SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Western Illinois 11, Little Rock 7
@Morehead State 6, UT Martin 3
@Tennessee Tech 6 Eastern Illinois 5
@Southern Indiana 11, SIUE 6
Southeast Missouri 4, @Lindenwood 3
WESTERN ILLINOIS 11, LITTLE ROCK 7
MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois baseball team outslugged the Trojans of Little Rock 11-7 on Saturday afternoon. WIU ties their win total from 2023 with their 12th win on the season as they picked up win number seven in Ohio Valley play.
Tyler Kapraun set the tone for the Leathernecks as he retired the first four Trojan batters in order via a strikeout. Little Rock struck for a run in the top half of the second inning as they took an early 1-0 lead. Western Illinois would not trail for long as Brock Lummus sent a ball back up the middle for a one-out single. Lummus advanced to third base on a wild pitch and was brought home on a double down the right-field line by Max Slavens.
A leadoff double in the top of the third put Little Rock in position as they reclaimed their one-run lead on a one-out ground out. Trailing 2-1, Western Illinois center fielder Cesar Franco drove a ball off the right field foul pole for a game-tying home run. WIU kept their offense clicking as walks by Liam Bushey and Kyree Alexander and a hit by J.R. Heavilin loaded the bases. Chris Hege gave WIU the 3-2 lead as he grounded into a double play, scoring Bushey.
Western Illinois broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning. A single by Slavens and Franco put a runner in scoring position as Bushey pulled the ball into the right-center gap, scoring Slavens and Fracon with a two-run double. Leading 5-2, WIU kept their foot on the gas pedal as Alexander would have his first of five RBI on an RBI fielder choice, and Lummus brought home a run on an error by Little Rock shortstop, giving WIU a 7-2 lead after four.
Alexander gave WIU the insurance runs they needed as he blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning as Western Illinois climbed their lead to 11-2. Little Rock made the game interesting as they plated five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Kyle Rosenfeld slammed the door for an 11-7 victory.
Tyler Kapraun was lights out on the mound, picking up his fourth win on the season. He went seven innings strong, striking out six Trojans well, allowing just two runs.
Western Illinois bats were hot as they collected 13 hits as a team. Liam Bushey and Max Slavens led the way, going 2-4 with an RBI. Cesar Franco collected two hits, scoring three runs and driving in himself on a solo home run. Kyree Alexander had five RBIs, including four in his grand slam.
MOREHEAD STATE 6, UT MARTIN 3
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Nick Gooden had quite the day at the plate with four RBI, while Roman Kuntz hit his 24th home run of the season as the Morehead State baseball team prevailed 6-3 over UT Martin on Saturday.
Matt Bettio (2-1) was the star out of the bullpen for Morehead State (28-19, 12-8 OVC). The senior right-hander pitched 4.2 scoreless innings, giving up just two hits with one strikeout.
Gooden hit his eighth home run of the season, and had a pair of run-scoring singles as part of a 3-4 day. Roman Kuntz finished 2-4, launching his OVC-leading 24th home run of the season. Kuntz is now just three homers shy of tying both the Morehead State and OVC single season home run record of 27, set by former Eagle Niko Hulsizer in 2017.
Morehead State crossed the plate first, as Nick Gooden drove in Ryley Preece from third on an RBI single.
UT Martin hit a pair of solo home runs before Morehead State tied the game 2-2 on a sac fly from Colton Becker in the third inning.
The Skyhawks retook the lead later on, but Morehead State struck with back-to-back solo blasts, with Nick Gooden tying the game and Roman Kuntz giving the Eagles the lead with two outs in the sixth.
The Eagles plated a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on a two-run single by Nick Gooden, and Matt Bettio finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning to secure the series victory.
TENNESSEE TECH 6, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a wild finish at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex Saturday evening, as the Tennessee Tech baseball team earned a thrilling, walk-off win over Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Illinois, 6-5.
All squared up at 5-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Golden Eagles (27-20, 11-9) went to work with a very patient approach at the dish. Right fielder Theo Bryant IV, who had a spectacular day at the diamond, set the tone early, taking six pitches before succumbing to a strikeout.
