By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When push comes to shove, great players rise to the top. And that was no different for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Monday morning as All-American Dylan Bosheers played the part while leading the Golden Eagles to a 9-8, walk-off victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe Morehead State.
A force to be reckoned with the entire contest, the senior approached the plate in the bottom of the ninth like any other at bat, despite the fact that contest was knotted at eight runs apiece. Bosheers earned a six-pitch walk, putting the winning run on first and chasing pitcher Seth Boyle from the game.
Aaron Leasher took the hill for Morehead State, ready to face two Tech freshmen at the plate. Each acted as if they had played in the situation for years. First baseman Chase Chambers took his chance first, watching two pitches go by before chopping a high single through the right side and advancing Bosheers to third base.
Enter designated hitter Ryan Flick into the role of playing hero. After a quick visit to the mound by Morehead head coach Mike McGuire, Leasher offered his first attempt to the redshirt freshman. Flick wasted no time lacing the ball between the outreached gloves of the first and second basemen, driving in Bosheers and clinching the victory for the Golden Eagles.
Bosheers enjoyed one of the best single games of his career in leading the Tech squad to its first OVC win, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored, including the game-winner. The slugger tattooed two home runs on the day, a two-run shot in the first and a solo bomb in the second, tying a career-high mark. He also stole his second base of the year.
The Golden Eagles wasted no time getting on the board in this one, dropping a four-spot in the first inning thanks to the Bosheers dinger, an RBI double by Jordan Hopkins and a wild pitch. Bosheers' second long ball of the afternoon gave Tech a 5-1 lead after the second frame and neither team found the plate in the third.
Morehead State snagged a couple of runs in the fourth, but the Golden Eagles answered after an RBI single to right field by none other than Bosheers. The Eagles proved just how tough of a team they were in the top of the fifth, loading the bases for Robby Spencer. The shortstop gave Morehead the lead with a grand slam to left center field.
An inning later, the Eagles added to that advantage, taking an 8-6 lead on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Kent.
Tech stayed resilient, never giving in to the pressure. In the bottom of the frame, sophomore Andrew Contreras kicked off the rally with a single up the middle and advancing to second base on a wild pitch. Senior David Allen followed up two batters later, crushing his second double of the game to left center field and cutting the deficit to 8-7.
Continuing his hot weekend, sophomore Anthony El Chibani approached the plate and worked a full count before crushing an RBI double to right center field and tying the game at 8-8.
Senior reliever Cain Sloan picked up his first win of the season on the day, tossing three and two thirds innings of scoreless ball for the Golden Eagles. The veteran showed great command of his pitches all day, allowing just one hit against 13 batters. He finished with one strikeout and no walks.
The Golden Eagles are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, playing host to Lipscomb at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex in a 3 p.m. CT match-up. With inclement weather in the forecast for the next few days, fans are encouraged to check TTUSports.com as well as Twitter and Facebook often for updates on the status of tomorrow's game.
Photo by Tony Marable
