FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 6, Tennessee Tech 1
@UT Martin 4, Morehead State 1
@Little Rock 11, Western Illinois 7
Lindenwood 10, @Southeast Missouri 4
Southern Indiana 13-5, @SIUE 11-11
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, TENNESSEE TECH 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (19-17, 9-5 OVC) defeated Tennessee Tech (24-16, 9-6 OVC) by a score of 6-1 on Friday afternoon to complete the series sweep. It was the Panthers' first sweep of the season.
The win moves EIU's all time record against TTU to 46-45, and it is the first time the Panthers have swept the Golden Eagles since 2019.
All six of EIU's runs were earned as they out-hit TTU nine to six. Chris Worcester and Jake Ferguson led the Eastern offense with two hits apiece, with Ferguson also posting a team-leading two RBIs. A total of seven Panthers recorded hits in the contest.
It was a masterful pitching performance from EIU starter Tyler Kapraun, who picked up his third win of the season after allowing just one run on three hits with five strikeouts through six complete innings.
After neither team could generate much offense in the first two innings, Eastern broke into the scoring column with three two-out runs in the third.
Chris Worcester got things started with a one-out single to right center before moving to second on a Tyler Castro groundout. After Worcester moved up 90 more feet on a wild pitch, Mike O'Conor was walked to put runners at the corners.
With two outs and two on, Joey Hagen picked up where he left on Thursday with a double to right center that scored both runners. Brett Stanley then tacked on another run with an RBI base hit to put the Panthers up 3-0.
Eastern extended their lead in the fourth with a Quade Peters RBI single, and after Tyler Kapraun threw his fifth scoreless inning of the game, the Panthers added two more runs with a Ferguson bases loaded double to open up a commanding 6-0 edge.
Kapraun's first and only real test of the game came in the sixth, when after two quick outs to start the inning, four consecutive Tech batters reached base, four of them on walks. However, after Eddie Garza earned a free pass to drive in TTU's first run of the game, Kapraun punched out the next batter with a swinging strikeout to escape the jam with minimal damage.
The Golden Eagles loaded the bases again with two outs in the seventh, but EIU pitching again answered the call, with Eli Cartwright taking charge to get the last out of the inning without allowing a run.
The game's last two innings were mostly uneventful, with both teams combining for just two hits and no runs as Nate Marshall salted away the game on the mound to complete the massive three-game sweep.
UT MARTIN 4, MOREHEAD STATE 1
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team evened up its Ohio Valley Conference series with Morehead State with a 4-1 triumph.
Jalen Fithian (home run) and JT Popick (double, two RBIs) tallied multi-hit games while Arderrius Townsend hit his team-leading eighth long ball of the year. Garner Anderson (one walk), Brody Capps (one walk, run scored), Jordan Hudson and Cameron Greene (one walk) were able to reach base in Friday’s contest.
Zach Wager (4-5) had his best start of the season going 6.2 innings (season-best) with five strikeouts (season-high) and only one run allowed. Jeb Bartle nabbed the save after 2.1 innings pitched and three strikeouts while not allowing a hit or run.
In the first, Wager worked around a one-out double with a ground out, punchout and outfield assist from Hudson to stop the runner attempting to score from second. Fithian led off the home half in a big way from a solo shot to left field to get the Skyhawks (14-23, 5-8 OVC) the early lead.
1-2-3 is how the Eagles (12-24, 2-12 OVC) fell in the top of the second after Wager forced a strikeout, flyout and groundout. It was more of the same in the third for Wager, sitting down Morehead State in order and keeping its potent offense off the scoreboard. A two-out triple brought the tying run 90 feet away, but he would be stranded when Wager induced a flyball to foul ground that was caught by Jonah Katsaboulas for the third out of the fourth.
A lead-off single would be all the baserunners the Eagles could conjure up in the fifth after they fell to two flyouts in a row and ended the inning on Wager’s fourth strikeout of the game. Morehead State got on the board in the sixth by way of a solo jack to right field, but then Townsend answered for UT Martin on a two-out towering shot over the left field wall to get the lead back for the home team.
Wager retired the first two batters of the seventh before Bartle came in to close out the inning with his first strikeout of the game. The Skyhawks ended a hitless eighth inning on Koch’s 15th runner caught stealing of the season to bring the game to the bottom part of the frame looking for insurance runs.
Bases were loaded with one down and Popick delivered a two-run double to the gap in right center that scored Capps and Townsend and upped the UT Martin advantage to three. Bartle earned his team-best third save in 1-2-3 fashion in the ninth after a strikeout, infield popup and groundout to first to help force the rubber match for Saturday.
