SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Western Illinois 10, SIUE 1
Lindenwood 15, @Morehead State 2
@Little Rock 11, Eastern Illinois 7
@Tennessee Tech 10, Southeast Missouri 4
@Southern Indiana 4, UT Martin 2
WESTERN ILLINOIS 10, SIUE 1
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois took care of business Saturday afternoon, beating SIUE 10-1 in Macomb.
The Leathernecks came out hot, putting up seven runs in the first inning and setting the tone early. Wandel Campana got things started with an RBI single, followed by a two-RBI double from Gage Hoover. Isaiah Monge, Krayton Morse, Josh McClintock, and Joe Connolly all added RBIs in the inning as WIU jumped out to a big lead.
Western added on in the fourth when Campana launched a two-run home run to make it 9-0, and picked up one more in the seventh on an RBI walk from Hoover.
Campana led the offense with three RBIs, while Hoover also drove in three. Monge finished with two hits and an RBI, and both Connolly and McClintock had two hits.
On the mound, Jason Buhl went six innings, allowing just one run while striking out seven to earn the win. Cade Sonoqui closed it out with three scoreless innings.
SIUE scored its only run in the sixth, but couldn't get much going the rest of the way as WIU stayed in control the entire game.
LINDENWOOD 15, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Lindenwood baseball team (20-18, 7-7 OVC) secured their third consecutive OVC series win with a 15-2 run-rule victory at Morehead State (18-20, 5-9 OVC) on Saturday. The Lions recorded season-highs for runs scored, total hits (14) and home runs (5) in the contest.
Five LU batters registered multiple hits in the game, led by Tyler Ellis and Sam Driscoll with three knocks apiece. Ellis went 3-4 with two homers, a double, and four RBIs while Driscoll went 3-4 with a double, triple, home run, and two RBIs.
Jake Radosevich extended his team-long reached base streak to 17 games while Filip Sarota recorded a hit for the eighth consecutive game, which is also the longest active streak on the team.
Seth Benes went all seven innings on the mound, surrendering just three hits with five strikeouts to improve his record to 4-3.
After neither side managed a base runner through the first two frames, the two offenses exploded for eight combined runs and four homers in the third inning. Lindenwood plated six runs in the top of the third, with Filip Sarota recording the game's first hit with a leadoff double before Owen Ralph recorded his first homer of the season with a two-run shot to center field giving LU the lead.
Three of the next four Lindenwood batters reached base to load the bags for William Zareh, who brought in Sam Driscoll with a sacrifice fly to make the score 3-0 in favor of the Lions. With two still on and two out, Tyler Ellis went deep to center field for his fourth home run of the season to double the lead.
Morehead State would get two runs with back-to-back solo homers to lead off the bottom of the third, but Seth Benes retired the next three MSU batters in order to limit the damage.
The LU offense went back to work in the top of the fourth with an Owen Ralph one-out base hit soliciting an MSU pitching change before Sam Driscoll blasted a two-run homer over Allen Field's right field wall to extend the Lindenwood lead back to six. It was Driscoll's first longball of the season, and the Lions' season-high third homer of the game.
The home run parade continued in the top of the sixth, with a Sam Driscoll triple followed by consecutive walks loading the bases for Jake Radosevich, who homered to right field for a grand slam to make the score 12-2. Tyler Ellis then added another run with a solo homer to center for his second long ball of the game.
The Lions kept pouring it on in the seventh, with Charlie Isom-McCall singling to drive in Owen Ralph and Sam Driscoll, who reached base with a double to come just a base hit short of completing the cycle.
With a 15-2 lead and the 10-run rule in effect, Seth Benes worked through the bottom of the seventh without allowing another run to finish the complete game and secure the series clinching win.
LITTLE ROCK 11, EASTERN ILLINOIS 7
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Little Rock delivered a statement response Saturday afternoon, erupting for 11 unanswered runs to rally past Eastern Illinois, 11-7, at Gary Hogan Field and secure a key Ohio Valley Conference series.
After falling into an early five-run hole, the Trojans (22-17, 10-4 OVC) flipped the game with relentless offense and timely execution, turning a deficit into a decisive victory over Eastern Illinois (21-13, 10-4 OVC).
Eastern Illinois jumped out quickly, plating five runs in the first inning on four RBI singles to take early command. But Little Rock never wavered, settling in and methodically chipping away.
The Trojans got on the board in the third when Angel Cano delivered an RBI single and Blake Simpson followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-2. That momentum carried into a pivotal fourth inning.
