THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 12, UT Martin 8
@Lindenwood 3, Southeast Missouri 2
@Tennessee Tech 21, Eastern Illinois 6
SIUE 4, @Southern Indiana 2
MOREHEAD STATE 12, UT MARTIN 8
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State baseball team scored early and never trailed as the Eagles powered past UT Martin 12-8 in the opening game of their Ohio Valley Conference series Thursday at Allen Field in Prefontaine Park in Morehead.
Morehead State (13-16, 2-5 OVC) plated three run in the first and added four more in the third to build an early lead. MSU left field Davis Germann led the Eagle offense with four hits in five at bats, including a two-RBI home run in the fourth inning. Germann scored four runs.
Designated hitter Aubrey Kearns and right fielder Ian McCubbin both collected three hits. McCubbin was 3-5 with four runs batted in. Kearns was 3-4 at the plate with an RBI double and scored three runs.
Morehead State starter Callum McGill (1-0) was solid for the Eagles, pitching into the sixth inning. He allowed six hits and five runs (all earned). He walked two and struck out two in his longest stint of the season.
After a 1-2-3 top of the first inning, the Morehead State bats went to work. Germann shot- a one-out single through the left side and stole second. He scored on Kearns' double off the screen in deep left center field. MSU catcher Caden Sheridan slugged a two-out home run down the left field line that travelled 375 feet to put MSU ahead 3-0.
The Eagles added to their lead in the third inning; again the long ball was key. Germann led off with a lined single to left. After a Kearns walk, McCubbin drove a pitch over the screen in center field that travelled 397 feet for another three runs. Freshman second baseman Nick Griffith added another run with a towering two-out solo shot that went over the screen in right field, carrying some 396 feet to put MSU ahead 7-0.
UT Martin (15-14, 3-4 OVC) got two back in the fourth on a leadoff single and a home run by Skyhawk catcher Colten Payton over the screen in center field. The Eagles responded with two of their in the bottom half of the inning. Third baseman Griffin Olson led off with a walk and Germann hit a 402-foot blast over the fence in left center to extend the MSU lead to 9-2.
The Skyhawks plated three runs in the fifth inning on a leadoff home run, and a two-walk and home run to cut the Morehead State lead to 9-5.
UTM Martin picked up a lone run in the seventh on a two-double double deep in the left-center gap and a looping liner single to right.
Morehead State again responded with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning. Germann led off with a line drive single off the screen in right-center. Kearns shot a single through the right side and McCubbin followed with an RBI single to put runners on the corners. Sheridan again came up big with a sharp single past the UTM third baseman for an RBI and extend the MSU lead to 12 6.
UT Martin scored twice in the ninth for the final margin.
Morehead State reliever Devin Costa pitched three innings in earning his third save of the season. He threw four innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits.
Skyhawk starter Jacob Sitton (3-2) took the loss. He threw three innings allowing seven earned runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two Eagle batters.
LINDENWOOD 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (13-16, 1-6 OVC) picked up their first conference win of the season with a 3-2 victory over Southeast Missouri (21-9, 5-2 OVC) at the Lou Brock Sports Complex on Thursday night. The big win was fueled by a dominant performance on the mound by Josh Newell, who pitched his first complete game of the season while allowing no earned runs on just three hits with five strikeouts.
The Lindenwood bats totaled 11 hits in the contest, with Kam Edwards going 2-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead the offense. Three other Lions, including Will Geary, Jake Radosevich, and Tyler Ellis also went 2-4.
After Josh Newell sat down the SEMO side in order in in the top of the first, back-to-back two out singles by Jake Radosevich and Mathew Graf put runners on the corners for Kam Edwards, who delivered a third base hit to plate Radosevich and give Lindenwood the early 1-0 lead.
The Lions added to their lead with a four-hit, two-run bottom of the third. Will Geary led off the frame with a double before moving up to third on a ground out and beating a throw to home on a Mathew Graf RBI fielder's choice. Kam Edwards would score Graf shortly after with a double down the left field line.
