FRIDAY'S SCORES
Illinois State 10-7,
@Western Illinois 7-1
@Lindenwood 4, Murray State 0
@Western Carolina 11,
Morehead State 0
@SIUE 13, Valparaiso 3
@UT Martin 3, The Citadel 2
@Southern Illinois 10,
Southern Indiana 7
Mercer 14,
@Tennessee Tech 11 (11)
@Samford 5,
Little Rock 4
@Memphis 14,
Eastern Illinois 2
ILLINOIS STATE 10-7, WESTERN ILLINOIS 7-1
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois dropped a doubleheader to Illinois State on Fridya.
In game one, the Leathernecks battled throughout the game, taking an early 4–2 lead in the second inning and later reclaiming the advantage behind home runs from Liam Bushey and Tyler Large. Bushey led WIU at the plate with a 4-for-5 performance and two RBIs, while Large added two hits and two RBIs of his own. After the game was tied 7–7 in the seventh, Illinois State capitalized on a pair of errors in the eighth inning to push across three runs and take control. Western Illinois threatened late but was unable to complete the comeback as the Redbirds secured the midweek victory.
The Leathernecks fell 7-1 in game two. The Leathernecks recorded five hits in the contest, led by Wandel Campa with a 2-for-3 performance and an RBI. Joe Connolly added a hit and scored WIU's lone run in the third inning after advancing on a passed ball and coming home on Campa's RBI groundout. Illinois State built an early lead with runs in the first and second innings before breaking the game open with a three-run sixth. The Redbirds finished with 10 hits, while Western Illinois pitchers combined for six strikeouts in the loss.
LINDENWOOD 4, MURRAY STATE 0
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (9-9, 0-0 OVC) took their series opener against Murray State (11-7, 0-0 MVC) by a score of 4-0 on Friday afternoon. The shutout victory was fueled by a dominant pitching performance from Josh Newell.
Newell tossed eight shutout innings while allowing just two hits with five strikeouts to pick up his third win of the season.
Offensively, Will Geary led the Lions with two hits (2-4) while Filip Sarota drove in a team-high two RBIs. Kam Edwards and Tyler Ellis both recorded doubles for the game's only two extra base hits.
Lindenwood took advantage of two errors by the Murray State in the bottom of the first to take an early lead, loading the bases before Charlie Isom-McCall scored from third on a 4-6-3 double play. With two outs, a fielding error on a hard-hit ball to third base by William Zareh allowed Kam Edwards to score the inning's second run.
The Lions doubled their lead in the bottom of the third, with Filip Sarota delivering a two-out, bases loaded single up the middle to drive in two more runs.
That would be it for scoring, as the teams would combine for five hits and no runs through the game's final five and a half frames.
After giving up a hit in the top of the first, Josh Newell retired 22 consecutive MSU batters, facing the minimum through seven and two thirds innings as the early hit was subsequently caught stealing.
Murray State broke up the nearly perfect game with a Daylan Pena two-out single to right field before a hit by pitch moved a Racer into scoring position for the first time in the contest. However, Newell stayed collected and kept the shutout in tact with a flyout to right field.
Aaron Jungers entered the game in the top of the ninth and finished the job, surrendering just a two-out base hit before recording the game's final out.
WESTERN CAROLINA 11, MOREHEAD STATE 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina scored three runs in the first inning and broke it open with six runs in the fifth as the Catamounts evened up the series with an 11-0 win Friday at Childress Field at Hennon Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
Western Carolina (12-7) plated three runs in the bottom of the first on two walks, two wild pitches and a flare single to left. The Catamounts broke open the game in the fifth inning, plating six runs on three home runs and two doubles, sending nine batters to the plate.
The Catamounts walked it off in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out, two-run home run by catcher Carlos Diaz triggering the 10-run rule.
Morehead State (10-9) starter Alex Miller (0-1) took the loss. He threw 4.2 innings, giving up nine runs on six hits. He walked four and struck out six.
WCU's Carter Burnette (2-2) earned the win, throwing a seven-inning complete game. He allowed three hits and a walk, striking out 10 Morehead State batters.
SIUE 13, VALPARAISO 3
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE starter Tim Teixeira tossed his first career complete game and SIUE baseball used a big inning to pick up a 13-3 seven-inning win over Valparaiso in the opener of a three-game series at Roy E. Lee Field.
