Ohio Valley Conference

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Patient, methodical offense and great pitching kept the Tennessee Tech baseball team among the nation's undefeated through three games of the season as the Golden Eagles earned a 6-3 victory over visiting Le Moyne Saturday afternoon at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.

Much like the first two tilts of the four-game series, the Dolphins (0-3) lit up the scoreboard first on Saturday, scoring single runs in the first and second innings. Without even so as much as batting an eye, the Golden Eagles (3-0) went to work in the third, kicking off a stretch of four straight frames impacting the game on offense.

Catcher Mack Whitcomb provided the first spark, sending a sacrifice fly ball to left-center field to drive in second baseman Jackson Rooker to cut the deficit to 2-1. First baseman Riley Black squared things up to kick off the bottom of the fourth, hammering a lead-off bomb to right-center field for his first long ball as a Golden Eagle.

Le Moyne clapped back in the fifth, putting a pair of runners on with two outs before a base knock up the middle plated a run for a 3-2 lead. The Dolphins seemed destined to double that advantage with another ball peppered up the middle, but Tech shortstop Owen Lee made a dazzling, diving stab and flipped the ball to Rooker at second base just in time to collect the final out of the inning and end the threat.

Continuing to put the pressure on, Tech struck again in the bottom half of the frame behind the bat of veteran Nicho Jordan. The center fielder ripped an RBI single to right field, scoring Rooker for the second time in the ball game to make it a draw at 3-3.

The Golden Eagle put the Phins in their review mirror in the sixth, with left fielder Jackson Green providing the game-winning hit. The senior smashed an RBI triple off the wall in right-center field, plating Black, who had singled to open the frame.

Making his collegiate debut, right fielder Luke Bragga earned his first career knock by beating out a dribbler to the pitcher and putting runners on the corners with one out. Rooker made it a 5-3 contest with a sac fly to shallow left field, giving Green just enough distance to use his blazing speed to score without a worry.

Still not done, Owen Lee put the final stamp on the inning two pitches later, blistering a double through the right side to score Bragga and create a three-run cushion for the Tech bullpen to work with.

The pen delivered on the challenge, throwing up five scoreless frames to lock down a 3-0 start to the year. Taking over in the fifth inning, right-hander Lucas Vega covered nine outs for the Cookeville crew, scattering one hit and a walk while striking out four Dolphin batters.

The Tech newcomer earned his first win of the year with the performance, thanks to two more solid innings on the hill from his teammate Reece McDuffie. The Golden Eagle veteran worked a swift eighth before the Dolphins put together one last rally in the ninth.

Le Moyne earned back-to-back hits to lead off the final frame before a Tech error in the outfield allowed the bases to load up without an out on the scoreboard. Never deterred, McDuffie calmly struck out the next batter on four pitches before getting ahead of the next Dolphin 0-2.

Forcing a weak, shallow fly out to left-center field, the Golden Eagle reliever dug in for his final match-up of the evening. Taking on Le Moyne's three-hole hitter, McDuffie picked up his third punch-out of the day, using a perfect fastball on the outer half to catch the batter looking and secure his first save of the year.

Six Golden Eagles tallied hits in the contest, led by Owen Lee and a 3-for-5 day at the dish. Black also secured a multi-hit performance, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs. Rooker scored twice as well, reaching base three times on the day behind a walk and two hit-by-pitches.

UT MARTIN 8-8, FLORIDA A&M 7-0
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team used an extra innings comeback in Game 1 (8-7) and its first shutout of the season in Game 2 (8-0) to sweep the doubleheader over Florida A&M.
 
UT Martin (2-1) would jump out to an early advantage in the first inning via a Jordan Hudson single to score Jalen Fithian which was shortly followed by a Brody Capps RBI single to score Hudson. Arderrius Townsend would cap off the first inning with an RBI single to score Capps after a throwing error.
 
Fithian was able to reach on a fielder's choice which scored Tommy Koch in the second inning and later Townsend drove home another run in the third, this time from a sacrifice bunt to bring in TJ Grines. The lead would be 5-0 going into the fourth.
 
