By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A big inning, a huge swing, and a trio of solid pitching performances led the Tennessee Tech baseball team to an Ohio Valley Conference series-clinching victory Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles (20-13, 4-5) edged Southeast Missouri, 7-4, at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Starter Connor Adams was impressive after working around some early trouble, picking up his fourth win of the year after tossing five and one-third frames. The Redhawks (24-10, 8-4) doubled on the first pitch of the game, but the southpaw answered back with a strikeout.
A fielding error by the Golden Eagles put runners on the corners, setting up Andrew Keck for an RBI double and the visitors threatening for more. Adams dug deep, producing back-to-back punch-outs to escape further damage.
The Tech bats were quick to back their hurler, with third baseman Gabe Lacy tying the ball game with one swing. The second batter of the bottom of the first, Lacy turned on an 0-1 offering and blasted a no-doubter to left-center field, his sixth home run of the year.
Adams worked around a lead-off walk in the second, gathering another strikeout and a pair of groundouts. The Redhawks jumped back on top in the third, with Tyler Wilber smacking a solo dinger to left-center field.
The Tech starter held strong, limiting the damage to the one run and then working a scoreless fourth with two more punchies. The Golden Eagle bats went to work in the bottom half, working hard to provide some scoring for their starter.
With one out, first baseman Golston Gillespie drew a four-pitch walk and was followed by a single through the left side by shortstop Ed Johnson. Right fielder Ryan Guardino loaded the bags with a base knock down the right-field line.
Noah Hattier squared the game up in the following at-bat, smacking a line drive to center field that was caught on the dive. The swing allowed Gillespie to tag and score the tying run, giving Hattier a sacrifice fly.
Center fielder Austin Turner kept the pressure on by roping a double to left field, driving in the go-ahead run for the purple and gold. On the play, Tech picked up a second run as an errant throw from left field rolled through the infield and threatened to squeak by the Southeast Missouri catcher.
The Redhawk backstop stopped the ball with his mask, an illegal action that resulted in an error and the two remaining Tech baserunners advancing one base. Guardino came into score on the play, making it a 4-2 Tech lead. Lacy increased that advantage to 5-2 on the first pitch he saw, lacing an RBI single to left field.
Both sides traded goose eggs in the fifth and SEMO tried to get something going in the sixth, with Keck smashing a solo bomb to center field to cut the Tech lead to two. Adams recorded one more out before exiting the game following a base hit. The Golden Eagle junior finished the day with six strikeouts and just the three earned runs allowed.
Travis Odom took over on the hill and worked around his own walk, garnering back-to-back groundouts to escape the jam. He tossed a scoreless frame in the seventh, securing a punch-out and two more groundouts to take the team to the stretch.
The Golden Eagles gathered some much-needed insurance in the bottom half, thanks to one swing from one of the team's sluggers. After catcher Hayden Gilliland drew a one-out walk, Gillespie took his turn in the box, fouling off the first pitch he saw.
He responded by pulverizing the next offering, crushing a two-run round-tripper to right field off the press box at Tech Softball Field. It marked his eighth dinger of the season and jumped the Tech lead up to 7-3.
Reliever Frankie Cresta entered the ball game in the eighth, allowing a single to the lead-off batter. A wild pitch and back-to-back groundouts allowed the run to score, but Cresta shut the door on any more scoring with a fly ball out to left field.
The right-hander secured the victory for the purple and gold in the ninth, book-ending a groundout with a pair of strikeouts.
Lacy and Johnson led the Golden Eagles with two hits each while Lacy and Gillespie posted team-highs of two RBI. Seven different Tech batters collected at least one knock on the day.
Tech will now embark on a five-game road stretch, starting with a Tuesday-night tilt at No. 11 Vanderbilt Apr. 19. First pitch against the Commodores is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT in Nashville.
File photo by Jim Dillon
