By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The No. 26 ranked Tennessee Tech baseball team (30-9) won its fifth straight game Tuesday afternoon, hitting the road to defeat Alabama A&M (8-32), 10-4 in Huntsville, Ala. behind a big fifth inning and strong showing on the hill.
Sophomore Ty King earned his second win of the season, tossing five innings while holding the Bulldogs to just one hit, one walk and one unearned run. The right-handed hurler struck out seven while moving to 2-0 on the year.
Alabama A&M took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a passed ball, but the Golden Eagles rallied in the top of the second behind a passed ball run of their own. Both sides traded zeroes over the third and fourth frames, before the Tech offense struck a huge blow in the top of the fifth.
Senior catcher Chris Brown provided Tech with the lead for good, ripping an RBI single through the right side after a leadoff triple from Collin Harris.
Later in the frame, with two outs and the bases loaded, junior first baseman Chase Chambers took his turn with the bat. The slugger clobbered a grand slam to right field to blow the game open and provide Tech with a 6-1 lead. It marked his team-leading 11th home run of the year.
The two sides traded single runs in the sixth, headlined by an RBI single to right field by junior third baseman Trevor Putzig. Tech snagged three more runs in the ninth, scoring on an RBI double by junior David Garza, a wild pitch and an RBI single by Harris.
The Bulldogs plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but senior reliever Brandon Smith induced a game-ending double play to preserve the Golden Eagles with a 10-4 victory.
Both Evan Fraliex and Marcus Evey turned in scoreless frames of work, combining for three strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
Putzig, junior Ryan Flick and Chambers each tallied multiple hits in the contest while Harris led the way with a three-hit performance.
The Golden Eagles will make a visit to Carbondale, Ill. starting Friday for a three-game series against non-conference foe Southern Illinois.
Photo by Tony Marable