FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Western Illinois 15, Southern Indiana 5
@Eastern Illinois 5, Lindenwood 4 (11)
@SIUE 12, Morehead State 6
@UT Martin 23, Southeast Missouri 11
Tennessee Tech 5, @Little Rock 2
WESTERN ILLINOIS 15, SOUTHERN INDIANA 5
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois put together an offensive clinic on Friday afternoon, overwhelming Southern Indiana 15-5 at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. The Leathernecks wasted no time jumping ahead, putting up five runs in the first inning and setting the tone for what would be a dominant performance at the plate.
Tyler Large led the charge, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored. His big day started off in the bottom of the first inning with a three-run blast to left field that gave WIU the lead right away. Liam Bushey also made a huge impact, collecting three hits and driving in two runs. The Leathernecks consistently found ways to produce runs, with contributions coming from throughout the lineup. Matt Olive, Krayton Morse, and Brock Lummus chipped in with multi-hit performances, keeping the pressure on Southern Indiana's pitching staff.
After a few scoreless innings, the Leathernecks exploded again in the fifth, pushing across four more runs. They didn't stop there, adding two more in the sixth before breaking it wide open in the seventh with another four-run frame. By the time the game reached the later innings, WIU had completely taken control.
While the offense stole the show, the Leathernecks' pitching staff held firm. They limited Southern Indiana to just five runs on eight hits, striking out six batters and walking only four. The defense backed them up as well, playing a clean game with no errors while turning a key double play in the sixth inning. Starter Max Tripure picked up the win, pitching 7 innings while only allowing four hits giving up 2 runs and striking out 2 batters.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, LINDENWOOD 4 (11)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Some late game heroics lifted Eastern Illinois (8-11, 1-0 OVC) to a dramatic extra-innings win over Lindenwood (9-13, 0-1 OVC) in the Panthers' home and conference opener on Friday afternoon at Coaches Stadium.
EIU were down to their last strike in the ninth before a Jake Ferguson two-run homer saved the day, taking the game to extras where the Panthers would ultimately prevail in 11.
Eastern scored 5 runs on 10 hits and two errors. Ferguson led the team with three hits and three RBIs.
Nate Marshall (1-0) picked up the first win of his EIU career after allowing no runs on one hit with a strikeout in extra innings.
Tyler Conklin put in another strong day on the mound, allowing just one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts through eight complete innings.
After the game's first 11 batters were retired in order, back-to-back two-out doubles by Mike O'Conor and Brett Stanley scored the game's first run before a Jake Ferguson RBI single put EIU up 2-0.
The Panthers preserved the early lead into the fifth inning as Conklin retired 12 of the first 14 Lions he faced, including nine consecutive outs to begin the game.
However, consecutive errors to begin the fifth followed by a ground out to first base put two runners in scoring position for Lindenwood.
In the following at-bat, Isom McCall came through with LU's first hit of the game to drive in Arnette and Simpson, tying the game at two runs apiece.
The next three and a half innings were scoreless, with the two teams combining for just four hits.
The offensive drought came to an end in the ninth, with Lindenwood taking a late lead on another Isom-McCall two RBI single after the first two batters of the inning reached on a hit by pitch and walk.
Now trailing by two, Eastern found themselves in dire straits after a pair of quick groundouts left them with two out and nobody on in the ninth. However, Brett Stanley was able to work a walk to keep the game alive and bring Jake Ferguson to the plate.
With his back against the wall down to the final strike, Ferguson crushed a ball to deep left field that carried over the fence for a game-tying two-run homer. It was the redshirt-junior's first round-tripper of the season and extended the contest into extra innings.
Both teams put runners on in 10th, but were unable to push the winning run across.
Nate Marshall then made quick work of the Lions in the top of the 11th to give the Panthers another walk-off opportunity.
In EIU's half of the inning, Jake Ferguson recorded his third hit of the day with a one-out single before a Quade Peters sacrifice bunt put the winning run in scoring position.
After Chris Worcester was intentionally walked, a hard-hit ground ball by Tyler Castro led to an error by the Lindenwood first baseman, allowing Ferguson to come around to score to give Eastern a 5-4 win to open conference play.
It is the first time the Panthers have started 1-0 in OVC play since the 2022 season.
SIUE 12, MOREHEAD STATE 6
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE picked up a 12-6 win over Morehead State Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Roy E. Lee Field. The game was the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both sides.
