SUNDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 10, @Western Illinois 5
Southeast Missouri 5, @SIUE 3
@Southern Indiana 9-14, Morehead State 5-6
TENNESSEE TECH 10, WESTERN ILLINOIS 5
MACOMB, ill. - Another solid day at the plate and timely pitching led the Tennessee Tech baseball team to its second Ohio Valley Conference series win of the year, as the Golden Eagles topped Western Illinois at Alfred D. Boyer Baseball Stadium on Sunday, 10-5.
Capturing its 12th straight win over the Leathernecks (6-20, 1-7), Tech (21-11, 6-2) also recorded double figures in both the hits and runs column for the fourth time in the past five games. Unlike Saturday's contest, when the visiting purple and gold took an early lead and never looked back on its way to a 14-2 win, Sunday's affair required a couple of comebacks.
In the second inning, the Golden Eagles plated the first run of the ball game, leading things off with a base hit up the middle by designated hitter Ryan Lee. Delivering a two-out rally, second baseman Eddie Garza kept the frame alive with a single of his own up the middle before left fielder Jackson Green plated Lee with an RBI single through the left side.
The Leathernecks answered back in the bottom half, scoring twice on a double down the left-field line to take their first lead of the series. Tech responded to tie the game in the third as third baseman Preston Steele ripped a lead-off double down the left-field line to set up right fielder Jorsixt Jimenez for an RBI knock up the middle.
Western Illinois moved back in front in the bottom of the third, taking a 3-2 advantage with a double down the right-field line. The Leathernecks doubled their lead in the fourth, picking up a single, stealing second, and scoring on an ensuing base hit. WIU went on to load the bases with one out, but Tech's Jack Brafa escaped the jam behind a strikeout and ground out.
The Cookeville crew wasted little time in resetting the scoreboard, scoring twice in the top of the fifth with a relentless attack. Steele led off the frame with a walk before catcher Mack Whitcomb was plunked by the third pitch he saw in the at-bat.
A pitching change provided little relief for the home team, as a walk to Jimenez loaded the bags before Ryan Lee sent a sacrifice fly ball to left field. After a wild pitch allowed Tech's runners to move up a base, shortstop Owen Lee tied the ball game with an RBI fielder's choice.
Following a scoreless sixth, Tech took control of the ball game for good in the seventh, with Whitcomb getting hit for a second time to lead things off. Jimenez singled through the right side to put a pair on, and pinch-hitter Jackson Rooker followed by laying down a sac bunt to move the runners over.
The play did so much more, as a throwing error allowed Rooker to reach safely and Whitcomb to score the go-ahead, unearned run from second base. Owen Lee made it a 6-4 Tech lead with a sac fly to left field.
With one final rally attempt in their system, the Leathernecks mounted a counterattack in the bottom of the seventh. A one-out error by the Cookeville crew provided a baserunner for WIU before a pair of wild pitches advanced him to third base.
A two-out base knock to center field pulled the home team within a run, but that would be it as Tech closer Juan Vargas escaped the inning without further damage. He worked a scoreless eighth for the Golden Eagles before his offense rewarded his efforts with a big ninth inning.
Whitcomb and Jimenez produced back-to-back hits to lead off the inning before Rooker drove in the team's first run with an RBI single to center field. First baseman Carter Vrabel reached on a fielder's choice to plate another Tech marker and move the lead to 8-5.
Green beat out an infield hit to first base to drive in the third run of the frame before center fielder Nicho Jordan upped the ante to 10 runs with a sac fly to right field. The new five-run lead was plenty to give Vargas some breathing room, as the right-hander struck out the first two batters of the frame. He finished off the final out with a fly ball to left field, securing his team-leading sixth save of the season.
Vargas covered the final 2.2 innings of the contest for the visiting purple and gold, scattering one hit and three walks while striking out four Leatherneck batters. Brafa earned his team-best sixth win of the season, moving to 6-2 overall, after providing 3.0 frames of work out of the bullpen with just a single unearned run allowed.
Jimenez led the offense with a 3-for-4 day, one walk, one RBI, and one run scored. Green and Steele each produced multiple hits, with Green driving in a pair and Steele scoring twice. Seven different Golden Eagles tallied at least one hit on the day.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5, SIUE 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (19-12, 6-2 OVC) remained in first place after Sunday afternoon with a 5-3 victory over SIUE (12-17, 5-3 OVC) from Simmons Baseball Complex in game two of the series.
LHP Jackson Kranawetter picked up his team-leading fifth save of the season coming in for the final two outs of the ball game. Kranawetter punched out the only two Cougars he faced, after SIUE had two runs across in the inning, to seal the sixth-straight Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season.
