THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 13, Western Illinois 8
@Morehead State 5, Tennessee Tech 4
@Lindenwood 9, Southern Indiana 4
SIUE 5, @UT Martin 4
@Southeast Missouri 19, Little Rock 0
EASTERN ILLINOIS 13, WESTERN ILLINOIS 8
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois baseball team (27-20, 15-7 OVC) opened their season finale series against Western Illinois (18-30, 9-16 OVC) with a 13-8 victory on Thursday afternoon. The Panthers led by as many as 10 runs in the game before a big eighth inning from the Leathernecks tightened things up late.
Eastern built their lead largely thanks to an outstanding performance from starting pitcher Tyler Kapraun, who held Western scoreless through the game's first seven innings. Against his former club, Kapraun (6-4) allowed just two hits with three strikeouts on the way to picking up his team-high sixth win of the season.
Offensively, EIU totaled 17 hits compared to just five for WIU. Seven Panthers recorded multiple hits, led by Brett Stanley who went 3-5 with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Meanwhile, Chris Worcester went 2-4 with a pair of RBIs for his 20th multi-hit game and ninth multi-RBI game of the season.
After a scoreless first inning, EIU got the scoring started by hanging up a crooked number in the bottom of the second. Following a Joey Hagen leadoff single, Ethan Rossi recorded his team-leading 13th sacrifice bunt to put a runner in scoring position.
After Chris Worcester was walked, Jake Ottensmeier scored Hagen with a double to left field to put EIU in front before Peyton Wilson cleared the bases with a triple to right center that pushed the lead to 3-0. With a man on third and just one away, Tyler Castro drove in the inning's final run with a sacrifice fly.
The score remained 4-0 until the bottom of the fifth, when a Zak Goodwin fielder's choice plated Brett Stanley, who had previously singled and stolen second before advancing to third on a balk.
Goodwin moved to second on the play thanks to a throwing error by the Western second baseman, and after advancing to third on a fly ball, came home to score on a Joey Hagen single to left field.
Following Kapraun's third 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth, the Panthers put up another four-spot to stretch the lead to 10-0. The frame included a Chris Worcester leadoff home run that was blasted over the scoreboard in left field, as well as RBI singles from Zak Goodwin, Mike O'Conor, and James Love.
Kapraun worked through another scoreless inning in the eighth, but after he exited the game, the Leathernecks exploded for eight runs in the eighth to cut their deficit to just two. WIU only recorded three hits in the frame, but one of those was a loud one, with Kyree Alexander homering to left center with the bases loaded for a grand slam.
With the game suddenly hanging in the balance, Eastern got some much-needed insurance with three unearned runs on the bottom of the eighth. With runners on the corners with two outs, a fielding error by the WIU shortstop allowed Brett Stanley to score.
Chris Worcester made Western pay further with an RBI single that scored Ethan Rossi before Jake Ottensmeier capped off the EIU response with his second RBI hit of the afternoon.
Now leading 13-8, Dalton Boruff was inserted into the game and retired the Western side in order to secure the win.
MOREHEAD STATE 5, TENNESSEE TECH 4
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State pounded out 11 hits, and got gutsy pitching performances as the Eagles edged Tennessee Tech 5-4 Thursday night at Allen Field at Prefontaine Park in Morehead, Ky.
Morehead State (14-37/ 4-21 OVC) had their bullpen scatter four hits, allowing only run through the final 4.2 innings for the victory. Will Grimmett (4-6) picked up the win, throwing three innings, allowing one run on three hits. He walked one Tech batter and struck out two.
Tennessee Tech (35-19/ 16-9 OVC) got an early run on catcher Mack Whitcomb's 14th home run of the season, a drive over the screen in center field.
MSU responded in the second; left fielder Davis Germann led off with a triple off the screen in center and scored on designated hitter Eli Kirkendoll's single through the right side.
The Eagles got two more runs in the third inning. Alex Kean and Dutton singled. After third baseman Griffin Olson induced a two-out walk to load the bases, Kirkendoll again came up big with a double down the left field line to score Kean and Dutton to give MSU a 3-1 lead.
Tech went back on top in the fifth inning. Morehead State starter Landon Waugh opened the inning issuing back-to-back walks. After a bouncer to first for an out, Waugh was replaced by Will Grimmett out of the bullpen.
Whitcomb delivered for the Golden Eagles with a two-run triple in the right field corner to tie the game. He scored on an infield ground out to give Tech a 4-3 lead. Grimmett was able to get out of the inning with a strikeout.
Waugh threw 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and giving up three runs (all earned). He walked three and struck out four in his second start of the season.
Morehead State catcher Hunter Thomas tied the game in the sixth inning with his OVC-leading 19th home run of the season, a 390-foot blast over the big blue wall in right center.
The Eagles took the lead in the seventh. Kean walked to lead off the inning, and JJ Dutton was hit by a pitch. Germann hit a double high off the wall in right center scoring Kean and putting MSU ahead 5-4.
Tech threatened in the eighth. Center fielder Jackson Green reached on an error and second baseman Eddie Garza singled to center to put runners at first and second. A sacrifice bunt runners on second and third with one out.
Grimmett was replaced by Trevor Callahan out of the bullpen. With the infield pulled in, Callahan got the first batter he faced to ground out to first baseman Aubrey Kearns, then induced a fly ball to Germann in left field to put out the fire.
