FRIDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 4, @Western Illinois 1
@Southern Indiana 9, Lindenwood 4
@Little Rock 8, Southeast Missouri 2
Morehead State 9, @Tennessee Tech 2
@SIUE 8,
UT Martin 3
EASTERN ILLINOIS 4, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
MACOMB, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (7-18, 2-5 OVC) picked up their second consecutive win with a 4-1 victory over Western Illinois (6-19, 2-5 OVC) on Friday afternoon. Pitchers Colton Coca and Jonathon Hanscom were dominant on the mound as they combined to allow just four hits with seven strikeouts.
While offense was limited for both teams, it did not take long for the Panthers to get on the board with a Lucas Loos solo shot to left field in the first inning. It marked Loos' seventh home run of the season.
The Leathernecks knotted things up in the second inning with a Trevor Leon RBI single, but that would be their one and only run of the ball game.
After three scoreless innings, EIU took a permanent lead in the sixth with a monster Dylan Drumke long ball to dead center, which put the Panthers up 2-1.
Drumke would add another run to the tally in the eighth inning with an RBI single that drove home Quade Peters.
Down 3-1, Western threatened in the bottom of the eighth with runners on the corners with nobody else. However, Jonathon Hanscom had other ideas, as he worked a routine pop out before getting the Leathernecks to roll into a 6-4-3 double play to escape the inning unscathed.
Danny Infante cushioned the EIU lead with an RBI single in the ninth before Hanscom retired the side in order to close the game and give Eastern their second OVC win.
Starting pitcher Colton Coca (1-2) picked up his first win of the season while Jason Buhl (1-5) suffered the loss. Coca had a fantastic outing, giving up just one run on three hits with four strikeouts through 5.0 innings pitched.
Reliever Jonathon Hanscom was credited with the save after going the final four innings and allowing just one hit with three strikeouts.
Dylan Drumke kept things going offensively with a 2-4, two RBI showing.
Six Panthers recorded hits in the game.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 9, LINDENWOOD 4
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored six runs in the first two frames to Lindenwood University, 9-4, Friday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 14-16 overall and 4-3 OVC, while Lindenwood goes to 8-21, 2-5 OVC.
The Screaming Eagles erased a 1-0 first inning deficit with two runs in the first and four in the second to build a 6-1 lead. USI loaded the bases before senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) walked to force in USI's first run to tie the game, 1-1.
USI junior catcher Logan Mock (Livermore, California) gave the Eagles the lead, 2-1, with a sacrifice fly to end the first.
The USI rally continued into the second when the Eagles plated four more runs. The first two runs scored on double to right by senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas). Following a base hit by Ellis, Ebest and Ellis came across the plate when Mock reached on a pair of Lindenwood errors.
After Lindenwood closed the gap to 6-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth, USI got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the frame. Junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) scored the Eagles' seventh run of the game and a four-run lead on a RBI-single by junior leftfielder Adam Euler (Evansville, Indiana).
USI would seal the victory with two runs in the eighth inning after Lindenwood cut the margin to three in the top half of the inning. Thompson-Allen made the score 8-4 with a bases loaded RBI-single, while Ebest finished the scoring by dashing home on a wild pitch for the 9-4 victory.
On the mound, freshman right-hander Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky) was outstanding on the mound to earn the victory. Parson (3-0), who set down 17-straight batters after allowing a first inning run, allowed the one run on four hits and two walks, in addition to striking out six in seven innings.
Freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit (Ferdinand, Indiana) got the Eagles out of an eighth inning jam and earned his second save of the year after throwing a scoreless ninth.
LITTLE ROCK 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Little Rock Baseball takes the opening game of the series against SEMO by a score of 8-2 behind a complete game from Hoss Brewer. Trojans improve to 16-14 and 5-2 in the OVC as the Redhawks fall to 14-16 and 5-2 in OVC.
Little Rock opened the game with a shutout half inning. In the home half, the Trojan bats were hot posting 5 runs. Alex Seguine got it all started with a lead off home run to left field. Tyler Williams then stepped to the plate and hit a triple to left center. This allowed him to score off an RBI groundout from Nico Baumbach. Ty Rhoades then doubled to right center. After 2 walks from Jake Wright and Ben Harmon, the bases were loaded for Luke Pectol. Pectol hit a 2RBI single bringing Rhoades and Wright across the plate. Harmon would then be brought home off an RBI single from Christian Bernabe. The Trojans ended the inning with 5 runs on 5 hits with 2 left on base.
The next inning got off to a hot start as SEMO hit a lead off home run, but nothing else would go. It was radio silence for most of the game until Little Rock crossed the plate in the sixth inning. Alex Seguine moved into scoring position after his single by stealing second base and advancing to third on an error. That allowed Tyler Williams to earn another RBI, bringing him closer to breaking the career record. The Trojans would score again in the seventh as Jake Wright came home on a wild pitch. Christian Bernabe would then score in the eighth off an RBI double from Tyler Williams. SEMO would get one more home run in the ninth, but it wouldn't be enough.
MOREHEAD STATE 9, TENNESSEE TECH 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - -- Logan Castleman racked up four RBIs to help power the Morehead State baseball team past the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 9-2 on Friday. Luke Helton (5-2) got the win for Morehead State (17-12, 4-3). The right-hander went eight innings, giving up two runs, allowing no walks and striking out five.
Castleman went 3-for-4 with a home run in addition to his four RBIs for the Eagles. Roman Kuntz furnished a noteworthy effort as well, going 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. Isaias Guzman also chipped in for Morehead State, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and two RBI.
The Eagles got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with two runs in the top of the first inning. Kuntz drove in two runs for Morehead State with a single, that scored senior Ryley Preece and senior Colton Becker.
After the Golden Eagles rallied to tie the ballgame at two, the Eagles came back to retake the lead in the fifth inning. The Morehead State offense exploded for five runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Castleman and a two-run single from Guzman, which brought the Eagles lead to 7-2.
Morehead State held Tennessee Tech without a run before building their lead to 9-2 in the seventh inning. The Eagles added two to their tally on Castleman's two-run homer to left. The score remained 9-2 for the rest of the game, as Morehead State coasted to the win.
SIUE 8, UT MARTIN 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Eight runs in the third and fourth inning were enough to push SIUE baseball past UT Martin on Friday night at Roy E. Lee Field. The Cougars tallied four runs in the second on five base knocks before scoring another four in the third.
SIUE improves to 10-20 overall and 4-3 against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. UT Martin drops to 11-20 and 3-4.
John Stallcup's single to right field in the bottom of the second allowed Gage Franck to score from first base on a fielding error by Will Smith of UT Martin. Daniel Gierer followed up with an RBI single to left, brining Stallcup around to score from second. Gierer ended up on third after a throwing error from a failed pickoff attempt by UT Martin's starter, Tristan Walton.
Zack Floyd drove in Gierer the following at bat and reached on a fielder's choice. With bases loaded and one away, Chase Bloomer brought in Floyd from third to plate the Cougars' fourth run of the inning.
With bases loaded for SIUE and two away in the bottom of the third, Drew Mize reached base on a throwing error, bringing three home to score. Bloomer singled up the middle to bring home Lucas Spence.
SIUE starter Tyler Delong allowed just three runs on seven hits in six compete innings of work. The senior struck out five to earn his third win of the season.
Ian Benner threw three scoreless innings on the slab, allowing just three hits while striking out one.
Offensively, the Cougars were led by three hits from Ethan Willoughby. Franck and Bloomer tallied two hits apiece.