SUNDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 19, @Western Illinois 10
@Eastern Illinois 8, Southeast Missouri 3
@SIUE 11, Lindenwood 8
@Little Rock 4, Morehead State 0
@Southern Indiana 10, Tennessee Tech 5
UT MARTIN 19, WESTERN ILLINOIS 10
MACOMB, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team set a school record with eight stolen bases in its 19-10 series-clinching win over Western Illinois. The Skyhawks also tallied a season-high 23 hits and used a 10-run first inning to dispatch the Leathernecks.
TJ Grines broke another school record this time for stolen bases in a game with six. The senior also notched four hits with a home run, double, four runs scored and two RBIs. Colten Payton (three RBIs) and Tommy Koch (double, home run) both had a season-best four hits while TJ Dunsford (three hits, RBI) Andrew Lawrence (two stolen bases), JT Popick (two RBIs) and Eli Huebner (two RBIs) recorded multiple hits. Every Skyhawk that stepped to the plate recorded a base knock.
Maxwell Schumacher (3-4) earned the win by pitching 6.1 innings and fanning three batters. Will Turner (one strikeout), Mason Little and Gabe Bryant (two innings) pitched out of the bullpen.
UT Martin (23-24, 9-12 Ohio Valley Conference) had one of the highest scoring innings in school history with 10 runs right off the bat in the first. Payton started the rally with an RBI single then Davis drew a bases loaded walk. Popick drove in a run on a fielder's choice and another run came home this time from an error. Koch made it 5-0 from a single to left field with the Skyhawks upping their lead two batters later by scoring off an error. Koch and Grines came home from an error and Payton singled again for a 9-0 UT Martin edge. Davis capped off the scoring and got the Skyhawks to double digits with an RBI single to right field.
Western Illinois (16-30, 8-13 OVC) got a run in during the home half, but Schumacher responded by sitting down five of the next six batters he faced. With an eight-run lead in the top of the fifth, UT Martin added on two more from Grines' second home run of the series that upped the advantage to 12-2.
Schumacher posted a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, and the Skyhawk bats brought home three in the seventh inning off back-to-back RBI singles courtesy of Payton and Dunsford. Davis reached safely in the next at-bat on a fielder's choice with Payton scoring from third and it was 15-3 in favor of the Orange and Blue.
Koch hit his second home run of the season in the eighth while Popick and Huebner delivered RBI singles in the top of the ninth to give UT Martin a 19-9 lead going into the bottom part of the inning. Bryant closed out the ninth to help the Skyhawks grasp the series win on the road.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The EIU offense scored six runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to rally from behind for the series sweep. Eastern Illinois remains tied for first place in the OVC with SIUE. With the win, EIU moves to 28-15 (15-6 OVC), while SEMO falls to 31-16 (12-9 OVC).
Eastern Illinois won the series finale in the 7th inning. The Redhawks' nightmare, including six Panther runs.
Chris Worcester began the frame with a single to left field, tying the game at 3-3 by scoring Tyler Castro. James Love followed with a base hit and advanced to second on a wild pitch shortly after reaching base.
SEMO wanted no part of Mike O'Conor, intentionally walking him first, which loaded the bases. EIU took a 4-3 lead after Peyton Wilson earned a four-pitch walk, scoring Worcester.
With the bases jammed, Dylan Drumke made the highlight play of the weekend, smashing a grand slam to left field. Wilson, O'Conor, and Love each scored to pull away from SEMO 8-3.
Prior to the offensive explosion, EIU broke the scoreless scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Small-ball baseball was used to perfection, with Drumke opening the frame with a single, followed by Colin Horneman reaching on a walk.
Quade Peters loaded the bases with a high-bouncing infield center to third base. Castro collected his 22nd RBI of the season with a blooping single to third base, plating Drumke.
Panthers starter Dalton Boruff held the SEMO offense quiet until the fourth inning, where the RedHawks scored three runs.
Boruff was credited with the three runs and replaced by Anothony Solis in the middle of the fourth inning. He finished with 3.1 innings pitched, allowing three runs and collecting two strikeouts.
After a wild start, Solis settled down in relief, holding the RedHawks scoreless in 4.2 innings.
Trailing 3-1, Eastern Illinois continued to remain in the hunt with a run in the sixth inning. Mike O'Conor went 1-3, collecting his 9th double of the season, moving Love into scoring position. Peyton Wilson hit his 5th sacrifice fly to right field to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Once the Panthers found their rhythm, the pitching staff was stellar, holding the RedHawks to three runs on only four hits. The RedHawks hit .129 against the Panther arms.
On the mound, Anthony Solis collected his third win of the season, moving to 3-2. Solis tossed 4.2 scoreless innings, collecting two strikeouts. For the RedHawks, Jackson Kranawetter was credited for his first loss of the season after allowing five runs in 1.0 innings.
Offensively, Peyton Wilson and Dylan Drumke led the way, finishing with six combined RBIs. Drumke ended with two hits, including the four-RBI grand slam. Wilson finished with a hit and two RBIs. Stanley, Drumke, and Peters each earned two hits.
