TUESDAY'S SCORES
Northern Illinois 14,
@Eastern Illinois 12
@Saint Louis 13,
Southern Indiana 8
Southeast Missouri 3, @Southern Illinois 2 (11)
SIUE 5, @Missouri 4
Tennessee Tech 9, @Lipscomb 5
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 14, EASTERN ILLINOIS 12
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (9-19, 4-5 OVC) came up just a little short against Northern Illinois (11-21, 6-9 MAC) on Tuesday afternoon. The Panthers scored six runs in the ninth inning but were unable to complete the rally as they fell by a score of 14-12.
NIU got the scoring started early with a CJ Cepicky two-run home run in the first inning before Cole Gober answered with a long ball of his own to make the score 2-1 after one.
However, the Huskies blew the game wide open in the second inning as they put up six runs, including four off of a Colin Summerhill grand slam. It would end up being the first of two big innings for Northern Illinois that doomed Eastern.
The EIU pitching staff settled down in the middle innings, as Lukas Touma retired seven of eight batters faced through the third and fourth innings, before Jack Potteiger replaced Touma in the fifth and only allowed one run through 2.1 innings of work.
Despite Touma and Potteiger holding NIU mostly in check, the Panthers struggled to cut into the lead. It was not until the bottom of the sixth when the Eastern bats broke through for a pair of runs off a Danny Infante RBI walk and Collin Kalinowski RBI single.
After another scoreless inning for NIU, Cole Gober cut the lead to five with another solo home run in the bottom of the seventh.
However, the Huskies unleashed another offensive outburst in the eighth with five runs, including two off another Summerhill homer.
Now trailing by 10 runs with just six outs to work with, the Panthers inched closer with a Dylan Drumke two-RBI double that drove in Quade Peters and Collin Kalinowski.
Facing an eight-run deficit in their last at-bat, Eastern refused to go down quietly. They mounted a heroic comeback attempt, scoring six runs that included two more RBI from Cole Gober and a Lucas Loos three-run homer that pulled them within two.
Unfortunately, it was not enough, as NIU eventually managed to get the out they needed to seal the victory.
Anthony Solis (0-1) was designated the loss while DJ Hess (3-0) was credited with the win.
Cole Gober had himself a day, going 3-6 with two home runs and four RBI. Meanwhile, Dylan Drumke continued to be a reliable run producer for the Panthers with a two-RBI outing, while Lucas Loos extended his current on-base streak to 23 games with a 3-5, three RBI performance.
SAINT LOUIS 13, SOUTHERN INDIANA 8
ST. LOUIS - University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost the first game of a four-game road swing, falling at Saint Louis University, 13-8, Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri. USI is 14-19 overall, SLU goes to 22-8.
The Screaming Eagles trailed 1-0 after two innings, but made their first comeback to tie the score, 1-1, on a RBI-double by senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) in the top of third. The tie was short lived as the Billikens scored a run in the bottom of the third to regain the lead and extended the margin to 5-1 with a three-run fourth.
USI climbed back into the game with a four-run sixth inning to tie the contest, 5-5. Junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela) singled in the second run of the game for USI, while junior second baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) tied the score for a second time with a three-run blast to left center. The home run was Crowden's second of the season.
SLU took the momentum back in the bottom of the sixth, retaking the lead, 7-5, with a pair of tallies. The Billikens would extend the margin to 8-5 with another run in the bottom of the seven.
The eighth inning would seal the Eagles' fate as the Billikens posted five runs for the final on a 13-5 decision.
USI junior right-hander Adam Weihe (Louisville, Kentucky) took the loss in relief for the Eagles. Weihe (0-2) allowed two runs on two hits and a hit batter in a third of an inning.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 2 (11)
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (16-17) picked up an extra innings victory on Tuesday night over Southern Illinois (19-14) by a final score of 3-2 at Itchy Jones Stadium. The win was the first win the Redhawks have had over the Salukis in Carbondale since 2011.
With the bases loaded in the 11th inning, second baseman Brooks Kettering drew an RBI walk to plate Cole Warehime, the go-ahead run, from third base to give the Redhawks a 3-2 lead.
RHP Payton Lawrence made his return to the mound for the Redhawks on Tuesday night. Lawrence pitched the first two innings against the Salukis without allowing a run or a hit in first appearance since March 22.
RHP Kyle Miller (2-1) returned to action on Tuesday night and picked up his second win of the season. Miller pitched the ninth and the 10th inning and did not allow a hit or a run and struck out two Salukis in his first outing since March 1.
A pitching duel through the first three innings, the Salukis got on the board first in the bottom of the third inning with a bases loaded, two-RBI single by first baseman Trey Cutchen off RHP Tommy Windt to give SIU a 2-0 lead after the third inning.
The Redhawks would tie the game in the sixth inning after loading the bases against SIU's starting pitcher, LHP Alec Nigut, starting with a leadoff single from third baseman Chance Resetich.
A walk to Brooks Kettering and a perfectly executed bunt single by short stop Ben Palmer put Redhawks on every base with Michael Mugan stepping in. Mugan roped a single into right-center field off Saluki reliever Ben Riffe to tie it at two.
Three-straight outs after the two-RBI single would retire the inning, but the Redhawks tied the game and after the sixth inning, the score was all-square at two.
SEMO utilized their bullpen, and it was sharp on Tuesday night as LHP Ethan Osborne, RHP Gavin Johnston, and RHP Kyle Miller combined allowed no hits over the final five innings of regulation. Osborne and Johnston each recorded a pair of strikeouts.
