TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 4, Bradley 3
@#22 Louisville 8, Morehead State 3
@Belmont 4, Austin Peay 3
@Western Kentucky 11, Eastern Kentucky 7
Jacksonville State 8, @Auburn 7
Murray State 7, #2 Kentucky 3 (Paducah, Ky.)
Tennessee Tech 5, @Lipscomb 4
@Memphis 13, UT Martin 3
EASTERN ILLINOIS 4, BRADLEY 3
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Redshirt-senior David Ciaglia went 1-for-3 with three RBI in his final game at Coaches Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, lifting the Panther baseball team over Bradley, 4-3. EIU improves to 25-25 on the year.
With the game tied at three heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Ciaglia drove in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Tyler Schweigert from third base.
Senior Darin Worman (4-4) retired the final three Bradley batters to preserve the Panther victory in his final game at Coaches Stadium. Worman earned the win, only allowing one hit in the contest's final 1.1 innings.
EIU got on the scoreboard first, scoring one run on two errors to take a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Bob Schuch hit an RBI single up the middle in the fourth inning to knot the game at one. Ciaglia gave the Panthers 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the frame with a two-run homer over the left-field fence.
Back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Jason Leblebijian and Schuch scored the Braves final two runs, tying the game at three in the top of the eighth inning. Schuch paced the Braves at the plate as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Leblebijian and Derek Sprout both added two hits in the loss.
Bradley had one more hit (9-8) than EIU, but committed two more errors (2-0). Both squads left seven runners on base in the contest.
Caleb Howell was the Panthers lone player to have more than one hit in the game, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Thoma added a hit and a run while Ryan Dineen recorded one hit and an RBI.
Patrick Flanagan (2-3) took the loss for Bradley, surrendering two hits and one run in the game's final inning of play. David Koll made the start and went 3.1 innings while allowing three hits and three runs (two earned). Koll also threw four strikeouts.
#22 LOUISVILLE 8, MOREHEAD STATE 3
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A four-run eighth inning ended Morehead State baseball's attempt to rally against No. 22 Louisville as the Eagles fell 8-3 Tuesday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
A three-run double over the head of right fielder Luke Bainer off the bat of Cardinal senior Stewart Ijames highlighted Louisville's scoring effort in the eighth.
Left-handed starter junior Garrick Whittle toed the rubber for the Eagles. He allowed an unearned run to the Cardinals (36-17, 16-8 Big East) in the first inning on a hit batter, throwing error by the catcher and a wild pitch.
Senior catcher Eric Bainer provided the equalizer for the Eagles (25-25, 10-14 OVC) in the top of the second with his team-leading eighth long ball of the season, a solo home run over the left field wall.
Whittle did not escape the second frame as he allowed four consecutive singles and threw a wild pitch, which gave Louisville a three-run advantage. He took his fifth loss of the season and pitched 1.1 innings, allowed four hits, hit a pair of batters and allowed four runs.
Cardinal starter Chad Green earned the victory, his fourth of the season. He went one time through the Eagle lineup, fanned three and tossed 2.1 innings.
The Eagles threatened the Louisville lead in the sixth trailing 4-1. Seniors Luke and Eric Bainer were both hit by pitches by reliever Joe Filomeno with one out. Pinch hitter Cole Cleveland singled with two outs to load the bases and both Bainers came home on a fielding error by Cards third baseman Alex Chittenden.
Left fielder Taylor Pickens and Cleveland recorded multi-hit outings for MSU. Pickens went 2-for-3, with two walks and a stolen base.
BELMONT 4, AUSTIN PEAY 3
NASHVILLE - Austin Peay State University's baseball team feel victim to a Belmont walk-off base hit in a 4-3 non-conference loss, Tuesday, at Rose Park.
Austin Peay (32-20) turned to closer Tyler Rogers with the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Belmont leadoff hitter Matthew Kinney worked a leadoff walk from Rogers to start the inning. The Bruins moved the Kinney into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, forcing the Govs to intentionally walk center fielder Dylan Craig. Right fielder Dylan Turner made his lone hit of the night count, singling through the left side and Kinney scored from second to end the game.
