SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 8-13, SIUE 7-4
Western Illinois 6, @Morehead State 4
Tennessee Tech 3, @Lindenwood 1
Little Rock 9, @UT Martin 6
Southern Indiana 12, @Southeast Missouri 6
EASTERN ILLINOIS 8-13, SIUE 7-4
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (11-19, 6-5 OVC) swept their Saturday doubleheader against SIUE (12-23, 5-6 OVC) to extend their conference win-streak to six games and bring their OVC record north of .500 for the first time this season. The game two win also marked career win 200 for head coach Jason Anderson.
Game one was close throughout, with Eastern Illinois ultimately finding a way to hang on for the one-run victory.
After the teams traded a run each in the second inning, Eastern took their first lead of the game with three runs in the third, including RBIs from Tyler Castro and Danny Infante.
The lead was short-lived however, as the Cougars scored two runs on an error before an Ethan Willoughby two-run homer gave SIUE a one-run advantage in the fourth.
The Panthers wasted no time responding, as a Michael O'Conor single in the bottom of the fourth drove home Lucas Loos to make the score 5-5.
After Casey Perrenoud retired the side in order in the top of the fifth, EIU surged back ahead in the bottom half behind a Grant Lashure RBI single along with a Lucas Loos RBI on a sacrifice fly.
SIUE got one back in the sixth with a Lucas Spence solo home run, but an inning later the Panthers extended the lead back to two with another Lucas Loos RBI sacrifice fly.
The Cougars pulled within one with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but they were unable to push the tying run across as Jonathon Hanscom picked up his third save of the season.
Casey Perrenoud (1-2) picked up his first win of the season. Perrenoud allowed just one earned run with two strikeouts through 5.0 innings pitched.
Meanwhile, Lucas Loos extended his on-base streak to 24 games with a 2-2, two RBI showing.
Four other Panthers, including Michael O'Conor, Tyler Castro, Danny Infante, and Grant Lashure recorded an RBI in the game.
The afternoon's second game proved to be much less strenuous for the Panthers, as they overpowered the Cougars on their way to a nine-run victory. Eastern scored at least one run in each of their eight at-bats.
SIUE scored all of their runs in the top of the first, as a pair of home runs, including a Ryan Niedzwiedz solo shot and John Stallcup three-run homer, put EIU in an early 4-0 hole.
The Panthers offense immediately got to work in their first at-bat, with Cole Gober and Danny Infante combining forces to drive home three runs before another Lucas Loos sacrifice fly in the second inning tied the game.
EIU then overtook SIUE in the third with a Quade Peters RBI single that scored Trenton Pallas. The Panthers never looked back, as they steadily built on their lead for the remainder of the afternoon.
Eastern's only home run of the day came in the seventh inning when Michael O'Conor launched a ball over the left center wall to give EIU a 12-4 advantage.
Quade Peters topped things off in the eighth with another RBI single that plated run number 13.
Bryce Riggs (3-1) got the win after another stellar performance on the mound. After a shaky first inning, Riggs threw 5.1 scoreless frames, finishing with six strikeouts. He allowed just one hit after the first inning.
Lukas Touma was perfect in relief, as he allowed no runs on no hits with six strikeouts through the final 2.1 innings.
Danny Infante was on a tear offensively, going 4-5 with two doubles, two RBI, and three runs scored. He also had a stolen base.
Dylan Drumke was 3-4 with three runs scored, while Trenton Pallas went 3-4 with a pair of RBI.
Four other Panthers had two RBI outings, including Lucas Loos, Michael O'Conor, Grant Lashure, and Quade Peters.
The win marked the 200th career victory for EIU coach Jason Anderson. He joins four other EIU baseball coaches, including Bill McCabe, Tom McDevitt, and Jim Schmitz in the 200-win club.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 6, MOREHEAD STATE 4
MOREHEAD, Ky. - After finishing a suspended game from Friday night, Western Illinois topped Morehead State 10-6 on Saturday.
Trailing 1-0 in the third inning, J.R. Heavilin went deep to left field, giving WIU a 2-1 lead. Adam Juran came around to score after reaching on an error. The Leathernecks lead did not last long as Morehead State countered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Once again trailing by one, Western Illinois found offensive magic to put up a crooked number on the scoreboard. Back-to-back singles by Hege and Leon started the fourth inning. After an out, Bushey walked as WIU loaded the bases. Franco stated that the patient was at the plate, working a full-count walk to score Hege, tying the game at three. The Leathernecks were not done as Juran brought home Bushey and Leon with a two-run single to left field as WIU reclaimed a 5-3 lead.
