MONDAY'S SCORES
@Western Illinois 8, Tennessee Tech 1
@SIUE 6, Southeast Missouri 2
@Southern Indiana 6, Morehead State 4
Lindenwood 14-6, @Little Rock 2-13
WESTERN ILLINOIS 8, TENNESSEE TECH 1
MACOMB, ill. - The WIU Baseball team snapped their eight game losing streak on Monday afternoon defeating Tennessee Tech by a score of 8-1 in the finale with the Golden Eagles.
Jorge Romero was lights out on the mound for the Leathernecks, pitching six innings and allowing only one run on six hits while striking out three to pick up the win. Jason Buhl would pick up his first save of the season, pitching three scoreless innings allowing one hit and striking out two.
WIU started the bottom of the first inning with a lead-off double from Liam Bushey, who would come around to score two batters later on an RBI groundout from Tyler Large. The Golden Eagles would tie the game in the top of the fourth inning, but the Leathernecks responded right away like they have done all series long. Krayton Morse started the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle followed by an infield single from Large to put runners on first and second with nobody out. After Morse and Large advanced to second and third on a passed ball, Paul Osting drew a one-out walk to load the bases for Brock Lummus. Lummus would cash in on the bases loaded opportunity by getting an RBI SAC fly to left field to bring in Morse giving the Leathernecks a 2-1 advantage after four innings.
WIU would continue to add on to their lead in the fifth and seventh innings to put the game out of reach and secure the victory. In the bottom of the fifth, Justin Bogard led off the inning with a double to left center. Trevor Leon would then advance Bogard to third on a SAC bunt, and would come around to score on an RBI single from Bushey to extend the lead for the Leathernecks by a score of 3-1.
Western Illinois would then put up five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning behind patient at bats from the offense. Leon led off the seventh with a single to center, followed by back-to-back walks from Bushey and Morse to load the bases with nobody out for Tyler Large. After a balk by the Tennessee Tech pitcher, Leon would score from third to make it a 4-1 ball game. Large would then get walked to load the bases once again, and Liam Bushey would score on a wild pitch making it 5-1 in favor of WIU. The Leathernecks would not be done, as they would score two more on RBI singles from Paul Osting and Kyree Alexander to put the game out of reach.
Liam Bushey and Paul Osting led the way offensively, with Bushey going 2-4 with one RBI and two runs scored, and Osting going 2-3 with a single and a double. As a team, WIU had nine hits and drew 4 walks. Defensively, the Leathernecks turned two double plays and had no errors in the contest.
SIUE 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball took the finale of a three-game series Monday, defeating Southeast Missouri 6-2 at Simmons Baseball Complex.
The Cougars and Redhawks are both 6-3 and tied for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference. SIUE improved to 13-17 overall. SEMO is 19-13.
Gabriel Nutter will make the start for SIUE. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
Monday, the Redhawks got out to an early 1-0 lead just two batters into the game. Leadoff man Brooks Kettering tripled and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Carson Schrack.
SIUE starter Spencer Stearns settled in from there to pitch four innings. He allowed just the run on four hits and struck out six.
The Cougars took the lead and chased SEMO starter Haden Dow (3-3) with three runs on four hits in the fourth inning. Lane Crowden and Daniel Gierer each had RBI singles in the inning. Dow lasted just 3 2/3 innings. He stuck out two.
The Redhawks got a run back in the fifth, and the Cougars answered in the sixth when John Stallcup doubled to bring home Gage Franck.
The Cougars pushed across a pair of insurance runs on four hits in the eighth inning. Mack Mitchell doubled to drive home a run before Ryan Niedzwiedz singled to score another.
Kyle Athmer (1-1) relieved Stearns and tossed 2 2/3 innings to earn the win. He allowed a run and struck out three.
Liam McKillop finished the seventh and started the eighth inning. Tyler Davis finished the eighth and pitched the ninth, striking out four for his third save of the season.
The Cougars outhit the Redhakws 11-6. Niedzwiedz, Franck and Gierer had two hits apiece.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 6, MOREHEAD STATE 4
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana junior rightfielder/leftfielder Patrick McLellan hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to walk off a 6-4 win over Morehead State University Monday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI, which has won a season-best six-straight, is 16-15 overall and 7-2 in the OVC, while MSU goes to 10-19, 1-8 OVC.
USI's six-game winning streak is the longest by the squad since 2021 when the Screaming Eagles won eight straight. The Screaming Eagles also moved in sole possession of first in the OVC by one game after losses by Tennessee Tech University at Western Illinois University and Southeast Missouri State University at Southern Illinois University today.
USI had the early lead, 1-0, after one inning and 3-1 after two frames. Senior centerfielder Khi Holiday scored the first run on a passed ball in the first, while junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens and McLellan drove in a pair of runs in the second with a fielder's choice and a single, respectively.
The score would remain 3-1 until the top of the ninth when Morehead State took the lead 4-3 with a three-run home run off of USI senior right-hander Ian Anderson and set the stage for McLellan in the ninth.
With one out, Holiday singles and moved to third on single by Kitchens. McLellan followed with a towering three-run blast over the left field wall for the Screaming Eagles to walk off with the 6-4 victory. McLellan finished the day two-for-four with a run scored and four RBIs.
On the mound, Anderson (3-0) picked up the victory after throwing the ninth and allowing the three runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out one.
USI junior left-hander Jake Porter started and got a no-decision for the Screaming Eagles. Porter went the first six inning, allowing one run on eight hits and struck out four.
LINDENWOOD 14-6, LITTLE ROCK 2-13
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Lindenwood baseball team (15-16, 5-3 OVC) split a doubleheader with Little Rock (11-19, 2-6 OVC) on Monday in Little Rock, Ark.
The Lions struck for a pair of runs in the first with back-to-back doubles from Filip Sarota and Sam Grunberg that plated a pair, putting Lindenwood up 2-0. Little Rock loaded the bases with no one out in the second, but Josh Newell escaped allowing just one run, keeping the Black and Gold in front, 2-1.
Lindenwood put up a three spot in the third on four hits. Grunberg singled to left with the bases full, scoring Charlie Isom-McCall and Tyler Thompson kept the line moving with a two RBI single to right, bringing home Sarota and Jake Radosevich, putting Lindenwood ahead 5-1.
The Lions broke the game open in the fourth with two more runs after Kam Edwards and Isom-McCall both reached, Radosevich got a run home, followed by an RBI single from Sarota, extending the lead to 7-1.
After an Evan Funkhouser walk brought home another run in the fifth to make the score 8-1, Edwards doubled down the right field line, scoring three more, pushing the score to 11-1 in favor of the Lions. A few batters later, Sarota launched a two-run homer to left center, putting Lindenwood in front 13-1.
In the seventh, Lindenwood plated one more as Edwards eventually came around to score after a leadoff double, growing the lead to 14-1. The Trojans scored a run in the eighth but wouldn't get any closer. Michael Walsh threw the final three innings of the game and Newell picked up the win.
In game two, Little Rock scored seven in the second and one in the third to go up 8-0. Lindenwood chipped away with three in the fourth, coming from an RBI double from Jake Radosevich, scoring Charlie Isom-McCall. Sam Grunberg and Bryson Arnette also had RBI's in the inning, cutting the deficit to 8-3.
Isom-McCall doubled home Edwards in the fifth, making the score 8-4, and another RBI from Sarota brought the Lions within three at 8-5. The Trojans responded with three runs in the bottom half, extending the lead to 11-5. Edwards plated a run with an RBI knock in the sixth, pushing the score to 11-6. Little Rock added two more runs in the bottom half, going up 13-6. The game ended after seven with the Trojans winning by that score.