Valpo scored three times in the first inning against Teixeira before the Cougar right-hander settled in, and the SIUE offense took over.
Teixeira (1-3) retired seven straight and 10 of 11 hitters through the fourth inning. He struck out eight hitters in the game and did not walk a batter.
The Cougars sent 16 hitters to the plate and scored 10 times in the third inning against a pair of Valparaiso pitchers. SIUE took advantage of four walks, three hit batters, two errors to go along with four hits.
Mack Mitchell picked up two RBIs on a double and a sacrifice fly in the inning. Joshua Heyder drove home two with a single. Daniel Gierer and Ethan Willoughby each had RBI-hits in the inning. Sean Kang drove in a run, when he reached on error. Brenden Fry walked with the bases loaded to force home a run and Chase Bloomer was hit with the bases loaded.
Kang roped a two-run single up the middle and Gierer drove home a run when he beat out an infield hit as part of a three-run fifth inning for SIUE.
Kang led the Cougars at the plate going 3-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
UT MARTIN 3, THE CITADEL 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team captured a 3-2 pitcher’s duel victory over The Citadel in the first game of the weekend series at Skyhawk Field.
TJ Grines booked his ninth multi-hit game of the season with two doubles and also tallied an RBI and a stolen base. Andrew Davis (walk, RBI, stolen base) kept his 17-game on-base streak alive while Colten Payton extended his team-best hitting streak to 16 games. JT Popick notched a base hit, and Cullen Box had a team-high two walks. TJ Dunsford drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Jacob Sitton threw 6.2 innings and punched out six batters while only allowing one earned run. Gehrig Wright (1-2, 1.1 innings, no runs allowed, no hits allowed) and Mason Little (save, one inning, strikeout, no hits, no runs) were clutch out of the bullpen to get UT Martin (9-8) into the win column.
The Citadel (6-9) put pressure on the Skyhawks in the first by loading the bases, but the righty Sitton escaped with only one run allowed. UT Martin leveled the score in the bottom part of the frame from a Davis sacrifice fly to score Grines who doubled to lead off the inning.
After a scoreless second and third frame, Sitton faced another bases-loaded jam in the fourth and shutdown the Bulldogs for a second time by forcing a flyout to centerfield. The Skyhawks took their first lead of the game in the fifth when Grines doubled for the second time that allowed Box to score for a 2-1 advantage.
The Bulldogs evened things up in the sixth and loaded the bases once more in the seventh, but Wright disposed the chance off a fielder’s choice to second base to keep the contest knotted up. Three straight groundballs meant a perfect inning by Wright in the eighth to give UT Martin an opportunity to take the lead.
Davis drew the leadoff walk on a 3-2 count and stole second to get into scoring position for Dunsford. The Grand Bay, Ala native punched a single up the middle for the Skyhawks to claim a 3-2 lead and put themselves three outs away from the victory.
The tying run for The Citadel got on base in the ninth and sat 90 feet away from tying the ballgame up with two outs. Little bore down and got the second out of the frame from a strikeout looking and gained his fourth save of the season by fielding his position and tossing a groundball to his first baseman Payton to close out the contest.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 10, SOUTHERN INDIANA 7
CARBONDALE, Ill. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball rallied in the final frames, but lost to Southern Illinois University, 10-7, Friday evening at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. USI is 12-6 this season, while SIU goes to 7-9.
The Salukis got off to a fast start in the opening game of the series, scoring five runs in the opening frame and a pair of tallies in the second for a 7-0 advantage. USI battled back by cutting the deficit to 7-2 with runs coming on singles by graduate centerfielder Khi Holiday and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan in the third.
The Screaming Eagles cut the deficit further in the fourth when senior catcher Micajah Wall hit a home run to left field to make the score 7-3. SIU bounced back to re-extend the margin to seven runs, 10-3, with two tallies in the fourth and one in the sixth.
USI closed the seven-run gap to three with a four-run seventh inning by manufacturing runs. The Screaming Eagles scored once on a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch, and RBI singles by senior shortstop Clayton Slack and junior pinch hitter Evan Zapp.
After leaving the bases jammed in the seventh, USI would get a runner on in the eighth and the ninth before SIU closed the door on the Screaming Eagles.
At the plate, USI senior leftfielder Hunter Miller and graduate rightfielder Jesse Velders led the Screaming Eagles with two hits each. McLellan finished a team-high two RBIs.
