SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Lindenwood 5, Butler 4
@Northern Kentucky 8,
Eastern Illinois 7 (11)
@Tennessee Tech 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
@Little Rock 6, Belmont 3
@Southeast Missouri 8, Indiana State 6
SIUE 2-4, @Omaha 0-9
Western Illinois 3, @Murray State 1
@UT Martin 10, Samford 6
@South Carolina 1,
Morehead State 0
@Oral Roberts 7,
Southern Indiana 6
LINDENWOOD 5, BUTLER 4
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (8-8) earned a series split with Butler (6-8) after defeating the Bulldogs 5-4 on Sunday afternoon from Lou Brock Sports Complex
Butler used a two-out rally in the first to go up 1-0. Lindenwood tied the game in the bottom of the second after a double by Brodie Short, he eventually scored on a groundout by Evan Funkhouser, knotting the game at one.
After the early scoring, both pitchers settled in with Ethan Smith firing four straight scoreless innings. This allowed Lindenwood to take the lead in the fifth, with three-consecutive hits to start the fifth, Filip Sarota drove in Edwards, putting the Lions up 2-1.
The Lions managed to score three runs in the seventh to get some separation after a big single by Sam Grunberg brought home two, and a sac fly from Short made the score 5-1. Butler battled back with three in the eighth, cutting the deficit to 5-4.
Bennett Stice was able to finish off the game with a clean ninth and pick up the save. The Lions earned a series split with a 5-4 win on Sunday.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 8, EASTERN ILLINOIS 7 (11)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (4-8, 0-0 OVC) dropped another heartbreaker at Northern Kentucky (8-6, 0-0 Horizon) on Sunday afternoon, this time in extra innings by a score of 8-7.
The Eastern offense scored four earned runs on seven hits and three errors. Pierce Bauerle led the way with three hits and two RBI, while Chris Worcester recorded his first home run of the season.
Tyler Kapraun had a solid showing on the mound, going 6.2 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.
EIU took advantage of some NKU miscues in the first inning to secure an early 2-0 lead. After a fielding error allowed EIU to load the bases with two outs, Ethan Rossi was hit by a pitch to bring in Chris Worcester.
In the next at-bat, Luke Melton singled to score Pierce Bauerle, who had reached on a base hit earlier in the frame.
The Norse responded in the second inning with RBI singles from Nolan Sparks and Brennan Rowe to tie the game.
Following a scoreless third, the Panthers surged back ahead with a four-run fourth inning. With one out and the bases loaded, a Worcester 3-1 groundout allowed all runners to advance and break the tie.
Pierce Bauerle extended the lead with a single that plated Brett Stanley and Quade Peters before Sam Wiese tacked on one more with an RBI base hit that scored Bauerle, who had moved into scoring position on an error by the center fielder.
NKU got one back in the fifth before both sides swapped one run each in the sixth inning, with a Chris Worcester solo homer representing Eastern's seventh run.
Both teams moved runners into scoring position in the seventh, but were unable to push anything across, leaving the score 7-4 heading into the eighth inning.
After EIU left two more runners on base with no runs in the top of the eighth, RBI singles from Sparks and Jake Altman brought the Norse to within a run.
Following a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, Miranda tied the game with a lead off homer in the bottom half of the frame.
After the next three NKU batters grounded out, the game headed to extra innings.
Following a scoreless tenth inning, the Panthers loaded the bases with two out in the eleventh, but were unable to score the go-ahead run.
The missed opportunity proved costly, as a Gabe Miranda single in NKU's next at bat drove in the winning run and handed EIU their second walk off loss in as many days.
TENNESSEE TECH 8, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech baseball team built an early lead and held off a late surge from Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday afternoon to claim an 8-6 win and complete the weekend series sweep of the Mastodons at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Both sides tossed up zeroes over the first two innings before the visitors from Fort Wayne jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. The Mastodons (1-13) took advantage of a defensive miscue by the purple and gold, plating two unearned runs with some small ball.
It took until the fourth, but the Golden Eagles (13-4) provided a response to square the game at 2-2. Third baseman Preston Steele laced a one-out double to left-center field and scored later in the frame on an RBI single through the left side off the bat of first baseman Aaron Moffitt.
