SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 3, Southern Indiana 1
@Lindenwood 4, Western Illinois 1
@UT Martin 8, Tennessee Tech 4
@SIUE 6, Little Rock 2
@Southeast Missouri 10, Morehead State 8
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Bryce Riggs dominates in a pitching duel to secure the weekend series victory with one game remaining. EIU improves to 20-11 (9-2 OVC), while the Screaming Eagles fall to 20-16 (4-7 OVC). With the win, the Panthers are now tied for 1st place in the OVC with SIUE.
Game two was celebrated with the Frost family, who generously donated the new lights for the baseball stadium, allowing the Panthers to now compete under the lights.
Riggs provided a stellar performance to highlight the special day, tossing a complete game. In the 9.0 innings of work, he allowed only one run on one hit while striking out six batters. Riggs earned his sixth win of the season, closing the day with a perfect 6-0 record.
USI's Weller and Gonzalez were strong on the mound as well. Weller threw 6.0 innings, allowing six hits but only two earned runs. Gonzales gave up one run in 2.0 innings of relief.
Panthers had success in the batter's box but struggled to plate the runners. EIU left 12 runners on base, including three with bases loaded in the 8th inning.
Eastern Illinois was able to capitalize on one of their base runners in the 2nd inning, with Quade Peters doubling to left field, scoring Zak Goodwin, who reached on a single to center field to begin the inning. Peters continues to be a catalyst in the lineup after returning from injury, collecting his 4th and 5th RBI of the weekend.
Riggs surrendered the only USI run in the 5th inning, but EIU quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning.
Brett Stanley extended his hitting streak to 28 games with a single to left field. After a throwing error from Wall behind the plate, Stanley was 90 feet from home. James Love broke the tie with a double to right field, extending his on-base streak to 31 games.
Eastern Illinois added an extra insurance run in the late stages of the game, with Peters collecting his 5th RBI of the weekend, scoring Goodwin on a single to center field.
Riggs faced no threat in the 9th as he quickly went three up and three down to earn the series victory.
LINDENWOOD 4, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood baseball team (16-18, 4-7 OVC) secured their second consecutive OVC series win with a 4-1 victory over Western Illinois (8-24, 3-8 OVC) at the Lou Brock Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Seth Benes was lights for Lindenwood on the mound, allowing just one run on four hits with a season-high eight strikeouts through eight innings. It was the longest outing of the season for Benes. Easton Rakers picked up the save after keeping Western off the board in the ninth.
The Lindenwood bats totaled 10 hits on the day with Jake Radosevich, Filip Sarota, and Sam Driscoll leading the club with two hits apiece. Meanwhile, Charlie Isom-McCall, Will Geary, William Zareh, and Tyler Ellis all registered one RBI.
Other than a pair of Lindenwood base hits, neither team was able to generate any offense through the first four innings, as Seth Benes carried a no-hitter into the fifth, including seven strikeouts through the first three innings.
After a hit batter put a runner on for Western in the fifth, Kamryn Link broke up the no-no with a one-out double down the left field line. However, Cordell Coburn was thrown out at home on the play after trying to score all the way from first base, and Benes was able to get out of the inning without any runs following a fly out.
The LU offense rewarded their pitcher with a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth, as the entire Lindenwood order came to the plate while racking up five hits. The inning started with three consecutive singles, beginning with Filip Sarota and Owen Ralph before Sam Driscoll loaded the bases after reaching safely on a bunt.
That turned over the order and brought up Charlie Isom-McCall, who delivered a base hit on his own to drive in Sarota and put the Lions in front. Will Geary and William Zareh would tack on two more runs with sacrifice flies before Tyler Ellis added the fourth with an RBI single through the left side that plated Isom-McCall.
The only other run of the ball game would come in the top of the eighth, as WIU was able to allude the shutout with a Liam Bushey RBI groundout that allowed Josh McClintock to score from third after reaching first on an infield single, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt, and taking another 90 feet on a wild pitch.
After Easton Rakers relieved Benes in the ninth, Western threatened with runners on the corners and just one out following back-to-back base knocks by Isaiah Monge and Cordell Coburn, but Rakers got Kamryn Link to roll into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
UT MARTIN 8, TENNESSEE TECH 4
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team won its seventh straight game at Skyhawk Field with an 8-4 series clinching win over Tennessee Tech.