Shortstop Tanner Shiver followed by drawing a five-pitch walk before center field Nicho Jordan took his place on a fielder's choice to first base. With two outs, the purple and gold dug deep against Eastern Illinois (15-27, 9-11).
Designated hitter Mack Whitcomb delivered a composed at-bat, watching two strikes before turning in a nine-pitch free pass. Third baseman Eddie Garza kept the train rolling by picking up his own six-pitch walk, loading the bases, and sending the Golden Eagle offense to the top of the order.
Left fielder Austin Turner watched the second offering to him miss its mark and elude the catcher for a wild pitch, allowing Jordan to sprint home, dent the dish, and give Tech the huge league victory.
Tech took the early lead in the contest to back up another quality start by Peyton Calitri. Leading off the second inning with a double to left-center field, first baseman Preston Ford came around to score thanks to a sacrifice fly to center field by Whitcomb.
In the third, second baseman Troy Baunsgard singled up the middle, and catcher Hayden Gilliland drew a walk to set up Bryant for a big hack. The veteran delivered, slashing a three-run laser over the wall in right-center field for a 4-0 lead. It marked his seventh home run of the season.
The Panthers finally got on the board in the sixth, using a pair of base hits and a steal to plate a two-run marker. Tech got the run back in the bottom of the seventh, with Shiver kicking off a two-out rally with a single up the middle.
An infield knock by Jordan put runners on the corners before Whitcomb smashed an RBI single through the left side. Eastern Illinois rallied in the eighth, singling off Calitri to end his night for the purple and gold.
The senior hurler ended up covering 7.0 innings with just two runs allowed on seven hits while striking out three with no walks. EIU attacked the Tech bullpen, scoring four runs in the eighth on five hits, including two unearned off Jaxson Pease.
The sophomore rebounded to toss a scoreless ninth frame, setting himself up to pick up his sixth win of the season. Baunsgard, Shiver, and Whitcomb all gathered two hits apiece to lead the Tech offense.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 11, SIUE 6
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored six times in the eighth inning to defeat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 11-6, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles are 21-26 overall and 10-10 OVC, while Cougars go to 18-27-1, 10-10 OVC.
USI reaches the .500 mark at 10-10 in the OVC and moves to within two games of conference-leading Morehead State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, which are 12-8 in the league. The Eagles, who are tied for fifth in the OVC, also have won four of the last five games and five of the last seven.
USI struck for a run in the second to lead 1-0 when junior leftfielder Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri) scored on a RBI-single by junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa). SIUE rebounded to take the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third and the 2-1 lead.
Eagles' senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) crossed the plate with the tying run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) after USI loaded the bases with three-straight walks. The Cougars clawed their way back into the lead in the top of the fourth, 3-2, and extended the margin, 4-2, with another single tally in the top of the fifth.
USI regained the upper hand in the bottom of the sixth when it plated a trio of runs for a 5-4 advantage. Junior second baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) knotted the score by lacing a two-triple down the left field line before crossing the plate with the lead run on a RBI-single by junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela).
After SIUE tied the game, 5-5, in the top of the eighth, USI exploded for six runs in the bottom half of the frame for the margin of victory. USI junior pinch runner Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky) crossed the plate to put the Eagles back into the lead for good when Van Grieken was credited with a sacrifice fly and reached on a dropped fly ball.
Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) drove in the eventual game-winning tally with a ground out to make the score, 7-5, while Ellis sealed the victory with a two-run single to put the Eagles up, 9-5. Niehaus and Thompson-Allen would knock in the final two runs in the inning to increase the advantage to 11-5.
SIUE loaded the bases in the ninth, but were only able to push one more run across before USI senior right-hander Carter Stamm (Jasper, Indiana) shut the door on the 11-6 win.
Tachioka had a pair of hits and increased his hitting streak to 10 games, while Thompson-Allen posted his team-best 21st multi-hit game with a pair of singles.
On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana) picked up the win in relief. Morris (4-4) allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits, while striking out three in four innings.
Junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) started and got a no-decision. Seebold went the first four innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits and three walks.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4, LINDENWOOD 3
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Recap coming soon.