Jerdy Lopez sparked the rally with an RBI double, and Kade Smith delivered the biggest swing of the inning with a two-run single to tie the game at 5-5. Nolan Freund followed with an RBI single, capping a four-run frame and giving Little Rock its first lead at 6-5.
The Trojans broke it open in the fifth.
Taking advantage of Panther miscues, Little Rock scored five more runs in the inning. Cooper Chaplain drove in a run while reaching on an error, Lopez added another on a throwing miscue, and Smith stayed hot with another RBI single. Simpson added his second sacrifice fly of the day, and Freund capped the surge with an RBI single to push the lead to 11-5.
Little Rock finished with 18 hits, showcasing a balanced and aggressive offensive attack. Smith led the way with three hits and three RBI, while Freund added three hits and two RBI. Ty Rhoades set the tone at the bottom of the lineup with four hits and two runs scored, and Lopez crossed the plate three times.
The comeback was even more impressive considering it came against Eastern Illinois ace Bryce Riggs, who entered the game at 6-0 and ranked among the nation's leaders in multiple categories.
Riggs allowed nine hits and just three strikeouts while issuing two walks, as the Trojans consistently forced long at-bats and avoided easy outs.
On the mound, the Trojans showed resilience after the early damage. Brigden Parker battled through the first inning before settling in, and Luke Schimmels (2-0) earned the win with two key innings in relief. Brayden Walls and Josh Beezley combined to close it out, limiting Eastern Illinois to just two runs over the final five innings.
Eastern Illinois added a run in the sixth and a solo home run in the eighth, but the Trojans' middle-inning explosion proved more than enough.
TENNESSEE TECH 10, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech erupted for 17 hits and used a decisive five-run fifth inning to power past Southeast Missouri, 10-4, on Saturday at Quillen Field at Bush Stadium, evening the Ohio Valley Conference series at one game apiece.
The Golden Eagles (13-26, 3-11 OVC) responded after dropping the opener by turning in one of their most complete offensive performances of the season, tallying 10 runs on 17 hits while capitalizing on three SEMO errors.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second, Tech answered in the third. Tyler Bennett drove in the first run on a single, and Jackson Rooker followed with an RBI double to give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 lead.
SEMO (27-12, 9-5 OVC) briefly regained momentum in the fourth on a two-run homer by Tank Sims, but the Golden Eagles delivered the knockout blow in the bottom of the fifth.
Jorsixt Jimenez sparked the inning with a double and later scored on Rooker's RBI single. Manny Garza then launched a two-run homer to right field, highlighting a five-run frame that also featured RBI contributions from AJ Marchetti and Cade Fuller, pushing Tech in front 7-3.
Tech added insurance in the eighth inning, beginning with Bennett's solo home run—his first as a Golden Eagle—before manufacturing two more runs on a sacrifice fly by Garza and a wild pitch.
Jimenez led the offensive charge, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored, while Rooker added three hits and two RBI. Garza drove in three runs on a 2-for-4 day, and Bennett finished with two hits and two RBI.
On the mound, Cooper Casteel (2-3) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Drew Kirby secured his first save as a Golden Eagle with 1.1 shutout innings to close the game.
Tennessee Tech's pitching staff limited SEMO to four runs despite issuing seven walks, stranding 12 runners in the contest.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 4, UT MARTIN 2
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana junior right-hander Ryan Weller threw eight shutout innings to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 4-2 win over the University of Tennessee at Martin Saturday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI, which snap a five-game losing streak, is 21-18 overall and 5-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, while UTM goes to 19-19, 6-8 OVC.
Weller (3-3), who blanked the Skyhawks through the first eight innings, had his shutout ruined by a pair of UTM runs in the top of the ninth. The junior right-hander allowed the two runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out five in eight-plus innings of work.
USI started the scoring in the first inning when senior catcher Micajah Wall legged out a RBI-single for the 1-0 lead. The 1-0 lead would remain until the third inning when the Screaming Eagles pushed three runs across for a 4-0 advantage.
Wall struck for a second time with a RBI-single to center for a 2-0 lead, while senior leftfielder Hunter Miller and junior second baseman Zion Stephens finished up the scoring with RBI-singles of their own to center field.
The 4-0 lead would stand until the ninth inning when UTM pushed a pair of runs across before USI senior right-hander Andres Gonzalez closed the door on a 4-2 victory. Gonzalez was credited with one ining and struck out one to get his third save of the season.
For the game at the plate, Wall finished the contest with a pair of hits and two RBIs, while senior first baseman Patrick McLellan, senior shortstop Clayton Slack, and graduate rightfielder Noah Foster also had a pair of hits in the win.