Miller, who made his first appearance since all the way back on March 1, recorded a three-up, three-down ninth inning to send the game into extra innings.
The trio retired 20 Salukis in-a-row to send the game into the 10th inning. Miller came back out for the 10thinning and retired the side in order to send it to the 11th inning.
With one out in the 11th inning, first baseman Cole Warehime roped a single into left field to get the rally started for the Redhawks. A walk to Shea McGahan and pinch-hitter Caleb Corbin was plunked to load the bases.
Second baseman Brooks Kettering drew an RBI walk to deliver the go-ahead run in the 11th inning to give the Redhawks their first lead of the contest.
LHP Alex Hayes entered in the 11th inning to pick up his first save of the season as the Redhawks held on for the victory.
SIUE 5, MISSOURI 4
COLUMBIA, Mo. - SIUE baseball downed Missouri Tuesday, winning 5-4 at Taylor Stadium on the Mizzou campus.
SIUE improved to 12-21. Missouri dropped to 15-19. The win is the first for the Cougars over the Tigers since 2011.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a sacrifice fly.
SIUE starter Jacob Kampf worked four innings allowing just the run on four hits. He walked three and struck out three.
SIUE got out on top in the fifth with three hits. Daniel Gierer singled and stole second base before Zack Floyd walked. Drew Mize laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. Lucas Spence singled to center to score two and Chase Bloomer drove home a run with an infield hit.
Sean Kang singled with one out in the sixth and scored on a double to the left field corner by Gierer for a 4-1 SIUE lead.
Mizzou answered with a three-run bottom of the sixth inning, before the Cougars took the lead again in the seventh. Ryan Niedzwiedz walked and stole second base before scoring on a single to left center by Ethan Willoughby.
Missouri threatened in the ninth inning against SIUE reliever Alex Rodriguez, who walked the first two hitters in the inning. When a pitch hit the dirt, Jackson Beaman sprinted for third, only to be thrown out by SIUE catcher Sean Kang for the first out.
Rodriguez retired the next two hitters on groundouts to earn his first save of the year.
Ian Benner (2-0) tossed 2.2 innings for the win. He allowed a run and struck out three.
Spence was 2-5 for the game with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Spence extended his hitting streak to 18 games, which is the longest for a Cougar player in the Division I era. Bloomer was 3-5. Gierer was 2-4.
TENNESSEE TECH 9, LIPSCOMB 5
NASHVILLE - The momentum just continues to grow with the Tennessee Tech baseball team, as the Golden Eagles picked up their seventh win in the last eight games Tuesday evening, topping in-state rival Lipscomb, 9-5, at Ken Dugan Field in Nashville.
The offense has played its role in that stretch of success, tallying nine runs in five of the past seven games, all Tech wins. A collective of bats that had outscored its opponents 62-25 coming into the contest, the Cookeville crew (20-13) got off to an early start yet again, plating a pair in first.
One of the nation's leaders in walks lived up to his calling card to kick off the contest, as left fielder Austin Turner took five pitches to earn a free pass. Two pitches later, second baseman Troy Baunsgard made it a 2-0 ballgame, blasting his fifth home run of the year to left field.
The bats picked back up in the third, again starting at the top of the order. Turner was plunked before Baunsgard moved him up a base with a base knock through the left side. Both advanced a base on a ground out before first baseman Preston Ford drove in a run with an infield single to the shortstop.
On the flip side of the position, Tech shortstop Tanner Shiver made it a 4-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to left field. Right fielder Theo Bryant IV followed with a base hit up the middle putting a pair on for second baseman Eddie Garza.
The sophomore ripped a high chopper to second base that drove in Ford from second base. The infield hit gave Tech a 6-0 advantage heading into the fourth.
Completing three shutout innings in a predetermined outing of that length, rookie Eli Huddleston picked up his second win of the season. The local Upperman High School product allowed just one hit and one walk in his three frames of work, punching out three Bisons (9-22) batters.
Tech gathered another run in the fourth thanks to some defensive issues by Lipscomb and the speed of center fielder Jackson Green. The junior reached first after a swinging strikeout was mishandled by the catcher and eventually thrown away. The errant toss moved him up to second base with no one out in the inning. He moved over on a ground out and eventually scored with two outs in the frame thanks to a wild pitch and his wheels.
Lipscomb finally got on the board in the fourth, scoring twice in the frame off freshman Drew Mattox. The Tech offense backed up their new hurler, crossing home plate two times in the top of the fifth. Designated hitter Mack Whitcomb opened it with a sac fly to right field before Turner got hit by another pitch, this time with the bases loaded for an RBI.
The Bisons picked up two more runs of the unearned variety in the sixth inning, using an infield error by the Golden Eagles to buy an extra out. It paid off as the home team delivered a two-out, two-run long ball to left field.
Mattox ended his day with 2.2 innings of work, two earned runs allowed, and three strikeouts as senior reliever Matt Gelorme took over for the final out of the frame. The right-hander produced a scoreless seventh and allowed just one run in the eighth after the Golden Eagles picked up one of their own in the top half.
In that eighth inning, Turner drew his second free pass of the day and promptly stole his 14th bag of the year. Catcher Hayden Gilliland provided a 9-4 Tech lead, peppering an RBI single to left center field before the Bisons' run in the bottom half.
Andrew Guardino finished the contest for the visiting purple and gold, blanking the Lipscomb squad with just a single walk allowed.
Baunsgard led the team with two hits and two ribbies on the day while Turner paced the lineup with three runs scored. Seven different Golden Eagles picked up a hit in the affair.