SIUE 11, LINDENWOOD 8
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball got out the bats and the brooms Sunday, banging out 14 hits en route to an 11-8 win and a series sweep of Lindenwood at Simmons Baseball Complex.
The Cougars hit three home runs Sunday as they swept their third OVC series of the year. The Cougars have now hit 80 home runs, the second most in a season in their Division I history.
SIUE remained tied for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference at 15-6 while improving to 27-21 overall. The 27 wins matches the most wins for SIUE under Head Coach Sean Lyons.
Lindenwood dropped to 10-11 in the OVC and 25-22 overall.
The Lions got a three-run home run from Fillip Sarota in the first inning to lead 3-0.
The Cougars answered with a run in the bottom of the inning and then a four-run second, which included Ryan Niedzwiedz's league-leading 21st home run of the year-a three-run shot to give the Cougars a 5-3 lead.
It was 6-4 SIUE after a Niedzwiedz RBI single in the fourth inning. Cooper Eggert led off the sixth with a home run, his second of the series, to extend the lead to 7-4.
Lindenwood took an 8-7 lead with a four-run seventh inning, but SIUE responded with three in the bottom of the inning. Joshua Heyder led off with his 11th home run of the year to dead center field and Sean Kang and Eggert each added RBI hits in the inning.
Ethan Wiloughby topped off the scoring with an RBI-double which skipped over the left field fence in the eighth inning. Willoughby led the Cougars with three hits.
Noah Johnson (2-3) pitched the final 2.1 innings giving up a hit and striking out three to earn the win.
Easton Rakers (2-3) allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning in relief and suffered the loss.
SIUE outhit Lindenwood 14-9. Sarota and Will Geary each had two hits for the Lions.
LITTLE ROCK 4, MOREHEAD STATE 0
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Locked in a scoreless duel through five innings, the Trojans erupted for four runs in the sixth and leaned on a dominant outing from Nic Bronzini to secure a 4-0 victory over Morehead State Sunday at Gary Hogan Field.
The win pushes Little Rock to 28-20 overall and 14-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play, completing a strong weekend performance at home.
Bronzini set the tone from the outset, working efficiently and confidently through eight shutout innings. The right-hander scattered just four hits, struck out eight and consistently worked out of traffic to keep the Eagles off the board.
While Bronzini handled the mound, the Trojans offense stayed steady, putting pressure on throughout before finally breaking through in the sixth.
Jerdy Lopez sparked the rally with a leadoff single, followed by a bunt hit from Kade Smith to put two aboard. After Angel Cano was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Blake Simpson delivered the breakthrough swing—a two-run single to right that opened the scoring and shifted momentum squarely to Little Rock.
The Trojans kept applying pressure. Nolan Freund executed a sacrifice bunt to move runners into scoring position, and Ty Rhoades followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0. Nico Baumbach capped the inning with a sacrifice fly, giving Little Rock all the cushion it would need.
From there, it was all about finishing.
Bronzini continued to attack the zone into the eighth, and Gage Haley closed the door in the ninth, striking out two to seal the shutout. The Trojans struck out 10 Morehead State hitters on the afternoon and never allowed the Eagles to mount a sustained threat.
Curry also pointed to Bronzini's command of the game as the difference-maker.
At the plate, Little Rock produced nine hits, with Rhoades leading the way with a two-hit effort, while Simpson drove in two runs in the decisive inning.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 10, TENNESSEE TECH 5
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball took the three-game finale and won the series with a 10-5 victory over Tennessee Tech University Sunday at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 25-23 overall and 8-13 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while TTU goes to 17-32, 5-16 OVC.
After TTU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Screaming Eagles scored six unanswered runs to take control of the contest. USI evened the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the second when senior shortstop Clayton Slack crossed the plate on a squeeze play by senior designated hitter Micajah Wall.
Wall would strike again in the fourth with a two-run single to start a five-run frame. Junior catcher Drue Saenz scored the third run of the frame when junior second baseman Parker Martin reached on an error by the third baseman.
The final two runs of the frame crossed the plate when Wall scored on a bunt single by junior third baseman Collin Senior and Martin scored on a wild pitch for the 6-1 lead.
USI would go on to score three more in the fifth to extend the margin to 9-1. TTU scored one in the sixth and two in the seventh to close the gap to 9-4, before USI added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh for the eventual 10-5 winning margin.
Wall led USI at the plate, going two-for-two with three runs scored and three RBI. Junior second baseman Parker Martin tied Wall with three RBI and had a pair of hits.
On the mound, senior left-hander Jake Porter picked up the win in relief. Porter (2-1) allowed one run on no hits and a walk, while striking out two in 1.2 innings of work.
USI senior right-hander Andres Gonzalez started and got a no-decision for the Screaming Eagles. Gonzalez went the first three innings, allowing a run on three hits and four walks, while striking out two.