After the Eagles trimmed the Leatherneck lead down to one at the bottom of the fourth, WIU responded with an insurance run in the fifth. A leadoff single by Kyree Alexander started the half-inning. He moved 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score as Leon earned the RBI single.
Western Illinois pitching staff locked down the Eagles offense in game two. Tyler Kapraun got the start going five innings, allowing just four runs while striking out seven. After the fifth inning, it was the bullpen turn. Jacob Greenen, Mason Telford, Kyle Rosenfeld, and Caden Kratz combined to shut out the Eagles over the next four innings. Kratz picked up his seventh save of the year.
J.R. Heavilin had a phenomenal start to his weekend. The graduate senior went 4-10 (.400) with a double, homerun and three RBI's. Adam Juran, Cesar Franco, and Trevor Leon all had a multiple-hit game. After only working one walk in the first game, Western Illinois stayed patient and worked six walks. The Leathernecks tallied seven extra-base hits throughout the first two games.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, LINDENWOOD 1
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - For the second straight day, the Tennessee Tech pitching staff carried the load for the Golden Eagles on the diamond, as the Golden Eagle baseball team won a pitcher's dual at Lindenwood Saturday afternoon, 3-1.
The purple and gold (22-13, 8-3) secured its third straight Ohio Valley Conference series win and ninth victory in its last 10 games thanks to a brilliant outing from Peyton Calitri and a strong finish by Jaxson Pease. The Lions (11-23, 4-7) nearly matched the Tech showing on the hill, but in the end, the Golden Eagle bats got the job done by making the most of their few opportunities on the day.
Calitri, the reigning OVC Pitcher of the Week after tossing eight scoreless frames with 10 strikeouts last weekend, was special again for the Cookeville crew. The senior set the tone by blanking the Lions through the opening six innings, making it 14 straight frames without yielding a run.
Lindenwood finally broke through in the seventh, using a base hit, an ultra-rare walk by Calitri, and another base knock up the middle to score a single marker. The Tech ace limited the damage and closed the inning out before handing things over to the bullpen.
Picking up his league-leading sixth victory of the year, Calitri ended the day with 7.0 innings of work, scattering six hits and a free pass while fanning six batters as well. He lowered his season ERA to 1.95 to pace the OVC.
Pease took over for Calitri and kept the momentum rolling. After picking up a fly ball to start the eighth, the sophomore issued his lone walk of the tilt. That was quickly avenged by the defense, as the Golden Eagles turned a 4-6-3 double-play to end the frame.
The righty secured his second save of the season in the ninth, opening things with a punch out. A double put the pressure on a bit, but a pair of ground outs to shortstop Tanner Shiver did the trick as the Golden Eagles picked up the win.
Tech used a healthy third inning to provide all the offensive damage it needed on Saturday, with third baseman Eddie Garza paving the way with a lead-off walk. Two batters later, center fielder Jackson Green drew the first of his two free passes on the day, putting a pair of runners on with one out.
Left fielder Austin Turner provided the only hit in the inning for the purple and gold, blistering a single up the middle to plate the first run of the ball game. A walk to second baseman Troy Baunsgard loaded the bags before a wild pitch brought home the second run of the frame.
Making it a three-run inning was catcher Hayden Gilliland. The senior backstop sent a long fly ball to right field, resulting in a sacrifice fly and RBI.
Turner picked up his 16th stolen base of the season in the contest, moving into a tie for 21st in program history for a single season. He is also the first Golden Eagle to swipe at least 16 bags since Brett Roberts in 2021.
LITTLE ROCK 9, UT MARTIN 6
MARTIN, Tenn. - Western Illinois split the first two games of their weekend series, with Morehead State falling 10-6 in game one before winning game two 6-4. Western Illinois picks up their third win in OVC play and seventh on the season.