A couple of batters later, second baseman Jackson Rooker came to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered the game-tying swing. The redshirt freshman slapped a fielder's choice to shortstop, easily beating out the throw from second on a double-play attempt and providing enough time for the run to score.
Tech brought the pressure in the sixth to take the lead for good, with left fielder Landon Smelser drawing a lead-off walk and Moffitt following with a free pass of his own. Right fielder Luke Bragga laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners over before a wild pitch plated Smelser and let Moffit advance to third.
Now equipped with a 3-2 lead, the Cookeville crew really went to work in the seventh, bursting out for four big runs. After catcher Mack Whitcomb was hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count, designated hitter Riley Black attempted to move him over with a sac bunt. The ensuing throw from third base missed its mark and found no man's land in foul territory between first base and right field.
Already running on the play, Whitcomb scored all the way from first base to make it a 4-2 advantage while Black scurried around to third. Center fielder Jackson Green turned in the biggest swing of the day for the Golden Eagles, crushing the second pitch he saw to left field for his first round-tripper of the year and a pair of ribbies.
Steele continued the outburst with another double, this time down the third-base line. Bragga beat out a slow chopper to the Mastodon shortstop for an infield knock to move Steele over to third. Steele then scored after the throw from short came up short and the first baseman couldn't make the scoop.
Purdue Fort Wayne scored twice in the eighth, but the purple and gold responded immediately in the bottom half with a run of its own. Loading the bases behind a base knock and two walks, Tech brought Smelser back to the dish to deliver an RBI free pass.
The Mastodons let loose its final salvo in the top of the ninth, scoring two quick runs on an infield single and a two-run home run to left-center field. Drew Mattox took over on the mound and instantly picked up a strikeout for out number one.
The visitors bounced back with back-to-back singles to right field, once again putting the pressure on the home squad. Southpaw Micah Summar came on from the pen for a lefty-lefty match-up at the dish and the freshman looked like a veteran, needing just five pitches to punch out the 6-foor-9 first baseman for the Mastodons.
Tech head coach Matt Bragga went back to his stable one last time to play the match-ups again, this time turning to right-hander Logan Moller. The rookie also came up clutch, bouncing back from a 3-0 count to strike out the final batter of the ball game and earn his first career save.
After tossing 1.1 innings out of the bullpen, fellow freshman hurler Jaxon Pridgen earned his first win of the year. Junior Patrick Johnson tossed 2.0 innings of scoreless ball while starter Carter Casabella completed the first 3.2 frames with just two, unearned runs allowed and two punch-outs.
Leading the offense with three hits and two runs was Steele. Smelser drew three walks and scored twice while Green turned in two hits and two RBI.
LITTLE ROCK 6, BELMONT 3
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A four-run fourth inning and a sparkling pitching performance from Jack Cline helped Little Rock to a 6-3-win Sunday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field. The win snapped a six-game losing skid.
Cline gave up six hits, walked three and struck out five in six innings while picking up the win. The Joe T. Robinson alum gave up three earned runs in the seventh inning and was replaced by Hunter Royal, who got out of the jam and pitched two innings striking out five. Preston Davis notched the save pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
After Ryan Geck singled in Reed Wilbanks in the third inning, the Trojans (6-9) were looking for more in the fourth. Alex Seguine walked with one out and Ty Rhoades followed with another walk. Kade Goeke bunted for a hit loading the bases. Willbanks then hit a shallow fly ball to right field that was caught, and Seguine tagged up.
The throw beat him to home plate, but he did his best avoid Belmont catcher Mike Sprockett, who fell on to the plate as Seguine lunged to touch it after whirling to avoid Sprockett the first time. The umpire called Seguine out which would have ended the inning. However, after a video review, the call was overturned, and Little Rock led 2-0.
Then, Cooper Chaplain promptly doubled, driving home Goeke, who was 2-for-3, and Rhoades.
The Trojans capped their scoring in the sixth inning when Willbanks' single plated Rhoades and Seguine.
The Bears threatened in the seventh when Cline gave up two hits and walked one loading the bases. Three runs scored, but Royal got out of the inning without yielding any more runs thanks to three strikeouts, including fanning the first batter he faced.
Belmont(4-12) couldn't put anything together the final two innings accumulating just two hits combined. The Trojans banged out 12 hits. Wilbanks was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI. Seguine collected two hits and scored three runs.