Hunter Porter (1) came out of the bullpen in the ninth and picked up his first save of the season. After getting a fly out, he walked a batter and allowed a single to put runners at first and second. He then got a ground ball to Olson at third base that turned into a double play to preserve the win.
Tennessee Tech's Jack Brafa (6-4) took the loss out of the bullpen for the Golden Eagles.
LINDENWOOD 9, SOUTHERN INDIANA 4
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (27-26, 14-10 OVC) earned a 9-4 win over Southern Indiana (25-28, 13-12 OVC) on Thursday evening from Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.
Lindenwood got on the board first with a two out rally which began with a Jake Radosevich double, followed by a single by Sam Grunberg to bring him home, making the score 1-0.
The Lions kept the bats going in the second with four more runs in the second with the help of some aggressive baserunning. Bryson Arnette scampered home after a sac fly from Mitch Cummins and Evan Funkhouser scored later in the inning, pushing the lead to 3-0. Radosevich brought home two more with a big two-out hit, growing the lead to 5-0.
USI cut the deficit to 5-4 with two runs in the fourth and sixth. The Black and Gold got two runs back in the seventh, restoring some cushion, Radosevich and Grunberg opened the inning with back-to-back hits. Later in the inning, Filip Sarota hammered a two-run homer to left, giving the Lions a 7-4 lead. In the eighth, Radosevich kept his stellar day going at the plate, picking up his fifth hit of the day, driving in Lindenwood's eighth run, moving the score to 8-4. Grunberg added an RBI single for good measure later in the inning.
Bennett Stice was terrific out of the bullpen, firing three scoreless innings to pick up the save. Josh Newell earned his OVC leading 10th win of the season which also tied the programs single-season record.
SIUE 5, UT MARTIN 4
MARTIN, Tenn. - Lane Crowden's ninth-inning single lifted SIUE baseball to a 5-4 win over UT Martin in the opener of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series Thursday at Skyhawk Field.
The Cougars moved to 17-8 in OVC play and remain within percentage points of first place with two games to play in the regular season. SIUE is 25-26 overall. UT Martin fell to 11-13 in the league and 20-32 overall.
Crowden's hit snapped a 4-4 tie, scoring Ethan Willoughby who had reached on an error to lead off the inning.
UTM reliever Jeb Bartle (1-4) pitched two innings allowing two runs, one earned, in the loss.
The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Daniel Gierer led off the inning with a single, then stole second. Ryan Niedzwiedz drove him in with a single.
John Stallcup led off the fifth with a double and Lane Crowden followed with a single and stole second base. Stallcup scored on a groundout to short by Mack Mitchell. Gierer then drove home Crowden with a bunt single back to the mound.
UTM added a run in the sixth inning when Arderrius Townsend hit a solo home run off SIUE starter Tim Teixeira. Teixeira allowed a run on five hits over six innings. He struck out two.
Ryan Niedzwiedz doubled in the eighth to drive in Chase Bloomer to push the Cougars' lead to 4-1, before the Skyhawks answered in the bottom half of the inning against SIUE reliever Liam McKillop.
Brody Capps homered and Jonah Katsaboulas added a two-run double.
Alex Rodriguez (5-1) finished the ninth and earned his team-leading fifth win of the year.
Gierer finished 3-4 with an RBI. Niedzwiedz, Heyder, Stallcup and Crowden each finished with two hits for the Cougars, who outhit UT Martin 13-10.
Katsaboulas finished with two hits and two RBIs to lead UT Martin.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 19, LITTLE ROCK 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (28-24, 14-11 OVC) snapped a six-game losing streak with a 19-0 shutout victory over Little Rock (19-30, 8-14 OVC) on Thursday evening at Capaha Field.
The Redhawks, who earned their fourth shutout victory of the season, got an unbelievable outing from RHP Nathan Mertens to stifle the Trojans offense. Mertens (7-2) allowed just one hit in 7.0 innings pitched while striking out six en route to his seventh victory of 2025.
Offensively, SEMO used two big innings scoring 15 runs over the second and third inning(s) to power past Little Rock. The Redhawks pounded out 11 hits as a team and drew a season-high 15 walks.
DH Gunnar Doyle led the way with a team-high seven RBIs as he finished 3-5 at the plate with his fifth home run of the season, a grand slam in the bottom of the third inning.
The Redhawks got on the board with a huge two-out double from Carson Schrack in the bottom of the second inning. Schrack's double sparked a furious two-out rally as all seven runs in the inning scored with two outs.
Doyle's first two RBIs came around to score on a two-RBI single to left center field to score Brooks Kettering and Carson Schrack to make it 4-0 SEMO. A bases loaded, three-RBI double by Cole Warehime made it 7-0 Redhawks.
A pair of walks began the third inning drawn by Schrack and Kettering before a perfectly executed bunt by Michael Mugan loaded the bases for Doyle. Doyle smacked his grand slam over the left center field wall to make it 11-0 Redhawks with no outs in the third.
More two out RBIs came after a walk to Bryce Cannon saw him all the way to third base after a hit-by-pitch to Andrew Ramirez and another walk to catcher Shea McGahan loaded the bases again.
Schrack was hit-by-a-pitch to bring across the 12th run, Brooks Kettering drew a walk for his lone RBI of the game to make it 13-0, and a two-RBI single by Michael Mugan scored runs 14 and 15 as the route was on.