Newell would allow just one base runner through the next 5.2 innings, commanding complete control of the game recording the first 24 outs with just 75 pitches.
However, things tightened up with two outs in the ninth, as an error in the infield allowed the game to continue before the first walk of the game put two Redhawks on base for the first time all evening.
Joe Hall then crushed a ball to deep center that got down for a two-RBI double, putting the tying run at second with SEMO cleanup man Ryan Lopetegui coming to the plate. Newell would not be denied, though, and got Lopetegui to swing into a pop out to end the game.
It was the third complete game of Newell's Lindenwood career after recording a pair of complete game shutouts in conference play last season.
TENNESSEE TECH 21, EASTERN ILLINOIS 6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech turned in one of its most dominant offensive performances of the season Friday evening, rolling past Eastern Illinois, 21-6, in seven innings at Quillen Field at Bush Stadium.
The Golden Eagles racked up season highs with 21 runs, 23 hits, and five home runs, overwhelming the Panthers from the outset and never looking back. Tech improves to 10-20 (1-6 OVC) on the year.
After Eastern Illinois struck for four runs in the top of the first, Tech immediately answered with a four-run frame of its own, highlighted by RBI knocks from Nash Crowell, Manny Garza, and Ty Denton to even the game at 4-4.
From there, the Golden Eagles took control.
Tech plated five runs in the second inning, powered by a three-run blast from Landon Smelser, and added three more in the third on a Connor Crowson home run to push the lead to 12-4. The offensive surge continued throughout the middle innings, with the Golden Eagles scoring in five of their six at-bats.
Smelser finished with a monster day at the plate, launching two home runs and driving in five runs, while Crowson added a homer and three RBI. Owen Lee and Nash Crowell also went deep as part of the team’s five-homer barrage.
Lee delivered one of the biggest swings of the night in the sixth inning, crushing a three-run home run to extend the Tech lead, while Crowell followed later in the frame with a solo shot. The Golden Eagles scored six runs in the sixth to put the run-rule into effect.
Tennessee Tech’s lineup produced contributions throughout, with eight of nine starters recording at least one hit and six players tallying multi-hit performances.
On the mound, Jaxson Pease earned the win, working five innings while allowing six runs on nine hits with three strikeouts. Drew Mattox and Lawson Stricklin combined to close out the final two innings and secure the run-rule victory.
Eastern Illinois finished with six runs on 11 hits but could not keep pace with the Golden Eagles’ relentless offensive attack.
SIUE 4, SOUTHERN INDIANA 2
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - SIUE baseball won its fourth straight game Thursday, downing Southern Indiana 4-2 to move to 7-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
The 7-0 start is the best start to a Conference season in program history. The Cougars improved to 15-14 overall with the win.
Southern Indiana dipped to 18-12 overall and 3-4 in the OVC.
A Daniel Gierer RBI hit in the first put SIUE on top 1-0. Two hits and a Chase Bloomer sacrifice fly doubled the lead in the fourth inning. Ethan Willoughby singled ahead of Cooper Eggert's second triple in as many games made it 3-0 in the fifth inning.
USI starter Abdriel Figueroa (2-2) allowed all three runs on nine hits in five innings of work.
The Screaming Eagles got on the board with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning. USI pulled within a run in the sixth inning when Parker Martin scored on a groundout.
Tim Teixeira (4-3) won his fourth consecutive start tossing seven innings for the third time in those four starts. He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. He struck out five.
SIUE added an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning. Gierer doubled to open the inning and scored on a throwing error following a single by Bloomer.
The Cougars outhit the Screaming Eagles 12-4 for the game. Willoughby and Eggert each finished with three hits to lead SIUE. Gierer and Bloomer each had two hits in the game.
Patrick McLellan finished with two hits to lead USI at the plate.