Jacob Sitton impressed in his Skyhawk debut going five innings and striking out eight while allowing just one hit. Following the departure of Sitton, Florida A&M (1-2) tacked on six runs in the sixth which brought UT Martin down to its final three outs heading into the top of the seventh.
 
The Skyhawks brought in the tying run after Blaze Bell reached on a fielder's choice to score Fithian. Mason Shropshire (1-0) made his UT Martin debut out of the bullpen with 2.1 innings pitched and two strikeouts including a scoreless seventh frame to bring the game into extra innings.
 
Freshman Cameron Greene made a statement in his young career by belting a solo shot with one out in the eighth to get the Skyhawks a 7-6 lead. In the home half the Rattlers would respond with a leadoff homer to push the game to the ninth where UT Martin scored Grines on a sacrifice fly from Capps to get the lead back.
 
Returner Kaleb Baskin (save) faced bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and slammed the door inducing a flyout to center field to clinch the first win of 2025 for the Skyhawks.
 
Grines led UT Martin in the game with a 3-4 day at the plate to pair with a double and triple.
 
The second contest of the day featured a wire-to-wire triumph for the Orange and Blue. Drake Bayles (1-0) earned the start and the win going five innings, surrendering three hits and punching out three. JP Nunn (one inning, two strikeouts) and Austin Gast (one inning, two strikeouts, no hits) helped complete the shutout for the Skyhawks.
 
Eight different batters recorded a hit with Hudson (one RBI, one stolen base), Greene (double), Capps (two RBI, two hits, one double), Townsend (two RBI), Bell (double), Jonah Katsaboulas (two walks), Tommy Koch (two-run blast) and Garner Anderson (double, RBI, walk) putting together a torrid day at the plate for UT Martin.
 
Capps continued to have a big performance with an RBI single to get Game 2 going that scored Grines to make it 1-0. In the following inning, Koch would lift off to left field for the second home run of the day to get the lead to 3-0.
 
Anderson drilled a rocket off the center field wall in the fourth that helped score Katsaboulas. Anderson didn't have to wait too long to get back to the dugout after Hudson sent a single to right field and scored the Martin, Tenn. native from second. Townsend put the finishing touches on the frame by driving in Capps and Grines with a single to left field that brought the score to 8-0.
 
The pitching staff handled business the rest of the way and held Florida A&M to just two hits over the final three innings.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 18-13, LINDENWOOD 7-3
HAMMOND, La. - Lindenwood baseball (0-3, 0-0 OVC) dropped a double header against Southeastern Louisiana (3-0, 0-0 SLC) by scores of 18-7 (7 inn.) and 13-3 (7inn.). The Lions were led by Filip Sarota who had two home runs throughout Saturday's double header. Three different Lions had three hits across the two games.

During Lindenwood's first game of the double header, the Lions fell by a final score of 18-7 in seven innings. The Lions scored seven runs on eight hits with two errors while SLU scored 18 runs on 18 hits with one error.

Sarota and Sam Grunberg both had home runs in the game one loss. Grunberg also went a perfect 3-3 at the plate including his home run. Six different Lions brought in a run in Hammond, La.

After two scoreless innings for Zach Bushschulte (L, 0-1), SLU got on the board in the third with a two-run home run by Ryan Brome. Lindenwood would respond in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run by Sarota and a solo blast from Grunberg.

Southeastern Louisiana re-gained control in the bottom half of the fourth scoring six runs off of Bushschulte and Easton Rackers as the Lions again fell behind 8-3. Bushschulte finished with 3.1 innings pitched allowing six runs on six hits while three strikeouts.

Tanner Simpson and Bryson Arnette both had an RBI in the fifth cutting the lead back to 8-5. Simpson also added one of Lindenwood's three doubles in the loss. SLU would go on to score two in the fifth and sixth innings then closing the game with six runs. Jack Meyers and Kam Edwards both had an RBI in the game.

Lindenwood fell for the second time on Saturday during game two of a double header by a final score of 13-3 in seven innings. The Lions scored three runs on 11 hits with no errors while SLU scored 13 runs on 10 hits with one error.