On the mound, junior right-hander Eben Hansen started and took the loss for USI. Hansen (1-1) allowed five runs on five hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning of work.
MERCER 14, TENNESSEE TECH 11 (11)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech battled back multiple times Friday night but ultimately fell to Mercer, 14-11, in 11 innings at Bush Stadium at Averitt Baseball Complex.
The loss marked the fifth straight for the Golden Eagles, who dropped to 7-11 on the season, while Mercer improved to 16-2.
Tennessee Tech struck first in the opening inning when Connor Crowson doubled to left field to score Jackson Rooker, giving the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Tech then surged ahead in the third with a four-run frame. Owen Lee delivered the big swing, lining a bases-clearing triple to right-center that plated three runs. Manny Garza followed with an RBI groundout to bring Lee home, pushing the Golden Eagles in front 5-1.
Mercer gradually chipped away, scoring twice in the fifth and twice more in the sixth to pull within one before adding single runs in the seventh and eighth to take an 8-5 lead.
The Golden Eagles answered in the eighth inning. Eddie Garza ripped an RBI double to left-center to score Nash Crowell, and Rooker followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 8-7.
Mercer pushed its lead back to three with a three-run homer in the ninth, but Tech refused to go away. In the bottom half, Crowell drove in a run with a single before Eddie Garza delivered another RBI double. A wild pitch later in the inning allowed Garza to score, tying the game at 10-10 and forcing extra innings.
After Mercer plated a run in the 10th, Jorsixt Jimenez responded immediately with a solo home run to right field to even the game at 11-11.
The Bears broke through in the 11th with a solo homer followed by a two-run shot to take a 14-11 lead. Tennessee Tech was unable to answer in the bottom half.
Lee finished with two hits and three RBIs to pace the Golden Eagles offensively, while Eddie Garza added two doubles and two RBIs. Rooker reached base five times with two hits and three walks and scored twice.
Reece McDuffie took the loss in relief for Tennessee Tech after pitching the final 2.2 innings.
SAMFORD 5, LITTLE ROCK 4
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Little Rock held a two-run lead and needed just six outs to secure a win in Friday's series opener at Samford, but the hosts rallied late, topping the Trojans in walk-off fashion for a 5-4 victory at J.L. Griffin Field.
The Trojans (8-9) watched as the Bulldogs (7-9) scratched across a run in the eighth to pull within one, then delivered a two-run walk-off home run in the ninth to steal the victory. The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m., with both games streaming live on ESPN+.
Westmoreland threw seven strong innings as the starter, and Gage Haley recorded four straight outs after entering in the eighth, but Samford erased the deficit with its late rally.
Both starters dominated the early portion of the contest, with Jack Bilski recording the only hit of the game through the first three innings. Westmoreland retired the first 10 batters he faced before Samford pushed across the game's first run in the fourth.
Little Rock responded in the fifth with a three-run surge. Bilski delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game, Jerdy Lopez drove in another run on a fielder's choice, and Kade Smith singled through the right side to bring home Nolan Freund for a 3-1 lead.
Samford plated another run in the sixth before Little Rock added its fourth run on a single by Michael O'Brien that led to a throwing error, allowing Cade Martin to score all the way from first.
Little Rock went down in order in the ninth, setting the stage for the Bulldogs' game-clinching swing.
MEMPHIS 14, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis sped away from EIU, using their high-powered offense to beat the Panthers 14-2. EIU falls to 6-8 on the season, while the Tigers improve to 5-12.
Tyler Conklin was given the starting knob on the bump and struggled to find his normal rhythm. Conklin threw 4.0 innings and allowed eight runs and walked seven batters. The Tigers used 12 hits and scored 14 runs to move past the Panthers.
On the other side, Will Howell threw 4.0 innings and allowed only one hit. Howell also struck out five batters.
EIU fell behind early after the Tigers scored four runs in the first three innings. James Smith IV went 3-4 with three RBIs to lead the way. Right behind him, Michael Gupton went 1-3 with four RBIs and a home run.
The Panthers found the scoreboard in the 4th and 6th inning. With bases loaded, Joey Hagen grounded out to first base, driving in Kyree Alexander. EIU would end the inning with three left on base.
EIU found the home plate once again in the 6th inning after Tyler Castro singled up the middle, scoring Peyton Wilson.
The Tigers put the game away in the bottom of the 5th inning when they scored four runs off just two hits. Gupton homered to clear the bases.