By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech pitchers combined to strike out 25 batters in two games and the Golden Eagles (3-0) provided just enough offense to claim both ends of a doubleheader against Western Illinois (0-3) Saturday. Tech took the first one, 6-3, and held on for a 6-5 decision in the second.
Freshman Ethan Roberts (1-0) earned the win in relief in the opening game, while junior Michael Wood (1-0) carded the victory in the second. Senior Jake Farr notched his first save in the nightcap.
Chris Brown led the Golden Eagle offense, going 5-for-8 with a walk in the two games, while Chase Chambers and David Garza had three hits apiece. Freshman Kevin Strohschein belted his second home run and added a triple to collect four RBI.
WIU shortstop Chris Tschida topped the Leathernecks with four hits including a home run.
Like they did Friday, the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening game, and this time used sterling defense and some clutch pitching to hold on for the 6-3 victory.
Starter Travis Moths notched strikeouts for the first seven outs of the game, and the Golden Eagles staked him to the four-run cushion with single runs in the first two innings, followed by a two-run home run in the third from Strohschein.
WIU struck for two runs in the top of the fifth, knocking Moths out of the contest one out shy of earning the win. Three relievers combined to limit the Leathernecks to two hits the rest of the way.
Trevor Maloney worked 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, getting out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth and leaving two runners aboard to end the sixth. Ethan Roberts (1-0) tossed two strong innings, allowing one hit and striking out three to earn the win, while Will Gardner pitched the ninth.
Brown delivered a two-out, RBI single up the middle in the first inning, and Garza's single scored Chambers in the second inning for a 2-0 Tech lead.
In the third, Brown singled and Strohschein slammed his second home run in two games, clearing the fence in center field for a 4-0 lead.
Deion Thompson doubled to lead off the WIU fifth off Moths, and with two outs Tschida drove an RBI single to right. After an infield single and a walk loaded the bases, Maloney took over on the hill and walked the first batter he faced, forcing in a run. He got a strikeout to end the threat.
Maloney also ended a WIU threat in the sixth, leaving two runners stranded with a strikeout.
Tyler Brazelton opened the Tech seventh with a walk, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Jake Rowland also walked and Brazelton stole third, placing runners on the corners, and Brown's single to right brought home one run. Strohschein added his third RBI with a sacrifice fly for a 6-2 lead.
A ninth inning, solo home run by Colton Pogue finished the scoring.
WIU starter Joe Mortillaro (0-1) suffered the loss, working five innings and allowing four runs, all earned on six hits. He walked two and struck out five. Moths had no decision, despite working 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts, two walks and five hits.
The Golden Eagles had to come back from a 5-3 deficit in the fifth to tie the game, then took a 6-5 lead in the seventh and held on with the stout pitching performances by Wood and Farr for the victory.
Tech took a 1-0 lead in the first when Rowland scored on a wild pitch, giving Tech three straight games in which the Golden Eagles put a run on the board in the opening frame.
WIU went up 2-1 in the second, the first run coming on a wild pitch and a throwing error, followed by a solo home run by Deion Thompson.
Tech tallied one in the bottom of the inning to tie it at 2-2, an RBI single by Connor Goodspeed plating Garza.
The Golden Eagles also scored once in the fourth for a 3-2 lead, this time combining a single by Chambers and an RBI double by Matt Jones for the run.
The Leathernecks struck for three in the top of the fifth. The first came on a walk, stolen base and RBI single by Connor Currier that tied the game. With two out, Tschida homered for a 5-3 lead, ending the day for Tech starter Evan Fraliex.
Tech scored two in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game for the fourth time. With two out, Brown drew a walk and Strohshein tripled into the right field corner. Two batters later, a throwing error gave Tech an unearned run and knotted the score at 5-5.
The eventual winning run came in the bottom of the seventh as Brown singled and went to second on a WIU error that placed Strohshein aboard. Both runners advanced on a groundout to the right side, then Brown raced home on a sacrifice fly by Jones, his second RBI of the contest.
Wood, who coaxed an inning-ending strikeout in the seventh to leave two WIU runners stranded in scoring position, also got a strikeout in the eighth to leave two Leatherneck runners aboard.
Farr walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth, but followed with two strikeouts and got a grounder to second for the final out.
The Golden Eagles play a pair of mid-week games at Central Arkansas on Tuesday and Wednesday, then host Bucknell in a three-game, weekend series at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Admission to all home games is free.