The Cougars improved to 8-12 overall. Morehead State also is 8-12.
Morehead State built a 4-0 lead over the first three innings before the Cougars mounted a comeback.
SIUE scored three times in the third inning thanks to a catcher's interference call with the bases loaded that forced home run and awarded Joshua Heyder with an RBI. Lane Crowden followed with a two-run single to cut the Morehead State lead to 4-3. Ethan Willoughby's two-out, two-run triple in the fourth gave SIUE a 5-4 lead. They never trailed again.
Bolstered by a three-run home run by Mack Mitchell, the Cougars played six runs in the fifth inning to lead 11-4.
Morehead State scored in the sixth and again in the seventh. The Cougars also added a run in the seventh.
Liam McKillop (2-0) pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing a run on four hits. He walked three and struck out two. Alex Rodriguez also allowed a run over 2 2/3 innings. Duncan McLaughlin finished the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out the side in the ninth inning.
Tim Teixeira started for SIUE and worked 2 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs and stuck out three.
Mitchell paced the Cougars at the plate going 3-4 with the home run and three RBIs. Ethan Willoughby was 2-5 with three RBIs. John Stallcup was 2-5 with an RBI. Crowden was 1-4 with the two RBIs.
Chase Bloomer and Daniel Gierer each had two hits.
MSU starter Trevor Callahan (1-3) allowed nine runs over four innings. He struck out four.
Alex Kean and Andy Cisneros each drove home two for Morehead State.
UT MARTIN 23, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 11
MARTIN, Tenn. - In a season-high 23-run output (most since April 23, 2022 (24) vs. Tennessee Tech), the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team had hits aplenty as it knocked off preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Southeast Missouri 23-11 in Game 1 of the weekend series at Skyhawk Field.
UT Martin (9-12, 1-0 OVC) opened conference play outhitting the Redhawks (12-10, 0-1 OVC) 21-11. Every player in the lineup for the Skyhawks recorded a base hit with Brody Capps (career-high four hits, double, triple, three RBIs), Jordan Hudson (second consecutive game going 3-3 (career-best), three RBIs, one walk), Cameron Greene (career-high five runs scored, solo home run, three hits, three RBIs, two walks), TJ Grines (team-high and career-best six RBIs, two doubles, two walks), Tommy Koch (three runs scored, one RBI, one walk) Blaze Bell (three runs scored, one RBI) and Jonah Katsaboulas (three RBIs, one run scored) peppering the yard with multi-hit games. JT Popick (two RBIs, one run scored), Jalen Fithian (two runs scored, one walk) and Arderrius Townsend (one hit) helped add on to the offensive onslaught.
Drake Bayles started the game for UT Martin going three innings while Zach Wager (2-2, 4.2 innings pitched, one hit, three strikeouts), J. Henry Hobson (one strikeout) and Austin Gast (one inning pitched, no hits, no runs, no walks) came out of the bullpen.
SEMO got on the board first and took an early 1-0 lead before the game was knotted up by a mammoth home run by Cameron Greene to right field. The Redhawk offense then responded and assumed a three run lead going into the bottom of the second inning. A five-run home half gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the day when Koch and Hudson collected run scoring singles in back-to-back fashion. With the bases loaded, Grines brought everyone home by smacking a three-RBI double into center field to bring the score to 6-4.
SEMO’s bats had yet another response as they tied the game up at six apiece in the top of the third. Bell would be there in the bottom half for UT Martin with a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Capps which gave the Orange and Blue a 7-6 advantage.
In the top of the fourth, Wager entered the game and began a strong outing by sitting down the Redhawks 1-2-3 after SEMO got two runners on. The southpaw used a flyout, foul out and ground out to compose back-to-back shutout frames in the fifth. Three infield singles (two bunts) sparked the second five-run inning for the Skyhawks. Hudson brought in Capps on a sacrifice fly which was followed by a Greene RBI single to bring Bell home. Grines doubled once again to center field for two more UT Martin runs and Katsaboulas brought Grines around to score with a single up the middle. The Skyhawks made it a six-hit inning to take a six-run edge heading into the seventh.