With a chance of rain on Friday night, Western Illinois got through the first seven and a half innings before play was suspended until Saturday morning. The Leathernecks found themselves down 10-0 heading into the seventh inning on Friday night before they put together a little rally. Chris Hege started the seventh with a single to second base. Trevor Leon was hit by a pitch, putting the first two base runners on. After a flyout, Liam Bushey wore a pitch, loading the bases. Cesar Franco put Western Illinois in the scoring column as he lined a ball down the right field line for a ground rule double. The double brought in a pair of runs, and J.R. Heavilin capped off the three-run inning with a single through the left side, scoring Bushey. The Leathernecks would not plate any more runs on Friday as the rain started to pour.
Game one resumed Saturday morning, and the Friday night showers did not slow down Western Illinois. The Leathernecks found the run column in the eighth inning with three runs. Hege started the scoring rally once again with a one-out double. Leon traded places with him as WIU cut the deficit to six, 10-4. Liam Bushey was hit by the pitch for the second straight time and came around to score on a Franco double as Western Illinois trailed by four 10-6. The Leatherneck's bats ran out of steam as they fell in game one 10-6.
WIU kept on the offensive pressure heading into game two. Trailing 1-0 in the third inning, J.R. Heavilin went deep to left field, giving WIU a 2-1 lead. Adam Juran came around to score after reaching on an error. The Leathernecks lead did not last long as Morehead State countered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Once again trailing by one, Western Illinois found offensive magic to put up a crooked number on the scoreboard. Back-to-back singles by Hege and Leon started the fourth inning. After an out, Bushey walked as WIU loaded the bases. Franco stated that the patient was at the plate, working a full-count walk to score Hege, tying the game at three. The Leathernecks were not done as Juran brought home Bushey and Leon with a two-run single to left field as WIU reclaimed a 5-3 lead.
After the Eagles trimmed the Leatherneck lead down to one at the bottom of the fourth, WIU responded with an insurance run in the fifth. A leadoff single by Kyree Alexander started the half-inning. He moved 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score as Leon earned the RBI single.
Western Illinois pitching staff locked down the Eagles offense in game two. Tyler Kapraun got the start going five innings, allowing just four runs while striking out seven. After the fifth inning, it was the bullpen turn. Jacob Greenen, Mason Telford, Kyle Rosenfeld, and Caden Kratz combined to shut out the Eagles over the next four innings. Kratz picked up his seventh save of the year.
J.R. Heavilin had a phenomenal start to his weekend. The graduate senior went 4-10 (.400) with a double, homerun and three RBI's. Adam Juran, Cesar Franco, and Trevor Leon all had a multiple-hit game. After only working one walk in the first game, Western Illinois stayed patient and worked six walks. The Leathernecks tallied seven extra-base hits throughout the first two games.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 12, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball outslugged Southeast Missouri State University 4-3 in home runs and won the game, 12-6, Saturday afternoon in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. USI is 15-20 overall and 5-6 in the OVC, while SEMO goes to 17-18, 7-4 OVC.
The Screaming Eagles snapped a 13-inning scoreless streak with a pair of runs in the second inning on a two-blast by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana). The home run drove in senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas), who had singled to lead off the frame, and was Ellis' team-high seventh of the year.
The two-run second would start a streak of four-straight scoring innings for the Eagles.
USI would lead 2-0 until the Eagles increased the lead to 3-0 in the third when junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) singled in junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela). The Redhawks would bounce back to get their first run of the game with a tally in the bottom half of the frame to leave the score 3-1 after three.
USI senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) put USI on the scoreboard for the third-straight frame when he launched a rocket over the right field wall for a 4-1 Eagle advantage. The home run was Tachioka's first of the season.
The Eagles sealed the victory in the top of the fifth with a five-run frame. Junior leftfielder Adam Euler (Evansville, Indiana) and Van Grieken got the rally going with RBI-singles to center, before sophomore shortstop Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) hit USI's third home run of the game, a three-run blast for the 9-1 advantage. Niehaus' home run was his second of the spring.
Following a pair of home runs by the Redhawks in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap to 9-3, Euler boosted the Eagles advantage to 10-3 with a RBI-single to right center. The score remained 10-3 until the bottom of the eighth when SEMO put three runs across the plate to get to 10-6.
USI put a stop to the SEMO comeback attempt when Niehaus hit his second home run of the game and his third of the year, a two-run blast, to make the score 12-6. Niehaus finished the game three-for-six with two home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored.
On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) started and picked up the win for the Eagles. Seebold (4-2) posted his team-high fourth win of the season, going five innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. The right-hander also struck out a career-high seven batters.