By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Just when the 2016 season entered its most crucial point, the Tennessee Tech baseball team came up clutch, sweeping an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader over Eastern Kentucky Thursday evening that put the Golden Eagles in the driver's seat for a spot in the league's postseason tournament next week.
With two victories over the Colonels (24-30, 13-16) on the day, the Golden Eagles (30-22, 16-13) put themselves into a very favorable place among the scenarios that equate to a berth in the OVC Tournament. With a win on Saturday, Tech can clinch as high as the No. 4 seed in the postseason event and is guaranteed at least the No. 6 seed. The purple and gold can also ensure a place in Jackson, Tenn. with either one loss by Murray State or two losses by Belmont.
For the third straight OVC series, Tech claimed victories in its first two contests, starting with a relentless attitude in game one of a three-game set against Eastern Kentucky.
Trailing 6-5 entering the bottom of the ninth, senior catcher Connor Goodspeed kicked off what would turn out to be a tough inning for the visitors, doubling down the third base line to lead off the frame. On the next pitch, fellow senior Josh Pankratz laid down a sacrifice bunt, a dribbler that had just enough backspin to prevent catcher Logan Starnes from getting a clean grip on the ball and fall as an error.
More struggles continued for the Colonels, as one pitch later, a passed ball allowed Goodspeed to dent home plate for the tying run and Pankratz to advance to second base and into scoring position. Redshirt freshman Alex Junior dumped his own sac bunt to third base on the offering from the mound, moving Pankratz within 90 feet of home plate.
With second baseman Jake Farr approaching the plate, the EKU infield all moved in to have a better play at home on any ground ball in the infield. The strategy proved fatal to the team's chances at preventing a loss, however, as the Tech senior smacked a high, bouncing chopper that jumped just over the head of shortstop Cole Warrenfeltz and into the outfield for a walk-off, RBI single and Golden Eagle victory.
The entire first contest proved to be a back-and-forth affair with tons of power present, with the two squads trading leads four times and seven pitches leaving the yard via the long ball. EKU snagged a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the top of the first, but Tech answered in the bottom half thanks to a towering, two-run shot to left field off the bat of junior Chris Brown, his 10th of the season.
Solo homers from Kyle Nowlin – his league-leading 20th of the year – and Doug Teegarden in the fourth gave the lead back to the Colonels. One more solo dinger courtesy of Ben Fisher jumped the advantage to 4-2 before the Golden Eagles could strike again. But strike they did.
In the bottom of the sixth and with the Tech offense held scoreless over the previous four innings, sophomore David Garza provided a huge spark for the winning effort. Following a four-pitch walk to fellow sophomore Chase Chambers, the shortstop blasted a moonshot on a 2-0 count clear over the left field wall to knot things at 4-4.
One more jack job from off the bat of Mandy Alvarez gave the lead back to the visitors in the top of the seventh frame, but the Tech offense refused to go away quietly. In the bottom half of the frame, freshman right fielder Kevin Strohschein connected on a 2-1 offering for his 14th bombzini of the year to trim the EKU lead to 6-5.
From that point on, redshirt junior Kit Fowler took care of business on the hill, wrapping up the final one and two thirds innings for the Golden Eagles to earn his second victory of the season.
Game two of the day provided just as much suspense, at least until freshman reliever Ethan Roberts got his hands on the baseball. What started as another seesaw battle ended favorably for the Golden Eagles the moment the right hander took the hill. After capturing a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Roberts proved nearly perfect over the final four frames, allowing just a single hit in the sixth and striking out five batters with no walks.
For the second time in the series and of the day, Eastern Kentucky actually snagged the first runs of the contest, plating two earned runs off in a tough second inning for Tech starter Jake Usher. The Colonels posted just a single hit in the frame, using a hit-by-pitch, double and walk to provide base runners for an RBI fielder's choice and RBI ground out.
It didn't take long for the Golden Eagles to answer the bell, however, as the home squad opened the bottom half of the third with three consecutive walks to load the bases and chase starter Chris Cervantes from the contest. After a quick out, Brown laced a two-run single to left field, tying the contest at 2-2.
Eastern Kentucky nearly stopped the damage there, forcing Putzig into a ground ball to shortstop that seemed destined to be a double play. A throwing error from second base, however, allowed the Tech third baseman to reach safely and advance to second while Farr scored from third to give the Golden Eagles a 3-2 advantage. Chambers followed up with an RBI single up the middle, doubling the lead to 4-2.
The Colonels evened things up at 4-4 in the top of the fifth, snagging a couple of unearned runs on a two-run single off the bat of Doug Teegarden. Usher wrapped up the frame with an out to conclude a solid outing. After a tough second frame, the junior settled down to finish with five inning of work and just two hits allowed. While he did walk four batters, he also punched out seven on strikes to garner his fourth victory of the season.
Tech made sure to provide its starter with the win opportunity by plating a run in the bottom of the fifth. Again, Chambers provided the RBI, grounding out to first with Putzig at third after a double and wild pitch.
With Roberts dominating on the mound from that point on, the Golden Eagles really didn't need to do much of anything else on offense. The home squad did anyway, however, crossing home plate twice more in the sixth for some always welcome insurance.
Following a leadoff single by Goodspeed and sac bunt from Pankratz, it was Junior's turn to show off. The speedster put his wheels on display by tripling to right center field and driving in one run. Farr followed on the next pitch, chopping a double just over first base for the second RBI of the inning and a 7-4 Tech lead.
After striking out two of the final three batters, Roberts happily collected his second save of the season and put the Golden Eagles a single victory away from the postseason.
With heavy rain expected in the area all day Friday, the series finale will not commence until Saturday afternoon. In what will serve as Tech's Senior Day contest, the tilt will kick off with an approximate 2 p.m. first pitch following a brief ceremony for the Golden Eagle veterans.
Photo by Jim Dillon
