FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Lindenwood 10-4, UT Martin 0-3
Eastern Illinois 19, @Morehead State 5
SIUE 5, @Tennessee Tech 1
Little Rock 2, @Southern Indiana 1
@Southeast Missouri 12-6, Western Illinois 1-5
LINDENWOOD 10-4, UT MARTIN 0-3
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (13-14, 3-2 OVC) picked up a doubleheader sweep on Friday, beating UT Martin (10-16, 2-3 OVC) 10-0, and 4-3 from Lou Brock Sports Complex
It was a complete effort for the Lions in game one as they defeated UT Martin 10-0. Josh Newell was terrific on the mound, tossing a complete game three hitter, while striking out seven. For Newell, it was his first career complete game.
Lindenwood jumped on the Skyhawks early as Sam Grunberg belted a three-run homer, putting the black and gold up 3-0. Mitch Cummins drove in Tyler Thompson later in the inning, extending the lead to 4-0 after one.
That remained the score until the sixth with Newell keeping the Skyhawks off the board. Charlie Isom-McCall singled home Evan Funkhouser and Bryson Arnette moving the score to 6-0.
The Lions broke the game open with three more in the seventh when Cummins drove in hos second and third runs of the day. Lindenwood plated one more on a Kam Edwards single with the lead sitting at 9-0. Jake Radosevich led off the eighth with a homer, as the Lions put up a 10 spot. Newell finished off his first career complete game with a scoreless ninth.
In game two, UT Martin pushed a run across in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The Lions tied the game in the bottom of the third when Kam Edwards walked, stole second and eventually came around to score on a hit from Charlie Isom-McCall.
The Skyhawks regained the lead with a two-out homer in the fourth, going up 2-1. Lindenwood scratched a run across in the sixth when Bryson Arnette drove a ball to right center scoring Jake Radosevich, tying the game 2-2. UT Martin retook the lead in the top of the seventh with a run, 3-2.
Lindenwood put two on in the bottom half of the inning but were unable to tie the game. The Lions threatened again in the eighth and Mitch Cummins came through with a clutch two-out hit as the Lions tied the game 3-3.
In the ninth, the Lions loaded the bases and eventually won the game as Brodie Short was hit by pitch, bringing home Kam Edwards for the winning run, securing the doubleheader sweep 4-3. The bullpen didn't allow an earned run over the final three innings of the game, securing the win for Ethan Smith.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 19, MOREHEAD STATE 5
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The runs came in bunches for the Panthers on Friday, as the Eastern Illinois baseball team (10-13, 3-1 OVC) overpowered Morehead State (8-15, 0-4) by a score of 19-5. After entering the afternoon with 10 home runs on the season, the EIU order exploded for six round-trippers in the first four innings of Friday's contest.
The Panthers' 23 hits were the most in a single game since another 23-hit outing at Jacksonville State on May 17th, 2012. It was the first game with 20 or more hits since the Panthers posted 22 knocks against SIUE on May 20th, 2016.
Eastern's six home runs were the most in a single game since also recording six against Southeast Missouri on March 22nd, 2024.
All six homers were recorded by a different player, including Mike O'Conor, who went 4-5 with a team-high five RBIs.
Jake Ferguson and Chris Worcester matched O'Conor with four hits on the day. It was Ferguson's eighth consecutive game reaching base and Worcester's team-best eleventh multi-hit performance of the season.
Tyler Castro, Zak Goodwin, Cade Zalewski, and Eli Hill also recorded multi-hit outings with two hits apiece.
Tyler Conklin (3-1) got the win after allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts in a 7.0 inning start.
Jake Ferguson got the scoring started with an RBI single in the first that scored Mike O'Conor, who had reached base on a walk before moving into scoring position on a Zak Goodwin base hit.
After Morehead State tied the score with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first, the Panthers responded resoundingly with back-to-back solo shots from Eli Hill and Ethan Rossi before Tyler Castro took one deep later in the inning to make the score 4-1.
The Eagles tried to keep pace with a pair of solo home runs to lead off their next at-bat, but Cade Zalewski answered right back in the third, joining the fun with a two-run homer.
The big fly party continued in the fourth, as a two-run shot off the bat of Mike O'Conor and a solo homer from Zak Goodwin put the Panthers up 9-3.
EIU's biggest inning of the game came in the sixth and didn't feature a long ball, as the Panthers put up a five-spot behind RBIs from Hill, Rossi, Castro, and Goodwin, stretching the lead to 14-3.
The Panthers kept pouring it on in the seventh with Brett Stanley scoring on a wild pitch before an O'Conor single later in the frame plated Chris Worcester, who had initially reached base on his fourth hit of the afternoon.
After giving up three homers in the first two innings, Tyler Conklin settled in and was stifling for the remainder of his outing, limiting the Eagles to just two hits and zero runs through the next five innings.
Following Conklin's exit, MSU added two more solo home runs in the eighth, but it was far too little, too late, as the Panthers cruised to their fourth OVC win, with Hill and O'Conor adding insurance RBIs in the final two innings.
SIUE 5, TENNESSEE TECH 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Freshman right-hander Tim Teixeira tossed six innings of two-hit baseball and Joshua Heyder turned in a three-hit night to lead SIUE baseball to a 5-1 series-opening win at Tennessee Tech Friday.
