ARKANSAS STATE 17, MURRAY STATE 8
MURRAY, Ky. - Wes Cunningham belted a pair of home runs and Murray State hit four as a team, but it was not nearly enough as Arkansas State outslugged the Breds enroute to a 17-8 victory Tuesday afternoon at Reagan Field.
The Red Wolves (8-4) got on the board in the first inning as Todd Baumgartner blooped a single to center and scored on Murray Watts' triple into the corner in right field.
The Breds (4-7) responded in a major way in the home-half of the inning as they collected five hits and pushed across five runs. Zach Noonan started the rally with a single off the leg of the pitcher and scored on Cunningham's two-run homer to left center. Jason Laws doubled down the right-field line and scored on Daniel Hill's two-out double to center field. Bryan Propst closed out the scoring with a two-run shot to left center, his team-leading fourth of the season.
ASU pushed across four runs in the second as Jordan Castaldo doubled to right center and scored on Kyle DeGrace's two-run shot to left field. The Red Wolves made the Breds pay for a two-out error as Watts delivered a two-run single up the middle.
MSU regained the lead in the bottom of the second as Cunningham hit his second two-run homer of the game, this time to right center.
The Red Wolves gained their first advantage in the third as Castaldo started his second-straight inning with a double to right center and scored on a fielding error by the Breds. Michael Faulkner followed with a single and Giovanni Garcia delivered a two-run double down the left-field line. After a failed pickoff attempt, DeMoney delivered a sacrifice fly to center on an outstanding diving catch by Elliot Frey.
ASU reached double digits in the fifth as a pair of hits put runners on the corners and Garcia delivered a sacrifice fly to right center.
The Red Wolves would tack on seven more runs over the final three innings to raise their total to 17 runs.
MSU got one run in the eighth inning as Laws hit a solo home run to right field.
Brad Allen (2-0) picked up the win despite allowing seven runs on six hits over three innings. Marc Harmon (1-3) suffered the loss after surrendering nine runs, five earned, on nine hits over 2.1 innings.
Noonan, Cunningham, Laws and Propst each collected two hits as the team reached double digits in hits for the first time in seven games.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 9, UNC GREENSBORO 6
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team used a four-run sixth inning to rally past UNC Greensboro, 9-6, Tuesday night at UNCG Baseball Stadium. The Colonels have now won three straight games.
After the Colonels (5-3) fell behind, 5-2, heading into the fifth inning, junior Bryce Labhart delivered a two out, two strike double to right center that scored junior Ryan Faidley and allowed junior Jayson Langfels to step to the plate, who promptly blasted an RBI triple off the right field wall and made it 5-4.
In the top of the sixth, EKU took advantage of three Spartan errors early in the inning to manufacture four runs and take a lead it would hold until the end.
Freshman right-hander Chris Barte (1-0) got the win by going 1.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits. Barte was part of a Colonel bullpen, including freshman Cody Alvey, sophomore Eric Sanders and junior Ryne Purcell, that relieved starter Austin Rexroat and held the Spartans to just two runs over the final 6.2 innings.
Purcell picked up his third save of the year on the night.
Wes McBride (2-1) received the loss for UNCG, going just 0.1 innings and allowing four runs (all unearned) on two hits.
The Colonels, who were among the national leaders in triples last season, had no three-baggers heading into Tuesday night; however, they blasted four in the win over UNCG.
Faidley went 3-for-4 with one of those triples and three runs scored. Langfels batted 2-for-5 with a double, a triple and an RBI, while sophomore Jacob Daniel and freshman Kyle England also hit triples in the cavernous ballpark.
Ed Jayjack led UNCG (7-4) at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
The Colonels struck first in the top of the second as senior Anthony Ottrando led off the inning with a single to center, stole second and came home on a single through the left side by sophomore Michael Garcia.
However, the Spartans took the lead in their half of the second as Chris Barker and Eric Brindle delivered RBI singles to put UNCG up, 2-1. They added two more in the third and could have added more if not for a 5-2-3 double play turned with the bases loaded and one out.
EKU got a run back in the fourth as Langfels doubled down the left field line, swiped third and scored on an error by Brindle. The Colonels had an opportunity to score another but stranded Garcia on third as Spartan starter Colby Hyatt got England to strike out swinging for the third out of the inning.
After Labhart and Langfels drove in runs in the fifth, he Colonels took their first lead since the second inning in the top of the sixth as they took advantage of three Spartan errors to score four runs. Garcia and sophomore A.J. Jamison both reached on errors, and on a double steal, Garcia scored on a throwing error by Spartan catcher Ed Jayjack. Pinch runner Jeff Emerich then scored on an RBI groundout by England to give the Colonels the lead. After Faidley laced a single up the middle, Daniel crushed a pinch hit triple off the wall in center, scoring Faidley from first. Sophomore Richie Rodriguez then plated Daniel with a groundout to second that made it 8-5.
