By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOBILE, Ala. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team kicked off both the 2022 campaign and the return of head coach Matt Bragga to the helm of the program in style Friday afternoon, picking up a 5-2 victory over Oral Roberts at the South Alabama Invitational in Mobile, Ala.
The purple and gold produced solid offense and timely pitching to secure the win over the reigning Summit League champions, stranding 20 ORU base runners across the contest. The Tech offense banged out 13 hits, with seven Golden Eagles securing at least one in the season-opener.
Tech got the action started in the third inning, with second baseman Zach Bondurant leading off the frame with an infield single to shortstop. Three batters later, third baseman Gabe Lacy came through, ripping an RBI single to center field for a 1-0 lead.
Oral Roberts knotted things at 1-1 in the fifth, but reliever Brock Myers finished off the final two outs without allowing further damage on the scoreboard. The Cookeville crew was quick to recapture its advantage, scoring twice in the top of the sixth.
After a Lacy double opened the frame and the ORU defense gathered two outs, designated hitter Hayden Gilliland rallied the troops with an RBI single up the middle. Right fielder John Dyer followed with a single to right field, setting up Will Long for another big hit. The Tech catcher delivered with a single of his own to right field, driving in another marker for a 3-1 lead.
Right-hander Matt Gelorme came up clutch when it counted out of the bullpen, getting the purple and gold out of a bases-loaded jam by inducing a ground ball to set up a 4-6-3 double play. The Tech newbie also escaped a bases-loaded situation in the seventh and limited ORU to a single run in the eighth, once more escaping a situation with the bases juiced.
With a 3-2 lead, the Tech offense added key insurance in the top of the ninth, with first baseman Golston Gillespie lacing an RBI single to right-center field. Gilliland made it a 5-2 edge for TTU, grounding out to first base to drive in his second run of the game.
Sophomore Jackson Berry came on for the purple and gold in the bottom of the ninth, entering the contest with a pair of runners and no outs. The youngster escaped his own bases-loaded jam, striking out the final batter of the game to secure the save and the opening-day victory for Tech.
Myers picked up the win with two-thirds of an inning of work. Starter Peyton Calitri put forth a solid effort, allowing just one run on six hits in four and one-third frames. Gelorme led the Tech staff with four punch-outs on the day while tossing two and two-thirds innings out of the pen.
Offensively, Lacy turned in an incredible day at the dish, gathering a career-high four hits in five at-bats. He also scored two runs with an RBI. Gilliland drove in a team-high two runs on two hits while Dyer chipped in a pair of knocks as well. Johnson rounded out the multi-hit efforts for the purple and gold.
Tech will take on Radford for its second contest of the South Alabama Invitational, matching up with the Highlanders Saturday in a noon CT tilt at Stanky Field.
File photo by Thomas Corhern
