By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A moment unmatched by any other sport, the two-out, bases-loaded with a full count scenario happens once or twice in season if you're lucky. The pressures faced by the pitcher and batter are so intense, that there is just no real way to describe the tension, save the old adage with pins dropping.
Tennessee Tech junior Josh Pankratz found himself in one of those situations Friday evening, waiting for SIUE starter Ryan Daniels to offer on a 3-2 count, the bases juiced and a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth. Maybe it was the fact that he was due for big hit, batting just .111 coming into the at bat. Maybe it was pitcher, possibly overlooking the patience Pankratz always seems to bring the dish. Or maybe it was the right-center field lights blowing a fuse, moments before the delivery. (I mean baseball players are superstitious and that's about as good of an omen as one could ask for.)
Whatever the case, the third baseman took the sixth pitch of the at bat and launched it to a different area code for the first Golden Eagle grand slam of the 2015 season and propelled the team to a 12-3, series-opening victory over a Cougar team entering the night's contest undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Pankratz's four-run bombzini set the stage for a huge fourth inning by the Tech offense, instantly taking a contest stalemated by two dominant pitching performances and blowing it wide open with a 7-0 lead. It all started with just who many fans would expect, All-American shortstop Dylan Bosheers.
The senior approached the plate with a two-out hole staring him in the face as one of last year's OVC Pitcher of the Year candidates continued to look deserving of that title. Daniels had allowed just one hit in the game, two batters earlier to David Allen, and promptly induced a ground ball double play on the next pitch. He was sure to get through to the next inning.
Enter the prowess of the All-American. Bosheers fought off a foul ball on a 1-2 count before drilling a ball through the right side to keep the inning alive. Freshman first baseman Chase Chambers drew a five-pitch walk to put two men on and fellow freshman Ryan Flick did what he has done so much already this season; drive in runs.
Flick tattooed a double to left center field, driving in Bosheers and giving Tech the early 1-0 lead. Senior catcher Jordan Hopkins followed, working a tough full count on six pitches before sneaking an RBI single through the left side to double the Golden Eagle advantage to 2-0.
Sophomore Anthony El Chibani made that 3-0 lead five pitches later, taking the ball back through the right side for an RBI and base hit. Freshman left fielder Matt Cunningham was hit by a pitch in the next at bat, setting up Pankratz for the biggest hit of his young, Golden Eagle career.
After the grand slam, David Allen decided to get in on the action, slugging his second career home run the deep left center. Tech now lead 8-0, Daniels was chased from the game, and it all occurred with two outs.
The Golden Eagles did manage to scratch across four more runs in the final five innings, scoring once in the fifth, twice in the seventh and once more in the eighth.
Almost somewhat overshadowed on the night, whether it be from the insane fourth inning or the fact that he just couldn't live up to his ridiculous performance from the week before, was senior hurler Chris Chism.
Less than a week after turning in one of the most incredible pitching performances in program history (a one-hit, 17-strikeout shutout of UT Martin), the righty came back with seven strong frames on the hill, scattering four hits and allowing just one earned run. He struck out nine Cougar batters, bringing his total in his two starts this season to a mind-boggling 26 Ks in 16 innings of work.
Fellow senior Austin Tolle took care of business in the eighth innings, allowing no hits and just one unearned run to score. Freshman Will Gardner closed out the game with two strikeouts and run given up in the ninth.
Pankratz was the obvious leader on offense for Tech, closing out the night with four RBI, but the junior had plenty of help. Nine of the 10 Golden Eagles that recorded an at bat on the night tallied a hit and scored at least one run. Both El Chibani and Cunningham each drove in two runners while Allen, Chambers, Flick and Hopkins each recorded one RBI.
The Golden Eagles will get back after it on Saturday with a 2 p.m. tilt with SIUE at Bush Stadium.
Photo by Tony Marable