SLU scored the first six runs of the ball game off starting pitcher Eli Brown (L, 0-1) as Brown finished the game throwing 4.0 innings allowing seven runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. The Lions got on the board in the fourth with Sarota's second home run of the day.

Southeastern Louisiana stretched out the lead to 11-1 with a five run fifth inning putting the Lions behind double-digits. Lindenwood scored their final two runs with a two RBI single by Arnette in the seventh before SLU ended the game with a two-run home to make it 13-3.

Sarota, Simpson and Charlie Isom-McCall all had two hits for the Lions in the loss.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 12-2, ALABAMA STATE 8-9
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball split a doubleheader with Alabama State University Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama. The Screaming Eagles took the opening match, 12-8, while the Hornets captured the nightcap, 9-2.
 
USI is 2-1 after two days of 2025, while Alabama State is 1-2 to begin its season.
 
USI senior centerfielder Khi Holiday and freshman first baseman Kannon Coakley combined for nine hits as the Eagles cruised to a game one victory over the Hornets, 12-8.
 
Holiday ignited the USI offense from the start by singling and going to second on an error, stealing third, and scoring the first run of the game on a ground out. He would finish the game four-for-six with three runs scored, two RBIs, and two stolen bases.
 
Coakley was a perfect five-for-five with three doubles, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
 
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Jay Kennedy picked up the win in relief. Kennedy (1-0) allowed a run on one hit and one walk while striking out one.
 
USI junior right-hander Andres Gonzalez started and received a no-decision in the game. Gonzalez went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out one.
 
Alabama State turned the tables on USI and took the nightcap 9-2. The Hornets scored seven times in the first three innings to take command before scoring one more in the fifth and sixth.
 
USI broke up the shutout in the sixth when Coakley crossed the plate on an error to make the score 8-1. Following a ninth Alabama State run, Holiday crossed the plate in the top of the seventh when sophomore third baseman Parker Martin doubled to center to close the gap to 9-2.
 
On the bump, graduate left-hander Camden Dimidjian took the loss for the Eagles. Dimidian allowed four runs, two earned, on two hits and four walks in 1.1 innings of work.

SIUE 14, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
MOBILE, Ala. - SIUE baseball scored 12 times in the final three innings Saturday to run away with its first win of the 2025 season. The Cougars downed former Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Kentucky 14-3 in eight innings at the South Alabama Invitational.

SIUE is now 1-1. EKU is 0-2

With the game tied 2-2 and two outs in the sixth, John Stallcup doubled ahead of Gage Franck who connected for his first home run of the year to break the tie. Chase Bloomer followed with a single and Ryan Niedzwiedz doubled to plate Bloomer for the 5-2 lead.

EKU pulled a run back in the bottom of the sixth, before SIUE opened things up in the seventh.

The Cougars scored five times in the inning on just two hits. SIUE took advantage of three walks and an error in the inning. Michael Simer's first home run as Cougar, a two-run shot, extended SIUE's extended the lead to 7-3. Mack Mitchell scored on an error and Niedzwiedz drove home two with a single.

A four-run eighth inning swelled SIUE's lead again. Stallcup walked with the bases loaded, the next batter, Franck, was hit by a pitch and Bloomer followed with a two-run single to center for the 14-3 advantage.

EKU failed to get the lead under 10 in the bottom of the inning.

The Cougars got on the board in the first when Ethan Willoughby drove home Bloomer with a ground out to third.

EKU's Diego Alana hit a solo homer off SIUE starter Tim Teixeira in the bottom of the inning to tie the score.

Teixeira worked 2 2/3 innings in his SIUE debut, allowing the single run. He struck out three and walked four.

The Cougars got back on top in the third inning. Willoughby scored when Kyle Ratliff reached on an error.

EKU tied the game in fifth thanks to a hit by pitch, three walks and a costly wild pitch, which came with the bases loaded allowing the second run to score. The Colonels left the bases loaded in the inning.

Zach Duenas, making his SIUE debut, worked 2 2/3 innings, allowing a run for the first win at SIUE. He struck out two.

Bloomer went 3-6 with three runs and two RBIs for SIUE.  Franck finished 1-2 with a walk, two runs and three RBIs. Stallcup finished with two hits.