Cline helped himself with a big defensive play that ended a Belmont threat in the fourth when he fielded a comebacker and threw home for the second out and catcher Cade Martin fired to Angel Cano at first to complete the double play.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, INDIANA STATE 6
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (8-7) picked up the series finale win versus Indiana State (7-9) on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 8-6 from Capaha Field. LHP Haden Dow (3-1) picked up his third victory of the season to split the series with the Sycamores, 2-2.
Dow pitched 6.0 innings, allowed just four runs on four hits while striking out six Sycamores in the Sunday start.
The Redhawks offense had a big day recording 11 hits on the day led by right fielder Cole Warehime. Warehime finished the day going 3-4 at the dish with his third home run of the season, four RBIs, and two runs scored.
Left fielder Ty Stauss finished his day with three hits as well. Stauss went 3-5 at the plate with an RBI and came around to score.
SEMO jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the second inning with a five-run inning in the second. Warehime drove in the first run of the ball game with an RBI single to left field to plate Bryce Cannon.
Stauss came to the plate, batting sixth, after Warehime and roped a double to left field that allowed Warehime to come all the way around to score from first base. After two straight outs, back-to-back walks loaded the bases for the Redhawks.
A wild pitch allowed Stauss to score from third before a big two-out, two-RBI single from designated hitter Demitri Shakotko. Shakotko rolled a single back up the middle to make it 5-0 Redhawks after the second.
ISU would respond in the third inning with a two-run frame after a leadoff hit-by-pitch and a double down the right field line by Carter Beck made it 5-1 Redhawks.
A throwing error allowed an unearned run to come across to make it 5-2 Redhawks after the third inning. An RBI single to left field in the fourth inning added another run to the board for ISU to make it 5-3 SEMO after four.
The Redhawks added two huge runs in the fifth inning off one swing from Cole Warehime. Warehime blasted his third homer of the season to left field to make it 7-3 Redhawks.
ISU would score a single run in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to make it 7-6 heading to the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Redhawks would add a crucial insurance run in the eighth inning off an error from Indiana State's second baseman, Jackson Taylor. The ball bounced off his glove to allow pinch-runner Caleb Champion to score from second.
LHP Jackson Kranawetter picked up his second save of the season, in his second-straight appearance, to hold off Indiana State to pick up the 8-6 victory.
SIUE 2-4, OMAHA 0-9
OMAHA, Neb. - SIUE baseball split a doubleheader with Omaha Sunday at Tal Anderson Field. SIUE won a pitching duel 2-0 in game one before Omaha salvaged the final game, winning 9-4.
The Cougars won two of three to win the weekend series with the Mavericks. Both SIUE and Omaha are now 4-10.
Three pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout in game one. Spencer Stearns (1-2) started and worked the first five innings. He allowed just a single hit, and he struck out four. Alex Rodriguez allowed a hit and fanned six in three relief innings. Tyler Davis earned his first save, striking out two in the ninth inning.
Chase Bloomer and Ryan Niedzwiedz had the only RBIs for the Cougars. They each finished with a hit. Mack Mitchell and Kyle Ratliff each added a hit in the win.
In the second game, SIUE scored a run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Gierer to take a1-0 lead.
Omaha plated a run in the fourth to tie the score before scoring six times on five hits in the fifth inning to pull away from the Cougars.
SIUE got three back in the sixth. Lane Crowden drove home Ethan Willoughby with a double and Sean Kang added a two-run double in the inning.
The Mavericks scored twice more in the seventh for the 9-4 final.
Crowden finished 2-4 with a run and the RBI to lead the Cougars.
SIX SIUE pitchers worked in the game. Kieran Bailey (0-1) took the loss. He allowed three runs two hits in just 1/3 of an inning.
Tyler Bishop was 3-5 with a run scored for Omaha. Sam Beck was 2-4 with two RBIs.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 3, MURRAY STATE 1
MURRAY, Ky. - The Western Illinois Leatherneck Baseball team picked up their second straight series win this season, defeating Murray State 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. With the series win, the Leathernecks have won back-to-back three game road series for the first time since 2019 when they took two out of three at Oral Roberts on May 4-5 and two out of three on May 16-18 at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Redshirt Senior Frederick Romano (1-0) led the way for the Leathernecks, delivering six strong innings while allowing just one run on four hits. He struck out four and walked two, keeping Murray State's offense in check. Karsten Stotlar took over in the seventh and was lights out, earning his second straight save on the season with three scoreless innings. Stotlar allowed just one hit while striking out one to slam the door on the Racers.
