FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 13, UT Martin 4
Southeast Missouri 8, @Lindenwood 0
Eastern Illinois 13, @Tennessee Tech 1
SIUE 9-6, @Southern Indiana 7-7
Little Rock 6, @Western Illinois 5 (10)
MOREHEAD STATE 13, UT MARTIN 4
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State baseball team pounded out 22 hits and took game two of its series with UT Martin 13-4 Friday night at Allen Field at Prefontaine Park.
Morehead State (14-16, 3-5 OVC) was led at the plate by Davis Germann, Kyle Krupp and Ian McCubbin. German rapped out three hits in five at-bats with a double and three runs batted in. Krupp also was three of five at the plate with three RBI. McCubbin hit two home runs in four at-bats also driving in three runs.
Eagle starter Kamden Hawks (2-3) earned the win. He threw five innings, allowed six hits and four runs, all earned. He walked one Skyhawk batter and struck out four. Reliever Alex Miller (1) picked up the save, throwing four shutout innings. He allowed two hits and one walk while notching four strikeouts.
Skyhawk starter Cason Sharp (1-3) took the loss. He threw three innings, allowing 11 hits and five runs (all earned) and two walks. UT Martin (15-15, 3-5 OVC) scored on the first pitch of the game when right fielder TJ Grines cleared the screen in right field with his fourth home run of the season and led 1-0 going to the bottom of the opening frame.
Morehead State drew even when Eagle leadoff batter center fielder Krupp drove an 0-1 pitch over the screen down the right field line ruled fair by the first base umpire. Skyhawk head coach Ryan Jenkins challenged the call of a fair ball, and the umpires went to video review.
After review, the umpires announced a fair ball and a home run for Krupp. Jenkins argued the ruling and was ejected. He was further assessed a two-game suspension by the umpires for prolonged arguing after being ejected.
Morehead State added two runs in the bottom of the second with a two-out rally. Shortstop Jaden Correa singled through the left side and advanced on third baseman Griffin Olson's walk. Correa scored on Krupp's single to right center, and Olson plated a run on German's lined single to right to put MSU ahead 3-1.
The Eagles scored two more in the third: McCubbin drove a towering home run over the screen in deep left center to lead off the inning. Caden Sheridan followed with a sharp single up the middle and scored on Correa's double deep to the gap in left-center. UT Martin got out of further damage turning a double play to end the inning.
The Skyhawks got a run in the fourth on designated hitter Colten Payton's leadoff home run over the scoreboard in left. UTM added two more in the fifth on a two-out, two-RBI double by second baseman Andrew Davis to trim the MSU lead to 5-4.
The Eagles bounced back in the bottom of the fifth. Alex Kean lined a one-out single to right. Correa bunted down the third-base line for a single. Krupp pushed Kean across the plate with a double off the screen in right. Germann drove in Krupp and Correa with another double off the screen in right to extend the MSU lead to 8-4.
MSU added another run in the sixth: second baseman Nick Griffith drilled a two-out single to right and advanced on a throwing error by the UTM pitcher attempting to pick him off. He scored when Kean singled sharply up the middle to push the lead to 9-4.
The Eagles added three more in the seventh: Olson led off with a double high off the screen in deep left-center. He scored on Kearns' singled to left. McCubbin capped off the inning with a home run to straightaway center field.
Morehead State capped the scoring with a run in the eighth. Griffith led off and reached on a hit by pitch. He stole second and stole third. After Correa walked, Olson drove a single off the wall in right center for the final margin.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, LINDENWOOD 0
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Baseball (22-9, 6-2) secured a decisive 8-0 victory over Lindenwood (13-17, 1-7) at Lou Brock Sports Complex on Friday, highlighted by a complete-game shutout from RHP Andrew Carroll. The Redhawks recorded 11 hits and capitalized on four Lindenwood errors.
Caleb Klein walked to start the game and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Ryan Lopetegui singled to shortstop, driving in Klein to give the Redhawks an early 1-0 lead after the first inning.
In the second inning, Brooks Kettering walked and advanced to second on an error. Andrew Ramirez delivered with a single to left center, scoring Kettering and extending the lead to 2-0 through two innings.
The fifth inning saw Cal Sullivan reach on a single and advance on errors, allowing him and Joe Hall to score on a sacrifice fly by Dakot Joggerst. This extended the Redhawks' advantage to 4-0.
The Redhawks added another run in the sixth inning when Sullivan doubled to left center, bringing Klein home and pushing the score to 5-0.
In the ninth inning, Klein was hit by a pitch and later scored on a double by Lopetegui. Joggerst followed with a single, driving in two more runs. Caleb Champion, pinch hitting, added a single to cap the scoring at 8-0.
Andrew Carroll pitched a complete game shutout for the Redhawks, allowing just three hits and striking out five. The final score was Southeast Missouri State 8, Lindenwood 0.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 13, TENNESSEE TECH 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Bryce Riggs led the Panthers to a bounce-back run-rule victory over the Golden Eagles in eight innings. EIU improves to 16-11 (6-2 OVC), while Tennessee Tech drops to 10-21 (1-7 OVC).