After UNCG plated a run in the bottom of the sixth, EKU tacked on another in the eighth when Faidley roped a triple into left center and then scored on a single down the right field line by Rodriguez to make the score 9-6.
#17 OLE MISS 14, AUSTIN PEAY 4
OXFORD, Miss. - Austin Peay's baseball team saw its modest three-game win streak grind to a halt with a 14-4, Tuesday, loss at No. 17 Mississippi.
Sophomore Jon Clinard went 4-for-5 and senior Adam Browett went 3-for-4 to lead the Govs offense. Senior catcher Trey Lucas also had two hits, extending his hit streak to 15 games, dating back to last season.
The Rebels (10-2) jumped out early, posting a pair of runs in each of the first two innings. A leadoff home run by Tim Ferguson, followed by three straight singles accounted for the first two runs. Govs starter David Vicini issued a leadoff walk in the second inning which led to a two-run home run by Matt Tracy.
APSU (8-4) freshman right-hander Eric Davis relieved Vicini and retired eight straight Ole Miss hitters before giving up a two-out single which gave way to a four-run fourth inning. The Rebels posted five more runs in the fifth inning, taking advantage of two walks but doing most of the damage by stringing together base hits.
Putting the lead-off man on base was a sign of things to come for both teams throughout the game. In the sixth, freshman John Hogan reached as the lead-off hitter courtesy a hit-by-pitch. Senior Matt Kole singled him around to set up an RBI-double by Browett. A two-base error by the Rebels plated Kole and Browett, allowing Clinard to double in the Govs final run , all with two outs.
Ole Miss manufactured a late run to set the final 14-4 margin.
Vicini (0-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on six hits in one inning. Kole and sophomore Jeremy Dobbs combined to allow one run in the game's final three innings.
Rory McKean (1-1) picked up the win for the Rebels, striking out seven over 5.0 innings of work. Ferguson led Ole Miss, going 3-for-5, while Kevin Mort went 3-for-4 with two RBI. David Phillips and Zach Miller each had three RBI.
SOUTH ALABAMA 6, TENNESSEE TECH 4
MOBILE, Ala. - Matthew Shepherd pitched five solid innings, fanning eight South Alabama batters and walking only one as the Tennessee Tech baseball team took a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning. But the Jaguars would wrap up a late rally with a two-run eighth inning to clinch a 6-4 win in the first game of a two-game series on Tuesday evening.
Tech falls to 4-7 on the season while USA imrpoves to 9-5. The Golden Eagles and Jaguars will play game two on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Seth Edwards, A.J. Kirby-Jones, Ben Burgess and Casanova Donaldson each had at least one hit and drove in a run for the Golden Eagles. Kirby-Jones, who leads the Ohio Valley Conference in walks with 17, was give two more free bases by USA pitchers.
Tech scored two runs in the first inning, but USA would match with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first. The Golden Eagles would again take a lead with one run in the top of the second, but the Jaguars answered again to tie the game at three.
Tech went up 4-3 with a run in the top of the fourth, which stood until the bottom of the sixth. But South Alabama got the last word with a tying run in the bottom of the sixth, and a game-clinching two-run eighth that sealed the 6-4 win.
Ryan Hopkins got the loss on the mound for Tech after pitching 1.2 innings and giving up one run and a hit with a walk and a strikeout.
Tuesday's game was the first ever meeting between the two schools.
WESTERN CAROLINA 6, SIU EDWARDSVILLE 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina University scored a pair of runs in the first inning Tuesday and never trailed, shutting out the SIUE Cougars 6-0 in the first of a two-game series at Ronnie Childress Field.
Cougar starter Tony Schaeffer allowed two runs on three hits to start the first inning, before settling in to retire the next seven hitters he faced.
WCU added a pair of runs in the fourth on a two-run home run by catcher Ollie Goulder. Goulder tripled to start the sixth inning and then scored on a one-out single by Cory Cronan. Cronan's hit chased Schaeffer.
Schaeffer, 0-1, allowed all five runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out three.
Josh Hoguet followed Schaeffer. Hoguet allowed a run on two hits in 2.2 innings of work. He struck out five, including fanning the side in the eighth.
SIUE, 2-9, managed just four hits against five Catamount pitchers. Adam Eggemeyer was 2-4. James Vazquez and Joel Greatting had the other two hits for the Cougars.