Wager made it four consecutive innings without a hit allowed by forcing a flyout, groundout and capping the frame off by fanning his third Redhawk batter. UT Martin put the game out of reach in the bottom part of the inning by just needing three hits to score seven runs. A single by Hudson and wild pitch meant two more were brought in for the Skyhawks, and then Grines drew a bases loaded walk for another RBI. Katsaboulas singled to right field for a run with Capps putting the nail in the coffin by clearing the base paths on a three-run double, bringing the score to 19-6.
SEMO broke through in the eighth for their first runs since the third inning, but that was quickly silenced by four more Orange and Blue runs in the home half. Greene plated another RBI off a single for UT Martin to cross the 20-run plateau, and JT Popick would sear a ball to right field in his first plate appearance of the game that scored two more. Katsaboulas’ sacrifice fly put a bow on the Skyhawks’ performance, making it 23-11 heading to the ninth.
The Cape Girardeau native, Austin Gast came into the ninth and scored a 4-6-3 double play and a flyout to right to finish off a conference opening triumph for UT Martin. Friday’s result marks the largest margin of victory in the series’ history for the Skyhawks (first matchup played in 1993).
TENNESSEE TECH 5, LITTLE ROCK 2
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Brilliant pitching and a timely inning of offense propelled the Tennessee Tech baseball team to a 5-2 victory at Little Rock on Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a big win over the league's defending regular-season champions at Gary Hogan Field.
It took a brief moment for the pitching to get settled for the purple and gold (16-7, 1-0), but once it did, it was all over for the Trojans (9-13, 0-1) and their offense. Little Rock did get to Tech ace Jaxson Pease early, plating a pair of runs in the opening frame.
A double, an RBI base knock, and another single plated the first run and set runners on the corners with two outs for the home team. The Trojans then used a delayed steal, with the runner on first taking off for second, forcing the throw, and then getting in a rundown as the runner from third took off for home and scored before the Golden Eagles recorded the final out of the frame.
From that point on, Pease was spectacular on the bump, tossing five consecutive scoreless frames while scattering three hits and a walk. The junior righty fanned five in that span, taking the Cookeville crew into the top of the seventh with just the two-run deficit.
The Golden Eagle bats rewarded their starter with the decisive inning of the contest, scoring five times to jump on top. Red-hot third baseman Preston Steele sparked the attack, lacing a lead-off double to right-center field before advancing to third on a ground out.
First baseman Carter Vrabel and designated hitter patiently drew back-to-back, five-pitch walks to load the bases against Little Rock's Jackson Wells. Center fielder Jackson Green followed by reaching on a fielder's choice to third base, driving in the first run for the Cookeville crew.
While pinch hitter Landon Smelser took his turn at the dish, Wells was called for a balk during the at-bat, bringing Black home for the tying run. Smelser kept the inning alive by drawing the third free pass of the inning after a full count, passing the torch to the top of the lineup.
Shortstop Owen Lee brought an end to Wells' evening on the mound for the Trojans, watching four of the next five offerings miss their mark for yet another walk to load the bases again. Little Rock went to the bullpen, calling on Malcolm Brown to try and get out of the jam.
Catcher Mack Whitcomb didn't exactly greet Brown with the warmest of welcomes, watching the right-hander's first two pitches miss the zone and essentially daring him to challenge the sophomore backstop. Brown responded with a fastball up on the outer half and Whitcomb answered by smashing it the other way. The slugger belted a laser that clipped off the outstretched glove of a leaping Jayce Blalock in right field, clearing the bases for a trio of RBI and, more importantly, Tech's first lead of the game at 5-2.
Golden Eagle head coach Matt Bragga took his turn putting a call into the bullpen, welcoming sophomore Juan Vargas into the ball game to close things out. The youngster was masterful on his way to claiming his team-leading fourth save of the year, covering three dominant innings to secure the Tech win.
The Panama City, Panama native struck out the side in the seventh, setting the tone right off the bat. He induced a ground out to open the eighth before surrendering his lone hit of the evening, an infield knock to shortstop. Another groundout to second base and his fourth punch-out of the night brought an end to the eighth.
It was 1-2-3 for the Trojans in the ninth, as Vargas fanned the first two hitters of the frame before inducing one final ground out to third to finish things off. The youngster's fourth save of the year also represented Pease's fourth win of the season.
Seven different Golden Eagles combined for the team's eight hits on the night, with Steele leading the way with a 2-for-3 showing with a walk. Lee finished 1-for-2 with three walks and a run scored while Whitcomb paced the run production with his three-run double.