WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Bellarmine 19,
@Morehead State 9
Southern Illinois 5,
@SIUE 1
@Southern Indiana 7, Evansville 5
BELLARMINE 19, MOREHEAD STATE 9
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State rattled the bats but couldn't overcome an offensive onslaught from Bellarmine and the Eagles fell to the Knights 19-9 in eight innings Wednesday night at Allen Field in Prefontaine Park.
Morehead State (12-35/ 2-19 OVC) matched Bellarmine with 15 hits, but the Knights were better able to string hits together and scored in bunches.
Bellarmine (12-36/ 7-17 ASUN) scored six runs in the third inning highlighted by home runs by third baseman Garrett Rusch and designated hitter Nick Gnardellis. Only two of those runs were earned.
Morehead State got a run back in the third on Hunter Thomas' 18th home run of the season, a blast over the screen in center field. The Knights tacked on five runs in the fifth on four hits, and added five more in the sixth, highlighted by center fielder Casey Sorg's home run.
The Eagles got two runs in the sixth on catcher Caden Sheridan's two-out double off the screen in right field, to cut the Bellarmine lead to 17-3. Morehead State held the Knights scoreless in the top of the seventh, and rallied with six runs, all unearned and all with two outs.
Griffin Olson hit a grand slam home run over the screen to make the score 17-8. Caden Sheridan followed with a blast down the left field line to push the scored to 17-9.
The Knights scored two runs in the eighth to push the lead back out to 10 on five walks. Bellarmine held Morehead State scoreless in the bottom of the eighth to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Arren Hash (1-0) got the win for Bellarmine. AJ Hacker (1-1) took the loss for Morehead State.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 5, SIUE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - IUE baseball dropped a 5-1 decision to SIU Carbondale Wednesday night in a game which included a 1:45 minute weather delay at Roy E. Lee Field.
SIUC improved to 33-15 and have won four straight in the series. The Cougars are 23-23.
The Salukis took a 1-0 lead in the third with an unearned run against SIUE starter Gabriel Nutter. Nutter worked three innings.
Before the fourth inning could get underway, the teams were pulled off the field because of lightning.
It stayed 1-0 until the seventh when the Cougars tied the score on three hits. Daniel Gierer doubled and Mack Mitchell followed with a single with one out to even the game at 1-1.
The Salukis got a run back in the eighth against SIUE reliever Kieran Bailey (0-2). SIUC added three runs in the top of the ninth for the 5-1 final.
The Salukis outhit the Cougars 10-8. Gierer led SIUE with two hits.
Cecil Lofton had two hits and two RBIs to pace the Salukis.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 7, EVANSVILLE 5
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball posted an early lead, but needed three runs in the seventh and eighth to defeat the University of Evansville, 7-5, Wednesday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 22-26 overall, while UE is 14-33.
The Screaming Eagles scored one in the first and third and two in the fourth to post a 4-0 lead. Junior designated hitter Charlie Marisca drove in the first inning tally with an RBI infield hit, while junior first baseman Cole Kitchens doubled down the left field line in the third to make the score 2-0.
USI extended the lead to 4-0 in the fourth on an RBI single by senior centerfielder Khi Holiday and a second RBI double by Kitchens. The Eagles held onto the four-run lead until the sixth when the Aces scored five times to lead for the first time in the game, 5-4.
A pair of manufactured runs would put the Eagles back into the lead, 6-5, in the seventh. Junior leftfielder Hunter Miller started the rally by walking, advanced to second on a single by sophomore second baseman Anthony Umbach, took third on a passed ball, and scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
The Eagles took back the lead, 6-5, when Holiday drove in the go-ahead tally after getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to finish the scoring in the seventh. USI scored the two runs in the seventh on a single, two walks, and two hit by pitches.
USI sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd sealed the victory for the Eagles in the eighth by scoring on a wild pitch to make the score 7-5. The Aces put a runner on in the ninth before the Eagles closed out the contest for the win.
On the mound, USI sent six hurlers out against UE in the win. USI junior right-hander Andres Gonzalez (1-4) picked up his first win of the year by throwing a pair of scoreless innings, allowing a walk and striking out two.
USI senior right-hander Ian Anderson threw a scoreless ninth inning to get his third save of the year. Anderson faced four batters in the ninth, giving up one hit.
The Eagles received three scoreless innings from freshman right-hander Sage Stout to start the game. Stout, who made his fourth start of the year, permitted two hits and a walk, while striking out one.