By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team struggled to get its offense rolling Tuesday evening, falling to in-state rival Lipscomb in a midweek battle at Dugan Field in Nashville 10-2.
The Bisons (24-17) held the potent Golden Eagle attack to just five hits on the night, taking advantage of the rare cold streak to take an early lead and never look back. Lipscomb hit a pair of solo home runs in the first and added another run in the second for a quick, 3-0 advantage.
Tech (21-17) held the home squad without a run in the third, with southpaw Jackson Berry tossing a shutout frame. The Bisons plated two more runs in the fourth, increasing the lead to 5-0. Colt Taylor entered the contest out of the bullpen for Tech in the fifth, also completing a scoreless inning with a pair of punch-outs.
In the sixth, the Golden Eagles broke through with the bats, stringing together a trio of hits to get on the board. First baseman Golston Gillespie delivered a single to second base to get things started.
Coming off a pair of National Player of the Week honors, right fielder Ryan Guardino ripped his own base hit to right-center field to put a pair of runners on. Designated hitter John Dyer followed with a two-run double to right field, producing in a clutch situation for the purple and gold.
Lipscomb answered with a solo run in the bottom half and continued to extend the lead with a single run in the seventh and three more in the eighth. The Bisons' bullpen kept the Golden Eagles off the board the rest of the way.
Despite being held to the six hits, the Tech squad did show some patience, drawing six walks and getting plunked by a pair of pitches. Guardino led the effort on the night, staying red hot with a 2-for-2 day and a pair of free passes.
The Golden Eagles will return to Cookeville and the comfort of Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex for an Ohio Valley Conference weekend series with Eastern Illinois starting Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. CT.
File photo by Jim Dillon