bell and Benny DeTrude also crossed the plate for UT Martin, who outhit the visitors by a 9-4 margin.
Walton picked up a pair of strikeouts in the top of the first as Skyhawk Field would get loud in the home half. UT Martin pushed across five runs in its first time up to bat, starting with Jalen Fithian and Fernandez hitting back-to-back singles. Bell collected an RBI on a fielder’s choice before Danford brought in a run on an RBI single. Cole Smith proceeded to mash a three-run moonshot over the right field wall as the Skyhawks assumed a 5-0 lead.
Walton worked a perfect inning in the second, managing two more strikeouts while using only eight pitches overall in the frame. Tennessee Tech (26-16, 10-6 OVC) would score its only runs of the game in the top of the third, tallying a pair of runs with two outs.
Danford answered one of those runs in the bottom half by hitting his team-best 10th home run of the year over the batter’s eye – a solo shot that made the score 6-2.
Walton accounted for two additional strikeouts in the fourth and posted two more punchouts in the fifth. The lefty out of Clay, Ala. wound up retiring each of his final seven batters, coasting through perfect sixth and seventh innings with only one ball leaving the infield over that span.
UT Martin then turned the game over to the bullpen, specifically Reed. The senior righty from Athens, Ala. sat down the Golden Eagles in order in the top of the eighth, allowing the Skyhawks to tack on an insurance run in the bottom half of the frame.
After Cole Smith drew a one-out walk, DeTrude came in to pinch run and advanced to third on a single off the bat of Hunter McLean. On the next pitch, Cameron Brady executed a perfect squeeze bunt to score DeTrude and extend the Skyhawk advantage out to 7-2.
Reed notched a pair of strikeouts in the ninth to give UT Martin’s pitching staff 13 punchouts for the contest.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 13, MOREHEAD STATE 11
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (22-20, 10-6) defeated Morehead State (23-19, 8-8) by a final score of 13-11 to win game one of the series.
Catcher Shea McGahan hit his fifth and sixth home run of the season in the win. The junior stepped up to the plate five times and put the ball in play four times while driving in three runs.
Michael Mugan made his 41st start and hit his 10th homer in the bottom of the seventh for his second hit of the night. Mugan hit a rocket over the left field ball and added his second RBI on the night.
Nick Gooden got the Eagles on the scoreboard first with a two-run homer to left center in the first inning. Brooks Kettering got the Redhawks on the board first off of a sacrifice fly from Caleb Corbin in the bottom of the first.
In the second the Redhawks caught fire and scored six runs to go up 7-2. Bryce Cannon scored off of a hit by Kettering. That was Kettering's 23rd RBI of the season. McGahan, Keoni Coloma, Mugan, Ben Palmer, and Ty Stauss were the other scores in the second. Cannon and McGahan each scored three times during the entire contest.
Shortstop Colten Becker gave Moredhead two more scores in the third as he homered to left center making it 4-7.
In the fifth inning is where McGahan hit his first home run of the night. McGahan blasted one to left center and drove in Cannon putting the Redhawks back up by five.
It was Morehead's turn to catch fire as they scored five runs in the sixth to tie the game at 9 apiece. Roman Kuntz and Isaias Guzman both hit home runs and they both had three RBI's on the night.
The Redhawks re-took the lead in the seventh. Kettering reached on a fielder's choice and then advanced to third on a throwing error. Palmer stepped up to the plate, singled to right field and Kettering scored. Mugan then hit a single home run to right center to make the game 11 to nine.
The Redhawks and Eagles both scored two in the eighth. McGahan hit his second home run, this time it was in left field and he drove in Cannon again.
In the top of the ninth Kyle Miller, the Redhawks all-time saves leader, came in and saved the day again. Miller struckout the first three batters and recorded his fourth save of the year.