Belmont (32-21) scored the game's first runs in the fourth inning, using designated hitter Judah Akers ground out and catcher Alec Diamond's double to score consecutive runs. The Bruins would leave Diamond stranded at third as APSU reliever Mike Hebert induced an inning-ending fielder's choice.
Austin Peay answered immediately, courtesy second baseman Jon Clinard's two-run double that scored first baseman Tyler Childress and catcher Matt Wollenzin, who reached on a single and walk, respectively, to start the inning.
The Govs took their first lead, 3-2, two innings later. Right fielder Rolando Gautier led off the seventh with a walk and center fielder Michael Blanchard followed with a bunt single. Third baseman Jordan Hankins gave the Govs the lead with a ground out that scored Gautier, but the Govs could not bring home Blanchard, leaving him stranded at third.
Belmont was unable to immediately respond, but got the tying run back in the eighth. Third baseman Matt Beaty and Akers had back-to-back singles, Beaty getting to third base on Akers outfield hit. Diamond brought home the tying run on an infield ground out, setting up the ninth inning.
Rogers (3-3) suffered the loss after allowing one run on a hit and two walks in the ninth. Starter Kacy Kemmer tossed two scoreless innings in his first collegiate start.
Childress led the Govs offense with a 3-for-3 outing. Clinard led Austin Peay with two RBI as part of a 1-for-4 outing.
Belmont's Scott Moses (2-2) picked up the win after tossing a scoreless ninth. Bruins starter Dan Ludwig tossed four scoreless innings. Diamond finished the night 2-for-3 with two RBI.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 11, EASTERN KENTUCKY 7
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Host Western Kentucky exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the second inning and then held on to beat the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team, 11-7, on Tuesday night at Nick Denes Field.
The loss snaps the Colonels' six-game winning streak. EKU (28-21) had won 11 of their last 12 games before Tuesday. With the win, WKU improves to 22-30 on the season.
EKU took an early lead with two runs in the top of the second, both coming off the bat of senior Richie Rodriguez. Senior Michael Garcia was hit by a pitch to lead off that inning, and senior Dustin Dunlop advanced him to third on a single to center field. After junior Shaun Ball grounded out and sophomore Sean Hagen struck out, Rodriguez ripped a two-out, two-run triple into left center field that plated both Garcia and Dunlop and gave the Colonels a 2-0 advantage.
WKU, however, plated eight runs in the home half of the frame to take a lead it would never relinquish. Freshman left-hander Nick Bozman and freshman right-hander Cody Creamer combined to allow three walks, two wild pitches and a hit batsman in the Hilltoppers' decisive inning.
EKU responded with three runs in the top of the third, as Ball delivered a two-run single into right field that scored senior A.J. Jamison and sophomore Bryan Soloman, and Dunlop later scored when Rodriguez reached on an error by WKU third baseman Casey Dykes; however, the Hilltoppers responded with three of their own in the bottom of the seventh to stretch their lead back to 11-5.
The Colonels pushed across a run in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez and another in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by junior Alex Hughes, but it was not enough as WKU held on for the win baseball's version of the Battle of the Bluegrass.
EKU had won four of five over its non-conference, in-state rival before Tuesday's game.
Bozman (2-1) picked up the loss for EKU, working 1.1 innings and allowing four runs on four hits. The EKU pitching staff surrendered seven walks and a season-high four wild pitches in the defeat.
Right-hander Brennan Pearson (2-2) earned the win for WKU, coming on in relief of starter Colton Satterlee and holding the Colonels scoreless between the fourth and seventh innings.
Rodriguez led the way offensively for EKU, finishing the night with three RBI. Dunlop and Jamison both recorded a pair of hits in the loss.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, AUBURN 7
AUBURN, Ala. - Ben Waldrip and Kyle Bluestein each homered and Todd Hornsby became the Ohio Valley Conference's all-time saves leader as Jacksonville State claimed an 8-7 win over Auburn at Plainsman Park on Tuesday evening.
