SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Little Rock 2, Eastern Michigan 0
@Southeast Missouri 10, Illinois State 1
@#25 Texas A&M 7,
Tennessee Tech 1
Southern Indiana 14-10, @Cal State Bakersfield 8-11
LITTLE ROCK 2, EASTERN MICHIGAN 0
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - For the third straight outing, Little Rock's starting pitching put the Trojans in position to win. On Sunday, Ty Rhoades delivered the decisive blow with a two-run double, and the Little Rock arms made it stand up in a 2-0 victory over Eastern Michigan at Gary Hogan Field.
Zach Busick (1-0) set the tone with five hitless innings, striking out six. Isaac Evaniew followed with four strikeouts over nearly three innings of relief, and Jack Cline closed the door to earn the save as the Trojans (2-1) secured the season-opening series win.
Busick worked around three walks and twice stranded runners in scoring position with inning-ending strikeouts in the second and fourth. Only four balls left the infield against him, and his fastball consistently sat between 91-94 mph.
The outing capped an impressive weekend for Little Rock's rotation. Busick, Brennan Westmoreland (Friday), and Brigden Parker (Saturday) combined for 16 innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out 16.
The Trojans provided all the offense they would need in the fourth inning. Angel Cano singled, Nico Baumbach doubled, and Rhoades drove both home with a double off the wall in right field.
Eastern Michigan threatened in the eighth, loading the bases, but Luke Schimmels came up with a clutch strikeout to end the frame. Cline surrendered a leadoff single in the ninth before inducing a double play and striking out the final batter to seal the shutout.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 10, ILLINOIS STATE 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (1-2) secured a decisive 10-1 victory over Illinois State (2-1) on Sunday at Capaha Field. SEMO capitalized on a strong third inning, scoring four runs, and maintained control with effective pitching that limited Illinois State to just five hits.
The Redhawks secured a decisive 10-1 victory over Illinois State, highlighted by several standout innings at Capaha Field. In the second inning, the Redhawks capitalized on wild pitches to score two runs without recording a hit. Joe Hall and Mikey Rocha both scored after being hit by pitches and advancing on wild pitches, giving the home team an early 2-0 lead.
The third inning saw Southeast Missouri extend its advantage with a four-run outburst. Logan Yule and Ryan Lopetegui both drew walks, setting the stage for Cal Sullivan, who delivered a two-RBI single. Taylor Sims followed with a two-RBI single of his own, pushing the lead to 6-0 after three innings.
In the sixth inning, the Redhawks added four more runs to their tally. Lopetegui and Brooks Kettering both reached base, and a subsequent error allowed Lopetegui to score. Sullivan then hit a three-run homer, bringing the score to 10-1 after the sixth.
SEMO's pitching and defense held Illinois State to one run, which came on a solo home run in the fourth inning by Ryan Bakes. The Redhawks maintained their lead throughout, with the final score at Southeast Missouri 10, Illinois State 1.
#25 TEXAS A&M 7, TENNESSEE TECH 1
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Tennessee Tech baseball drops the series finale 7-1 at No. 25 Texas A&M on Sunday. The Golden Eagles play their home opener against Lipscomb at 3 p.m. CT, on Tuesday at Bush Stadium.
Tech (0-3) was limited to three hits in the series finale and struck out 11 times against Texas A&M starter Aiden Sims and reliever Clayton Freshcorn. The Aggies (3-0) collected 12 hits and broke the game open with a three-run fourth inning.
The Golden Eagles' lone run came in the fourth. Jorsixt Jimenez was hit by a pitch to open the inning and later came around to score on Manny Garza's sacrifice fly, trimming the deficit to 2-1 at the time.
Texas A&M answered immediately in the bottom half. The Aggies strung together multiple hits, plating three runs and extending the lead to 5-1. They added two more in the sixth to create separation.
Logan Moller (0-1) took the loss for Tech, allowing five runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. Carter Casabella surrendered two runs in relief, while Reece McDuffie provided 2 1/3 scoreless innings to close the game.
Landon Smelser, Owen Lee, and Connor Crowson each recorded a hit for Tennessee Tech, with Crowson's double accounting for the club's only extra-base knock.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 14-10, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD 8-11
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball split a doubleheader with Cal State Bakersfield to finish a four-game series Sunday afternoon in Bakersfield, California. USI, which is 2-2 to start the season, took game one, 14-8, and lost in the nightcap, 11-10.
USI slugged its way to a 14-8 victory in the opening game of the doubleheader. The Screaming Eagles scored six in the second, one in the third and fourth, four in the seventh, and one in the eighth and ninth.
USI senior first baseman Patrick McLellan led the way for the Screaming Eagles with six hits, five RBIs, and a home run. Junior third baseman Parker Martin followed with three RBIs, a home run, and two runs scored.
On the mound, junior right-hander Trey O'Neil posted his first win of the year in relief. O'Neal threw a third of an inning, walking one.
In game two, the Screaming Eagles rallied, but left the bases loaded in the ninth in losing the nightcap, 11-10. USI trailed by 11-5 after seven innings and fell short after scoring five times in the eighth and ninth before Bakersfield closed out the 11-10 final.
USI senior shortstop Clayton Slack provided the offense for the Screaming Eagles in the nightcap, going two-for-three with two runs scored, four RBIs, and a two-run blast to left center.
On the bump, junior right-hander Jared Eckstein stared and took the loss for USI. Eckstein allowed five runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.