By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Pitching was the key to the Tennessee Tech baseball team making program history Friday night, as the Golden Eagles (21-7, 10-0) defeated Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Illinois (5-20, 2-5), 5-3, to break the 1956 Tech squad's record for best start to league play.
The 1956 team, which finished 10-1 in OVC play before moving on to the NCAA Tournament with a league title, started 9-1 over its first 10 games, a mark edged by this year's squad. Tech's 10-0 start to the 2017 campaign also ranks as the third-longest undefeated streak in OVC history, ranking just behind the 2016 Southeast Missouri squad's 12-0 mark and the 2001 Eastern Illinois squad's record of 17-0.
Under the lights of Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex, the two sides battled back-and-forth over the first five frames, with the Panthers taking the early, 1-0 edge in the first inning. Tech answered in the bottom of the second, gathering its first run on an RBI single up the middle by junior David Garza.
After surrendering a run in the first inning, senior hurler Michael Wood shut down the EIU offense over the next three frames before another offensive outburst would take place. In the top of the fifth, the visitors plated two with two outs to take a 3-1 lead before Wood completed the frame.
Once again, the Golden Eagles had an answer, kicking off the bottom half with back-to-back walks to Matt Jones and Garza. Two batters later, sophomore Alex Junior ripped a first-pitch, RBI single through the right side to cut the deficit in half.
Back-to-back wild pitches by Panther starter Jake Haberer allowed Junior to advance to second and then third base and Garza to dent home plate to tie the game. With two outs, Chase Chambers took his turn at the dish, bumping a slow-rolling ball to the second base side. The junior beat out the play with the second baseman playing five steps into right field on a defensive shift and the ball taking a wild hop on the grass off the infield dirt. His hit drove in Junior for the go-ahead run.
From that point on, it was all pitching for both sides, with neither team allowing another hit over the final four frames. Tech did manage a important insurance run in the eighth, using consecutive walks with one out by Collin Harris and Jones to start the chance. A double steal allowed the two to advance to second and third base, setting up Garza for a sacrifice fly to center field for a 5-3 Golden Eagle lead.
Wood departed the mound following the fifth inning, giving way to reliever Nick Osborne. The sophomore was nearly perfect through one and two thirds innings, using just 25 pitches to mow down five batters while walking just one. He struck out three before head coach Matt Bragga turned to closer Ethan Roberts.
The sophomore right-hander was just about infallible over the final two and one third innings, fanning the first four batters he faced to take Tech to the ninth inning. EIU's Frankie Perrone worked a nine-pitch walk to start the ninth, while pinch hitter Hunter Beetley was hit by a pitch to put the tying run at first.
Roberts quickly recovered after the Panthers elected to use a sacrifice bunt to third base to move the runners into scoring position.
With a base hit almost assuring a tie game, Roberts dug deep into his arsenal and looked like a new man on the mound. He sat down EIU leadoff man Joseph Duncan on just three pitches with two misses. It took just four more offerings to punch out Jimmy Govern via a swing-and-miss to end the game.
Wood gathered his NCAA-leading sixth win of the season on the night, finishing with five innings of work. He allowed eight hits, three earned runs and one walk while striking out four batters.
Roberts managed six strikeouts and allowed just two base runners while garnering his seventh save of the season. He moved into a tie with Mark Fontenot (1982) for the third most saves in a single season in program history. Seth Lucio owns the top two marks by a Tech reliever, posting 12 saves in 2013 and 10 in 2014.
Osborne and Roberts combined to strike out nine of the final 10 batters of the game, holding the Panthers without a hit and allowing just three base runners in the final four innings.
Tech will look to continue its hot start on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at Bush Stadium.
Photo by Tony Marable