Hornsby picked up his 12 save of the season after allowing just one hit over the final two innings to earn his 32nd career save to pass Eastern Kentucky's Joe Witten (1995-98) total of 31 career saves. Casey Antley (2-2) picked up the win after allowing just three hits in three innings on the mound for the Gamecocks. Cory Luckie (2-1) got stuck with the loss after giving up eight hits and four runs in three innings for Auburn.
It marked the second straight win by Jax State (24-27) over Auburn, and it was just the second non-conference loss of the year for Auburn.
The Tigers (29-24) took an early 2-0 lead after Ryan Tella hit a two-run home run in the first inning, but the Gamecocks took the lead for good in the fourth inning.
Waldrip and Bluestein hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2, as Waldrip slugged his 16th of the season and Bluestein hit his ninth of the year.
Erik Underwood and Cal Lambert then each followed with singles and Andrew Bishop then reached on an Auburn error to load the bases. Michael Bishop then drew a bases loaded walk to give JSU a 3-2 lead, before Lambert scored on an infield grounder as the Gamecocks took a 4-2 lead.
Jax State extended the lead in the fifth inning after Erik Underwood had a RBI single and then later scored on Auburn's second error of the night as the Gamecocks took a 6-2 lead.
Blake Austin led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to cut the lead to 6-3, but Jax State answered in the seventh inning.
Sam Eberle led off wihta double and Waldrip singled to left center to score Eberle, before Lambert had a single to right field to score Waldrip and give the Gamecocks an 8-3 lead.
The Tigers closed the margin in the home half of the seventh after scoring four runs - all with two outs - to cut the lead to 8-7.
Auburn made one final rally in the ninth inning after loading the bases with two outs, but Hornsby got Justin Bryant to ground out to end the game.
Erik Underwood and Waldrip each had three hits to lead the Gamecocks, while Lambert had two hits. Creede Simpson and Tella each had three hits for Auburn, while Jay Gonzalez had two hits.
MURRAY STATE 7, #2 KENTUCKY 3
PADUCAH, Ky. - Murray State senior Jacob Rhodes delivered a bases-clearing double into the right-field corner in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a tie ballgame and give the Breds a 7-3 victory over #2 Kentucky Tuesday evening in front of 1,379 fans at Brooks Stadium. It was the highest ranked opponent the Breds have beaten in school history.
The inning started harmlessly as the first two hitters were retired. Colton Speed fouled off six-straight pitches before blooping a single into center field. Ty Stetson and Paul Ritzheimer followed with back-to-back walks, before Rhodes ripped the 0-1 pitch to right field. Mike Kozlowski followed by scoring Rhodes with a single to right field.
The Breds (23-30) got on the board in the second inning as Kozlowski walked, Brandon Eggenschwiler blooped a single to left and Noah Zipko walked to load the bases. Dylan Wheeler delivered an RBI single to center field, before Stetson drew a two-out walk to score the second run.
The Wildcats (41-12) took advantage of a fielding error in the fourth to tie the game. Austin Cousino started the inning by reaching on a two-base fielding error by the first baseman. Two batters later, Luke Maile delivered a two-run home run to right center.
UK took the lead in the fifth as Matt Reida started a two-out rally with a slow roller to second. After a walk to Cousino, Brian Adams delivered an RBI double to left field.
MSU got the run back in the home-half of the inning as Eggenschwiler singled to right field with two outs. Zipko followed with a fly ball to deep left center that was dropped, allowed Eggenschwiler to score from first.
Will Handlin (5-3) earned the victory after allowing three hits in two scoreless innings. The Breds pitched by committee, with Byran Babin, Luke Shuemaker and Tyler Beers tossing a shutout inning, while Mark Roberts and Handlin tossed two shutout frames. A.J. Reed (4-2) took the loss after allowing one run on three hits over three innings.
Eggenschwiler led the offense by going 3-for-5, while Corey Bays added a pair of hits. Stetson drew a pair of walks to raise his season total to 52, tieing Jack Perconte for second on the single-season list.
