By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A fantastic showing from starter Chase Burkett, as well as a balanced attack from the bottom half of the lineup, proved to be plenty for the Tennessee Tech baseball team to open its three-game series against Bucknell with a victory Friday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles (4-1) took a quick, 2-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, using a masterful performance from its junior right hander to down the Bison (2-3) by a final score of 9-3. Making his first career start, Burkett scattered three hits over seven innings on the hill, allowing just one, unearned run in the fourth inning. He racked up four strikeouts in the outing and got a boost from his defense, which turned two double plays and made just one error.
After using just 10 pitches to retire the side to open the game, Burkett turned to his offense to give him a lead he would not relinquish. Batting second in the lineup, senior Jake Farr singled up the middle, setting up sophomore Chase Chambers for a loud opening to the game two batters later.
The first baseman worked a six-pitch full count before hammering a two-run, opposite-field blast to left center field, into the wind. It marked the first of the season for Chambers and gave Tech the early advantage.
Bucknell cut the Tech lead in half in the top of the fourth, using a leadoff double and throwing error later in the frame to score its one run against Burkett. It was the closest the team got, as the Golden Eagles notching its own run in the bottom of the fourth on a ground ball RBI by Jake Rowland.
The offense really opened things up in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out thanks to single from Farr and catcher Chris Brown, as well as a free base earned by Chambers who was plunked on the third pitch of his at bat. Freshman Kevin Strohschein, who made a splash on opening day by becoming the first Tech player to ever hit a grand slam in his first career at bat, took another chance at some fireworks.
He got the job done, ripping a single up the middle and driving in Tech's third run of the inning. Bucknell went to the bullpen and managed to post a second out in the frame before things began to unravel for the bullpen. Third baseman Matt Jones earned a six-pitch walk to drive in another TTU marker, setting up Rowland to become the second Tech player hit by a pitch in the inning, which also drove in a run.
A single on a little flair to right field from shortstop David Garza wrapped up the scoring for the home team in the inning, giving Tech a 7-1 lead.
The Golden Eagles added single runs in the sixth and eighth innings as well, gathering an RBI from Flick on a fielder's choice and another from Strohschein on a single through the left side.
Nick Osborne worked a scoreless eighth inning as a bridge to Levi Wright, who closed things out to give Burkett his first victory in the purple and gold. Wright surrendered a base hit before striking out the next two batters he faced. Spencer Stokes took advantage of a mistake pitch in the next at bat, smacking a two-run dinger to right field, but Wright recovered quickly, fanning the final batter of the inning to move Tech to 4-1 on the year.
Leading the way offensively, Strohschein finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored and a walk while Farr notched a 2-for-3 showing with a team-high three runs scored. Chambers and Rowland each drove in multiple runs as well. As a team, Tech finished with 12 hits as opposed to just five for the Bison.
Strohschein's single in the fourth inning marked his first non-extra-base hit of the season, snapping a program-record streak of five extra-base knocks to start a career.
Tech will continue the three-game set against Bucknell Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. CT first pitch at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Photo by Rob Schabert, Assistant A.D. for Sports Information & Broadcasting
