By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Brilliant pitching and a hot start with the bats propelled the Tennessee Tech baseball team to a 5-1 win over visiting Bellarmine Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles evened the season-opening series with the Knights at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The purple and gold bounced back from its 11-3 defeat on opening day thanks to a masterful showing on the mound by senior hurler Peyton Calitri. The right hander dominated with a low pitch count for much of the afternoon, tossing seven innings with just a single, unearned run allowed to pick up his first win of the year.
Calitri blanked the Knights (1-1) through the opening six frames, racking up each of his four strikeouts during the span. Allowing just four hits on the day, the Tech starter didn't surrender a run until the top of the seventh.
With two outs, Bellarmine took advantage of a miscue in the outfield, with a runner reaching second on the error. The Knights followed with a base hit to plate its only run of the game before Calitri induced a fielder's choice to limit the damage.
The Golden Eagles (1-1) backed their pitcher's fantastic outing with an early barrage of offense, providing a comfortable lead by scoring all five runs in the opening three frames. Left fielder Austin Turner set the tone right out of the gate, ripping a double down the left-field line on the first pitch he saw.
Three pitches later, center field Jackson Green drove him in, peppering his own double down the third-base line for the quick, 1-0 lead. Back-to-back walks to right fielder Theo Bryant IV and second baseman Troy Baunsgard loaded the bases for the Cookeville crew before a wild pitch made it a 2-0 Tech advantage.
In the second, it was Turner and Green again combining to provide the damage. Turner drew one of his three walks on the day to set the table for his teammate. Green made it count, smashing his second double of the ball game to left center field for his second RBI and a 3-0 Golden Eagle lead.
Looking to continue the momentum in the third, Baunsgard opened things with a hustle triple to right-center field on the first pitch of the frame. Two batters later, shortstop Preston Steele delivered his first hit as a Golden Eagle, an RBI knock the other way into right-center field.
A fielding error by the Knights extended the inning with two outs before Turner drew another walk to load the bases. Steele went on to dent the dish on a wild pitch, giving Tech a 5-0 advantage that would hold the rest of the way.
Sophomore Jaxson Pease covered the final two innings for the purple and gold, scattering one hit and a walk while earning a pair of punch-outs.
Four Golden Eagles turned in multi-hit efforts, led by Green and his two doubles and two RBI. Making his first career start, rookie designated hitter Mack Whitcomb not only gathered his first collegiate hit, but also his second. Baunsgard and Steele also produced a pair of hits.
The rubber match for the series will feature a 1:00 p.m. CT first pitch Sunday afternoon at the Quill.
Photo by Jim Dillon