TENNESSEE TECH 5, LIPSCOMB 4
NASHVILLE - Once again both Tennessee Tech and Lipscomb proved to be evenly matched, but it was the Golden Eagles who once again came away with the one-run victory as they downed the Bisons 5-4 Tuesday evening.
Tuesday's contest saw Lipscomb try to keep up with the Golden Eagles all night long as the Bisons came back from a pair of two-run deficits, but they finished the evening one comeback short as TTU was able to plate the winning run in the top of the ninth to secure the win.
With one out in the ninth, Michael Morris reached first on an error and advanced to third on Zach Stephens double to right center. Morris then advanced home on Hunter Brothers' wild pitch to give the Golden Eagles what turned out to be the winning run.
The Golden Eagles used six different pitchers in their win including Nick Price, Garrett Baugh and Cullen Park, who each kept Lipscomb off the scoreboard as they combined for five shutout innings.
Price started the game with 2.1 shutout innings and a strikeout before making way for Baugh who kept the Bisons scoreless through the fourth as he sat down all five batters he faced. Park took the hill in the ninth and kept Lipscomb in check to earn his fourth save of the season.
Lipscomb managed to get back into the game as they tallied two runs off of Andy Williams and one run off of Zane Morton, who each threw one inning. TTU then called on Seth Lucio, who entered the game in the seventh. Lucio (3-2) earned the win as he struck out three batters in two innings of work, while giving up just one run.
Chad Hayes guided the TTU offense with two RBIs, while James Abraham and Jordan Hopkins each tallied an RBI apiece. Abraham got the scoring going in the top of the third with an RBI-single to center. Hayes posted his first RBI in the fourth on a fielder's choice and followed up with an RBI-single in the sixth. Hopkins posted his RBI in the sixth as well on a ground out.
Brothers (1-2) took the loss as he gave up one run in two innings. Davey Hackett made the start for Lipscomb as he threw two shutout innings.
Gray Hutchinson, Aaron Sandoval, Logan Hostettler and Lee Wilson each drove in a run for Lipscomb. Wilson knotted up the score at four with a solo-shot in the seventh, while Hutchinson got the scoring going for the Bisons with an RBI-triple in the fifth.
MEMPHIS 13, UT MARTIN 3
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team led after four innings of play this evening at Memphis, but the Tigers ended the game with four multi-run innings in a 13-3 Skyhawk loss at FedEx Park.
UT Martin (13-38) banged out five hits on their way to a three-run fourth inning to take a 3-2 lead over the Tigers. However, that would be the only inning in which the Skyhawks would get on the scoreboard.
Offensively, eight of UT Martin's nine starters recorded a hit, with Phil Sorensen and Nico Zych driving in one run each. Sorensen, Matt Young and Jordan Owen all scored runs for the Skyhawks, who saw 23 players take the field tonight.
Skyhawk starting pitcher Brendan Lozupone (0-5) was strong this evening, taming the Tiger offense until a three-run fifth inning. Overall, Lozupone allowed four earned runs over 4.1 frames, striking out four against zero walks. Fellow southpaws Trevor Lundgrin and Taylor Cox also posted shutout appearances, each tossing 0.2 innings in relief.
Lozupone breezed through the first inning, retiring the side in order. Memphis would then piece together solo homers in both the second and third innings to take an early 2-0 advantage.
The Skyhawks grabbed the lead in the aforementioned fourth inning. Young ripped the first pitch of the inning into center for a single and advanced to second on a single by Owen. After Young advanced on a groundout and Owen stole second, Sorensen went the opposite way with a single through the left side to score Young. Byron Johann then followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Zych then singled through the left side to bring in Owen and tie the game at 2-all. During the next at-bat, Sorensen scored the Skyhawks' third run of the inning on a wild pitch to make the score 3-2.
Pitching with a lead, Lozupone tossed a scoreless fourth inning to keep UT Martin's lead at 3-2. However, Memphis used three runs in the fifth to go on top 5-3. That would begin a stretch of 11 unanswered runs the Tigers would score to close out the contest.