LITTLE ROCK 11, WESTERN ILLINOIS 7
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The bats stayed hot for Little Rock in Friday's second game of a three-game conference tilt with Western Illinois, finishing with 17 hits – including four home runs and four doubles – and 11 runs in an 11-7 win over the Leathernecks at Gary Hogan Field that pushed the Trojans' win streak to eight games – the longest by the program in the past 35 years.
Jayce Blalock went yard twice, driving in five runs, Ty Rhoades homered for one of his four hits, and Cooper Chaplain smoked a ball to dead center during the Little Rock hit barrage, helping the Trojans (18-19, 7-6 OVC) overcome an early 4-0 deficit. Alex Seguine, Angel Cano, and Reed Willbanks each added a pair of hits for good measure.
Zach Busick earned the win in relief, throwing 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and just two hits, and Hunter Royal picked up his second save in as many days with two innings of work allowing just one hit, one run and striking out one. Jack Cline started for the Trojans but gave up four runs – three earned – and eight hits over the first three frames.
Western Illinois (10-24, 4-10) started fast, pinning a run on the board in each of the first two innings, then hitting home runs on consecutive pitches in the third for a 4-0 lead. Little Rock erased it in the fourth with a five-run frame that included an RBI double by Cade Martin, a two-run single from Cano, and finally a two-run blast to left center by Blalock.
The Trojans added to their lead in the fifth on Chaplain's RBI single, then made it 9-6 in the seventh when Blalock went to dead center for a three-run shot, his second homer of the day. After WIU got within three, Rhoades and Chaplain hit back-to-back homers to make it 11-6. The Leathernecks added the final run in the ninth, but fell well short of threatening.
LINDENWOOD 10, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (18-20, 7-6 OVC) powered its way past SEMO (22-17, 9-5 OVC), 10-4 on Friday night in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
The first three Lindenwood hitters reached base, including a pair of hits from Kam Edwards and Jake Radosevich. Edwards eventually came around to score on a sac fly from Sam Grunberg, putting the Lions up 1-0.
The Lions put the first two runners on base to begin the second and plated one later in the inning, going up 2-0. SEMO cut the deficit in half to 2-1 with a run in the bottom half. The Black and Gold broke the game open with a pair of three-run homers in the fourth. First, Mitch Cummins to right center and later in the inning, Grunberg left the yard, making the score 8-1. The Redhawks hit a solo homer in the bottom half, closing the gap to 8-2.
Charlie Isom-McCall joined the home run parade with a solo shot to left in the fifth and Jake Radosevich hit one in the sixth, putting the Lions up 10-3. Lindenwood went on to even the series and earned a 10-4 win. Josh Newell secured his conference leading seventh victory and Easton Rakers picked up the save.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 13-5, SIUE 11-11
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball split a doubleheader with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday at Roy E. Lee Field. The Screaming Eagles took the opening game, 13-11, but dropped the nightcap, 11-5.
USI is 17-22 overall and 8-7 in the OVC, while SIUE is 17-21, 10-5 OVC.
USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens hit three home runs and had seven RBIs, and junior leftfielder Patrick McLellan made a game-saving catch in the ninth to get the Eagles a 13-11 game in the opener. The victory snapped USI's six-game losing streak that followed six-straight wins.
In a battle of the long ball that featured a combined eight home runs and 26 hits, USI and SIUE changed leads four times before Kitchens put USI into the lead for the final time. The junior designed hitter finished the opening game with a three-for-four performance, three runs scored, three home runs, and seven RBIs. Kitchens also finished game one by increasing his team-high home run total to nine.
USI pounded out 12 hits in the victory with junior catcher Micajah Wall tying Kitchens for the team lead in hits with three, while senior center Khi Holiday hit USI's fourth home run of the contest.
On the mound, freshman right-hander Marshall Loch posted his first win of the season in relief. Loch (1-2) threw 1.1 innings, allowing one run on one hit and striking out one.
Senior right-hander Ian Anderson picked up his second save of the season by throwing the final two innings. Anderson blanked the Cougars on one hit and struck out three.
Junior right-hander Blake Kimball started and received a no-decision. Kimball allowed nine runs on 10 hits, while striking out three in four-plus frames of work.
USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens hit his fourth home run in a nightcap losing cause to SIUE, 11-5, in the nightcap.
The Eagles, for the third-straight game, jumped out in front with a tally in the first. The Cougars bounce back to sprint out in front, 4-1, with a four-spot third.
After SIUE increased the lead to 6-1, USI would claw back to within three runs in the fifth (6-3) and seventh (8-5). The fourth and fifth runs came on Kitchens' two-run shot in the seventh.
Kitchens finished the day six-for-nine with four runs scored, nine RBIs, and four home runs.
On the bump, junior left-hander Jake Porter started and took the loss. Porter (2-3) allowed six runs on seven hits, while striking out three.