Riggs was impressive once again on the mound, tossing six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and two walks. He also collected three strikeouts and forced nine flyouts. With the win, Riggs remains undefeated with a 5-0 record. Blaine Nunnally threw 1.0 innings of relief, allowing one earned run on one hit.
Alongside the impressive pitching, the Panthers' offense was red-hot, including Brett Stanley continuing the hit streak to 24 games. Stanley now holds the longest hitting streak in EIU history since 1991. Stanley went 2-3 with five RBIs and a home run. EIU smashed three long balls, a triple, and two doubles to ensure the highlight of the offensive outing.
Mike O'Conor was a catalyst at the end of the lineup, finishing with three RBIs, two hits, and a home run. Chris Worcester had the third home run of the night and went 2-5 with three RBIs.
Quade Peters returned from injury and did not waste any time making his mark. Peters went a perfect 4-4 with two RBIs.
The Panthers scored two runs in the first inning once again with Worcester's home run to left field, scoring Stanley.
The Golden Eagles' nightmare continued with two EIU runs in the 2nd inning, followed by five runs in the 5th.
In the 5th inning, Mike O'Conor hit a long shot to deep center field, scoring Castro. Shortly after, Stanley hits the second home run of the inning, with a shot to left center, driving in Peters.
EIU ensured the run rule in the 7th inning, with four final runs. With runners on first and second, Stanley collected a triple to right center, scoring Ethan Rossi and Peters.
Tennessee Tech did not have the Panthers' pitching performance, using four pitchers, allowing 13 runs on 15 hits. The starter, Garrett Holpuch, threw 1.1 innings and allowed four earned runs on three hits.
SIUE 9-6, SOUTHERN INDIANA 7-7
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - SIUE baseball split a doubleheader at Southern Indiana Friday, taking the opener 9-7 before falling in the nightcap 7-6. The Cougars won two of three to take their third OVC series of the year.
The Cougars moved to 8-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 16-15 overall. The 8-0 start to OVC play was the best start ever to an OVC season for the Cougars. The game two loss snapped a season-long five-game winning streak for SIUE.
USI moved to 4-5 in the OVC and 19-13 overall.
In game one, the Cougars capitalized on a pair of mistakes to take the lead in the second inning. With Brenden Fry at third and Sean Kang at second, a wild pitch allowed Fry to score from third. On the throw to the plate, the ball got away, allowing Kang to score.
The Cougars opened it up in the fourth inning, scoring four times on four hits. Ryan Niedzwiedz singled in a run with one out and Mack Mitchell followed with a double to drive home another to chase USI starter Ryan Weller (2-2).
Joshua Heyder greeted reliever Tyler Welch with a two-run single to left field for a 6-0 Cougar advantage.
Southern Indiana cut the lead in half with three runs on four hits and an error in the bottom of the fourth.
Both teams scored a run in the sixth inning. Fry tripled to start the top of the inning and scored on an RBI single by Daniel Gierer. The Screaming Eagles scored a run thanks to four hits in the bottom of the inning.
Spencer Stearns (4-2) allowed four runs on 10 hits over six innings in the start. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Porter Conn relieved Stearns in the seventh and the Screaming Eagles loaded the bases with two outs before Conn struck out Jesse Velders to strand the bases loaded. Conn started the eighth and surrendered a hit and a walk before leaving in favor of Brennen Grams, who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Noah Foster scampered home on a wild pitch to trim the SIUE lead back to 7-5.
Easton Harris finished the eighth inning with a groundout, and USI stranded the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning.
The Cougars tacked on two more in the ninth inning. Heyder opened the inning with a single to left and the Gage Franck pinch ran for him. After an Ethan Willoughby double, Franck scored on a wild pitch. Kang singled home a second run with two outs in the inning.
Heyder finished the game with three hits for SIUE.
In game two, the Cougars went down early when USI scored two runs in the second inning against SIUE starter Jase Phillips.
SIUE answered in the third inning. Kang opened the inning with a triple off the wall in left center and scored on a sacrifice flies from Kannon Kamp. Gierer reached on an error and later scored on a SAC fly by Chase Bloomer.
USI regained the lead with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth.
The Cougars quickly tied the score in the top of the fifth. Niedzwiedz, Mitchell and Eggert each had RBI hits in the inning.
Wall broke the tie for Southern Indiana in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a two-run home run.
Noah Johnson (0-3) allowed the home run and suffered the loss in relief. He followed Jase Phillips who matched his season high with six innings pitched.
Mitchell and Kang had two hits apiece for the Cougars.
LITTLE ROCK 6, WESTERN ILLINOIS 5 (10)
MACOMB, Ill. - In a game that was suspended on Friday and completed on Sunday, the Trojans resumed play trailing 5-4 and responded immediately. Little Rock tied the game in the ninth on an RBI single by Ty Rhoades, then took the lead in the 10th as Cade Martin delivered a go-ahead RBI double to score Nolan Freund.
Gage Haley earned the win in relief, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts as part of a staff effort that recorded nine strikeouts over 10 innings. Brannon Westmoreland started and worked 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on 11 hits.
Offensively, the Trojans totaled 10 hits, led by Kade Smith's two-hit, two-RBI performance. Trey Hill added two hits, while Jerdy Lopez drove in a run and stole a base.