The Leathernecks found timely hits when they needed them most, plating single runs in the third, seventh, and ninth innings. Wandel Campana would get the offense going in the third, getting a one-out single to center field. Krayton Morse would walk followed by Liam Bushey getting hit by a pitch to load the bases for Tyler Large. Large would get walked to give WIU the early 1-0 lead.
After Murray State tied the game at one a piece in the sixth inning, Trevor Leon provided a key RBI double in the seventh, giving WIU the lead at 2-1, scoring Justin Bogard. Paul Osting added an insurance run in the ninth with an RBI single, sealing the victory for the Leathernecks.
UT MARTIN 10, SAMFORD 6
MARTIN, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.
SOUTH CAROLINA 1, MOREHEAD STATE 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. - After combining for 45 runs in the first two games of the series, the Morehead State and South Carolina bats cooled off Sunday with the cooling of the temperature in Columbia, S.C., as the Eagles lost to the Gamecocks 1-0 at Founders Park.
Morehead State (6-8) got a strong outing from starter Bradey Poynter (2-1) who took his first loss of the season. The sophomore from Richmond, Ky., scattered four hits in seven innings of work, allowing one run. He struck out two Gamecocks and walked two USC batters.
South Carolina (14-3) pitchers combined for nine strikeouts and allowed just four Morehead State hits. Junior Jackson Soucie (1-0) picked up the win, throwing two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two MSU batters. Junior Brendan Sweeney posted his fourth save of the season.The Gamecocks broke through in the fifth inning, when USC first baseman Beau Hollins walked to lead off the inning and was driven home by center fielder Nathan Hall's two-out single to right.
The Eagles threatened in the fourth inning, getting bases loaded with no outs, but a pop-foul to first and a ground-ball double play ended the menace.
MSU made noise again in the seventh inning. First baseman Alex Kean led off with a walk, and shortstop Andy Cisneros legged out a sacrifice bunt up the third base line. South Carolina pitcher Tyler Pitzer was able to wriggle out of the jam, sandwiching two strike outs around a sacrifice bunt to get out of the inning unscathed.
The Eagles again challenged in the ninth: Cisneros rapped a one-out single up the middle and stole second. Second baseman Aubrey Kearns drew a walk to put runners on first and second, but Sweeney was able to get a strike out and a pop foul to close out the game.
ORAL ROBERTS 7, SOUTHERN INDIANA 6
TULSA, Okla. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball led early, fell behind, and rallied, but fell short of Oral Roberts University, 7-6, Sunday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. USI is 6-8 overall in 2025, while ORU goes 9-4 this year.
USI jumped out in front in the top of the first, 2-0, on a two-run single by junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens. Junior third baseman Patrick McLellan reached on an error to lead off the game and senior centerfielder Khi Holiday singled before moving into scoring position for Kitchens on a ground out by sophomore second baseman Parker Martin.
The Golden Eagles would fly into the lead with six unanswered runs, scoring twice in each of the first three frames to lead 6-2.
The Screaming Eagles would stop the bleeding in the top of the fifth with a pair of runs. Martin cut the deficit to 6-3 by scoring on a wild pitch, while Kitchens crossed the plate for a 6-4 score on a RBI ground out by junior first baseman Kannon Coakley. The Golden Eagles would manage a tally in the bottom of the fifth to re-extend the margin to three, 7-4.
USI cut the deficit to one, 7-6, with a tally in the seventh and the eighth innings. Martin scored USI's sixth when sophomore rightfielder Evan Zapp hit into a first and third double-play in the seventh, while sophomore pinch hitter Cameron Boyd hit his second home run of the season to close the gap to 7-6.
The Screaming Eagles would not challenge in the ninth, going down in order for the 7-6 final score. Kitchens led the Eagles at the plate by going four-for-five with two RBIs and a run scored and finished the series eight-of-11 at the plate.
On the mound, senior right-hander Hiroyuki Yamada took the loss for the Eagles. Yamada (0-2) went three innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and striking out five.