The Cougars (11-13) are the last unbeaten team in Ohio Valley Conference play, improving to 4-0 in the league. Tennessee Tech (18-9) suffered its first league loss and is 3-1 in the OVC.
The win is the first for SIUE at Tennessee Tech since the 2019 season.
Teixeira (2-1) tied his career high with six innings. He allowed a run on two hits and struck out eight.
The Cougars got on the board in the fourth after Ryan Niedzwiedz doubled to start the inning, he scored on a two-out hit by Joshua Heyder.
After Tennessee Tech tied the game in the fifth thanks to a wild pitch, an RBI double by John Stallcup in the sixth inning scored Lane Crowden to make it 2-1.
Mack Mitchell led off the seventh inning with his sixth home run of the year to extend the lead out to 3-1. Heyder homered as part of a two-run eighth inning. Crowden scored later in the inning on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.
Zach Duenas threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings and Liam McKillop tossed the final 1 1/3 innings, striking out three to earn his first save of the season.
Heyder finished 3-4 with two RBIs to pace the Cougars at the plate. Crowden was 2-4 with a pair of runs scored.
TTU reliever Logan Moller (0-1) suffered the loss. He allowed four earned runs on five SIUE hits in 2 1/3 innings. Jaxson Pease started for the Golden Eagles and allowed a run over five innings.
LITTLE ROCK 2, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Jackson Wells pitched six scoreless innings on more than 100 pitches as Little Rock hung on for a 2-1 win over Southern Indiana Friday night at the USI Baseball Field.
Blake Van Cleve picked up the save for Little Rock but did give up a bloop single RBI in the bottom of the ninth and allowed two runners on base with two outs. However, he shut the door with a strikeout to end the game.
The win was the Trojans' (10-16, 1-3 OVC) first Ohio Valley Conference win of the season. The victory also marked the first of the season for the Trojans' ace Wells, who has pitched well of late but lacked run support.
Friday night, Wells gave up five hits, struck out four and walked two in six innings. He threw 106 pitches in the outing. Van Cleve struck out four in three innings and gave up two hits and walked one.
Little Rock totaled seven hits and stranded 12 runners, but the two manufactured in the fourth inning proved to be the difference. Sammy Harris and Ryan Geck started the inning with back-to-back singles. Ty Rhoades walked to load the bases, but USI pitcher Andres Gonzalez struck out Jayce Blalock.
However, he then hit Alex Seguine hard on the top of the helmet scoring Harris. Then he walked Jackson Rains scoring Geck. Gonzalez got out of the inning, but that pair of runs was all the Trojans needed.
Geck was 2-for-3 with two walks and Harris was 2-for-5. Rains was on base three times with a hit and two walks.
Gonzalez took the loss for USI (10-15, 2-2 OVC). He gave up four hits, struck out four and walked two in four innings of work.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 12-6, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1-5
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (16-11, 3-2 OVC) picked up two victories in Friday's doubleheader over Western Illinois (6-16, 1-4 OVC) in the first Ohio Valley Conference home games of the season. The Redhawks won 12-1 and 6-5 in game one and two, respectively.
Game Two
The Redhawks pounded out 11 hits in the second game of the doubleheader led by Bryce Cannon and Carson Schrack who each finished 2-4 at the plate. The duo drove in three-of-SEMO's-six runs.
The Leathernecks jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the first inning on RHP Sam Heyman (3-3) with an error that led to a run and a ground ball double play that lead to the second run.
Heyman picked up his third win of the season in the outing, pitching 5.0 innings. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and struck out three Leathernecks.
An RBI triple by Ty Stauss in the bottom of the second inning put SEMO on the board. Stauss crushed the ball to right center field to drive in Carson Schrack from first base.
The run scoring inning sparked the biggest inning of the night for the Redhawks in the home third. All four runs of the inning came with two outs beginning with third baseman Caleb Corbin's fourth home run of the season.
Back-to-back singles from Brooks Kettering and Michael Mugan brought up Cole Warehime with two outs. Warehime roped a double down the right field line to score Kettering as the ball jumped over the wall for a ground rule double.
Cannon drove in his two RBIs with one swing as a double to center field brought in Mugan and Warehime to make it 5-2 after the third inning.
Center fielder Caleb Champion executed the squeeze play perfectly in the fourth inning following a one-out triple from Liam Forsyth. Forsyth hit his team-leading third triple of the season to get into scoring position.
LHP Jackson Kranawetter picked up save number four as the Leathernecks fought back before Kranawetter shut the door. He pitched the final 1.1 innings, striking out three Leathernecks in the outing.
The Redhawks throttled the Leathernecks in game one by a final score of 12-1 scoring their 12 runs on 12 hits. Freshman Caleb Champion finished 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Redhawks, as he was one-of-three Redhawks with a multi-hit day.
The Redhawks scored all 12 of their runs in innings four through six, beginning with a six run fourth inning. A five run fifth inning made it 11-1 Redhawks before tacking on the final run of the contest in the sixth inning.
RHP Nathan Mertens (3-1) picked up his third win of the season with a beautiful 7.1 inning outing. He allowed just one run on four hits and struck out just two opposing hitters.
Designated hitter Ty Stauss finished 1-3 at the plate, including his first home run of the season. Stauss' blast was a two-run shot to the right center field gap.
Catcher Shea McGahan and left fielder Michael Mugan each finished with multi-hit and RBI days as the duo combined for four RBIs. McGahan finished 2-3 at the plate and scored three runs on the day.