Andrew Lawrence (home run) drove in a season-high four runs with three hits while Andrew Davis (two RBIs, three runs scored) and Amari Conley (RBI, stolen base) also had three base knocks. Both JT Popick (double) and Colten Payton (run scored) tossed in multi-hit outings.
Cason Sharp (2-3) fanned six batters (season-best) over seven innings and only allowed one earned run. Will Turner was spotless in relief earning the save after two innings with no hits, no runs, no walks and two strikeouts.
UT Martin (18-16, 5-6 Ohio Valley Conference) got to work in the bottom of the first from two RBI singles by Lawrence and TJ Dunsford. Sharp had his team in front with just two hits allowed through four innings. The Golden Eagles (11-24, 1-10 OVC) pulled in front in the fifth, but the Skyhawks had a counterattack prepared in the home half.
With two outs, Davis singled home Conley on an 0-2 count to tie the game at three. Lawrence came through on a full count by singling to third base that scored the go-ahead run.
With the game tied again in the bottom of the seventh, Davis poked a single through the right side that allowed Grines to score and then Lawrence crushed a two-run homer over the wall in left center that gave the Skyhawks a 7-4 advantage.
Conley added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth via an RBI single and Turner pitched his second straight perfect inning in the ninth for UT Martin to take the series.
SIUE 6, LITTLE ROCK 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Spencer Stearns tossed seven shutout innings to lead SIUE baseball over Little Rock 6-2 in the second game of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Roy E. Lee Field.
SIUE improved to 9-2 in the OVC and 18-16 overall. The Cougars are tied atop the league with Eastern Illinois. Little Rock is 8-3 in OVC play and 20-15 overall.
Stearns (5-2) allowed just three hits and struck out three on his way to his fifth consecutive win.
The Cougar starter got help from his defense as well as SIUE turned three inning-ending double plays. SIUE leads the OVC with 29 double plays.
The Cougars got on the board in the third inning when Chase Bloomer ripped an RBI single off the third-base bag. Bloomer then scored later in the inning to stretch the lead to 2-0. He made it a 3-0 score in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly to center.
Gage Franck doubled to lead off the seventh inning and went third with a Sean Kang infield hit. Franck scored on a wild pitch and Daniel Gierer belted a two-run home run to left to put the Cougars up 6-0.
Little Rock starter Brigden Parker (2-3) worked into the seventh inning allowing five runs on eight hits. He struck out seven in the loss.
The Trojans' only two runs came in the eighth inning on two hits and a walk against reliever Porter Conn. Nola Fruend drove in both runs with a two-out single. Conn retired the side in order in the ninth to close the door.
Franck finished 3-4 to lead the Cougars. Cooper Eggert was 2-4.
Fruend finished 2-4 with the two RBIs for Little Rock.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 10, MOREHEAD STATE 8
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (25-10, 8-3 OVC) secured a 10-8 victory over Morehead State (16-18, 4-7 OVC) on Saturday at Capaha Field. The Redhawks scored six runs in the second inning, providing a decisive lead early in the contest.
Southeast Missouri took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning with Cal Sullivan smashing a home run to right field, giving the home team a 1-0 advantage. The Eagles were unable to respond in the top half, ending the inning with Southeast Missouri ahead 1-0.
The second inning saw Southeast Missouri extend its lead significantly. Joe Hall's single drove in two runs, followed by a bases-loaded walk that brought home another. Andrew Ramirez doubled to right center, clearing the bases and driving in three more runs. The inning ended with Southeast Missouri up 7-1.
In the third inning, Morehead State's McCubbin hit a solo homer, but Southeast Missouri answered back when Caleb Klein doubled to score Brooks Kettering. At the end of the third, the score was 8-2 in favor of Southeast Missouri.
Southeast Missouri added another run in the fifth when Ryan Lopetegui reached on a fielder's choice, bringing the score to 9-3 after Morehead State managed one run in the same inning.
The sixth inning saw both teams scoring, with Southeast Missouri capitalizing on a wild pitch to score Joe Terranova. Morehead State added two runs, making it 10-5 through six innings.
Morehead State closed the gap in the seventh with an RBI single, but Southeast Missouri maintained its lead, with the score at 10-6.