By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – An early explosion of offense backed by spectacular pitching was more than enough to lift the Tennessee Tech baseball team to a 12-2 victory over Western Illinois Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles clinched their first Ohio Valley Conference series of the season at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Patience was key for the Cookeville crew early on, as Tech (15-12, 3-2) used that approach to drop a six-spot on the visiting Leathernecks (6-17, 2-3) in the opening frame. Left fielder Austin Turner drew a five-pitch walk to set the table and tone for the night.
Second baseman Troy Baunsgard laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached safely anyway thanks to an error by the WIU infield. Catcher Hayden Gilliland loaded the bases after watching the next four offerings miss their mark.
With the bases juiced, first baseman Nicho Jordan provided the early fireworks for the home squad, ambushing the second pitch he saw for a mammoth long ball that cleared not only the wall in right field, but landed on Tech Softball Field. The grand slam, Jordan's fifth long ball of the year, provided an instant, 4-0 lead.
Still not done, shortstop Tanner Shiver continued the offensive onslaught by drawing his own walk. Designated hitter Preston Ford reached safely on a dropped fly ball in shallow center field, setting up right fielder Theo Bryant IV for his RBI double to left field three pitches later. Center fielder Jackson Green completed the scoring in the frame with a sacrifice fly ball down the right-field line.
Up 6-0, the Golden Eagles continued to roll offensively in the second, with Baunsgard opening the frame by banging a solo shot off the left-field foul pole, his fourth home run of the year. Two quick outs seemed to have the Leathernecks on their way to just a minor dent on the scoreboard, but Tech was far from done.
After Shiver drew his second walk of the contest, Ford ripped a double down the left-field line to put a pair in scoring position. Both came around to dent the dish two pitches later, with Bryant blasting a two-run double to left field.
Third baseman Eddie Garza made it three straight doubles for the home purple and gold, cracking the next pitch to left-center field. The sophomore's two-bagger drove in another run, elevating the Tech lead to 10-0.
The Golden Eagles tacked on one more run in the fourth, thanks to a lead-off triple by Ford that set things up. Green followed two batters later with his second sac fly of the ballgame down the right-field line.
Western Illinois finally got on the board in the sixth inning, using a long ball and RBI double to score a pair of Tech hurler Peyton Calitri. The Golden Eagle starter finished the day with yet another stellar showing, completing 6.0 innings with five punch-outs while scattering eight hits and allowing just the two runs. He earned his team-best fourth win of the year without issuing a single walk.
Freshman Juan Vargas took care of the seventh and eighth innings for the Golden Eagles, striking out three Leatherneck batters without allowing a hit. Closing out the final frame was fellow rookie Eli Huddleston gathering one strike out with just a single base runner allowed.
Prior to Huddleston entering the contest, Green cemented his name in the Tech record books, becoming the first Golden Eagle in program history to record three sacrifice flies in a single contest with his third flying out to center field.
Both Garza and Bryant turned in three-hit days, with Bryant driving in three runs along the way. Jordan tallied a pair of knocks while plating four. Green did not officially record an at-bat thanks to his record-breaking three sac flies and a pair of free passes.
The series finale between the two OVC foes will feature a 2:00 p.m. CT first pitch Saturday afternoon at the Quill.
Photo by Jim Dillon