The Redhawks pitching staff was brilliant all day beginning with a quality start from Sam Heyman. Heyman allowed just one run on two hits while striking out three Cougars. Gavin Johnston (1-0) picked up his first win of the season pitching the fifth inning. He punched out all three hitters he faced in 1.0 innings of work to keep SIUE off the board.
LHP Cade Perkins, RHP Anthony Klein, RHP Brian Strange, and Kranawetter pitched the final innings allowing just two runs and recorded seven-of-12 strikeouts on the day for the Redhawks.
SEMO jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI sacrifice fly from Shea McGahan. Cannon led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, and a one-out Ty Stauss double to right field got the Redhawks on second & third with one out. McGahan flied to right field to score Cannon from third base.
A wild pitch allowed Ty Stauss to come across from third base to take a 2-0 lead all the way into the fourth inning.
An RBI single up the middle from SIUE's Ryan Niedzwiedz was the only run the Cougars could muster in the game's first eight innings as the only run allowed from Heyman made it 2-1 SEMO after the fourth.
An RBI single to right field from Bryce Cannon, extending his hitting streak to eight games, scored Brooks Kettering to make it 3-1.
A perfectly executed squeeze play by Cole Warehime the very next pitch after Cannon's at-bat, allowed Michael Mugan to score after moving to third on Cannon's single to make it 4-1 SEMO after the fifth inning.
An RBI groundout by Caleb Corbin in the sixth would make it 5-1 SEMO, the Redhawks fifth and final run of the game.
SIUE would plate two in the ninth, but Kranwetter was untouchable as he picked up his fifth save to take the game 5-3 Redhawks.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 9-14, MOREHEAD STATE 5-6
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball swept a doubleheader from Morehead State University, 9-5 and 14-6, Sunday afternoon at German American Bank Park at Charles Braun Stadium in Evansville. USI is 15-15 overall and 6-2 in the OVC, while MSU goes to 10-18, 1-7 OVC.
USI rallied from a 5-0 deficit, scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth, to win the opening game, 9-5.
The MSU Eagles built a 5-0 lead after five and a half frames, scoring three in the third and single tallies in the fifth and sixth. Morehead State also had USI's bats stymied and without a hit until the bottom of the sixth.
USI started their comeback in the sixth by scoring three times to cut the deficit to 5-3. The three-run rally was highlighted by a two single by junior third baseman/leftfielder Patrick McLellan.
The score would remain 5-3 until the bottom of the eighth when USI exploded for six runs to take a 9-5 advantage. The six-run rally was punctuated by an RBI triple by McLennan to tie the score, 5-5; an RBI double by junior first baseman Kannon Coakley for a 6-5 lead; and a three-run home run by sophomore second baseman/third baseman Parker Martin to seal the 9-5 win. The home run was Martin's first of the season.
McLellan and Martin led the way for USI with three RBIs each, while Martin also had a team-high two hits in the win. USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens saw his 17-game hitting streak end, going hitless in four at-bats.
USI graduate left-hander Camden Dimidjian picked up the victory in relief. Dimidjian (1-1) got his first win as a Screaming Eagle by going three innings and allowing one run on two hits. He also struck out two in the three innings.
USI senior right-hander Ian Anderson picked up his first USI save by striking out the side in the ninth after entering with the bases loaded and no one out.
USI junior right-hander Blake Kimball threw seven strong innings and sophomore third baseman Parker Martin drove in five RBIs to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 14-6 win in the nightcap.
The Screaming Eagles opened the nightcap with a 1-0 lead when junior shortstop Clayton Slack scored on a groundout by junior leftfielder Patrick McLellan. The lead would only hold until the top of the second when Morehead State took the lead for the first time, 2-1.
USI bounced back to tie the score in the third on an RBI ground out by junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens. Morehead State responded right back with a tally in the top of the fourth to regain the lead, 3-2, and would hold the margin until the bottom of the fifth when the Screaming Eagles exploded for six runs on six hits to lead 8-3. Martin led the offensive explosion with a two-run double.
The Screaming Eagles added two more runs in the seventh and sealed the victory with four more in the eighth. Martin, once again, led the offensive punch with a two-run blast in the seventh and an RBI walk in the eighth.
Martin was three-for-seven in the doubleheader with two runs scored and eight RBIs.
Kimball (4-3) was dominant in seven innings of work, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. He also tied a season-high with five strikeouts.
USI senior right-hander Hiroyuki Yamada and freshman right-hander Colin Wolfe finished the game on the mound for the Screaming Eagles. Yamada threw a third of an inning, allowing three runs, while Wolfe threw 1.2 scoreless innings.