By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The defense was out in full force for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles (16-19, 9-10) used several highlight-reel plays (not to mention a huge, offensive explosion in the seventh inning) to down Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State (14-25, 9-7), 11-4, in the first of a three-game set.
Right from the start, things seemed like they were headed for a pitcher's duel as both sides traded zeros on the scoreboard over the first three innings. That's not to say that there weren't excellent chances on each end.
In the top of the second, senior catcher Jordan Hopkins put a long ride on a ball that seemed destined for the trees beyond right center field. The ball would fall just short, finding its way into the glove of the Murray State right fielder, Matthew Johnson, at the warning track.
In the top of the fourth, Racer first baseman Anthony Bayus led off the frame with a double to left center field, putting the visitors in excellent position for an early lead. That opportunity was nearly reality, as catcher Tyler Lawrence laced a ball into center fielder, inches from dropping for a base hit.
Tech center fielder David Allen and his glove said no, however, as the senior made an incredible diving grab to save a sure run. The Golden Eagles then doubled up Bayus, who was determined to have missed the bag on a tag-up attempt. It marked the first of two double plays by the Tech defense on the night.
Ending the inning came down to the glove of right fielder Anthony El Chibani, who provided yet another stellar play on defense for the Golden Eagles. Tracking a high foul off the bat of Matthew Johnson, the sophomore corralled the ball just as he hit the fence in front of the Murray State bullpen, holding on for the final out of the inning despite bouncing back off the fence.
The first two batters of the bottom half of the fourth for Tech provided more foreshadowing than anything else, as All-American Dylan Bosheers sent off a long fly ball that was caught at the right field fence and first baseman Chase Chambers crushed a ball to dead center field that was snagged at the warning track.
There was no catching the next ball sent to the outfield, however, as freshman designated hitter Ryan Flick launched a towering shot on a 1-0 pitch over the fence in right center field, giving the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead. The home run marked the seventh of the season for the youngster and also propelled his team-leading RBI total to 40 for the year.
In the top of the fifth, it was more of the same on the defensive side of the ball for the Tech squad, as Bosheers proved just why he was dubbed OVC Preseason Player of the Year. With a runner on first and no outs in the frame, the shortstop made an unbelievable diving snag towards the third base side. He then used his gold glove caliber skills to launch a hard toss over his shoulder to second base while falling the opposite direction. Second baseman Jake Farr collected the pass for the first out before making the quick transfer and fantastic throw to nab the second runner for the double play.
Both pitchers continued to trade outs for the next two innings, approaching the seventh inning remarkably quickly. In the top half, Murray State tried to take advantage of its best scoring opportunity of the game, putting runners on first and second to lead off the frame. A sac bunt put both in scoring position and Nick Moore coming to the plate, just a base hit away from tying the contest.
Yet another outstanding defensive segment kept that dream from becoming a reality, as Farr made his own sliding stop on a ground ball (that nearly made its way into the outfield) and executed the throw to first for the second out. Instead of two runs across, the junior cut it down to one, keeping the 2-1, Golden Eagle lead intact.
Senior reliever Jeb Scoggins came on for the last out of the inning, and it didn't take long for the righty to end it. After two quick strikes on Racer designated hitter Dalton West, Scoggins worked to pitches outside the zone before fooling the batter with a filthy bender high and out of the zone.
A closer by trade, Scoggins night would actually be over as the Golden Eagle offense left little doubt as to who would win the ball game after the seventh inning.
In the bottom half, Tech plated three consecutive runners with Hopkins and Flick each singling and Farr reaching on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. The Racer defense did manage to record two outs before the bottom fell out, but with Tyler Brazelton coming to the plate, Tech fans could almost sense something big was about to happen.
The sophomore patiently watched as four straight offerings avoided the strike zone, taking a free base and RBI to give Tech a little insurance and a 3-1 lead. David Allen took the plate next, watching a wild pitch run by to allow another Golden Eagle runner to cross and bump up the advantage to 4-1. Allen then worked a seven-pitch walk to reload the bases for the always dangerous Bosheers.
He nearly saw his own walk, taking three straight balls before a strike was delivered. The senior then offered on the next pitch, just missing the sweet spot of the bat and sending a towering fly ball to left field that was sure to be the final out of the inning. The only problem was, left fielder Derek Yoder lost the ball in the lights (a problem that allowed a Racer run to cross later in the contest), leading to a bases-clearing double by Bosheers that broke the contest wide open with a 7-1 lead for the Golden Eagles.
Four more Tech runs would cross before the inning finally saw a conclusion, with all nine runs in the frame coming in as unearned due to the earlier miscue. All in all, 15 batters stepped into the box for the Golden Eagles in the frame, while four drew walks and one more was hit by a pitch.
Murray State did manage to put up a three-spot in the top of the eighth inning, grabbing a couple of unearned runs off a Golden Eagle miscue. But the deficit proved to be just too much as the Tech squad collected the game one victory, 11-4.
With the win, the Tech squad moved to within one game of the .500 mark in conference play. The Golden Eagles also moved to 6-2 in their past eight games.
Senior hurler Chris Chism picked up his league-leading sixth victory of the season on the night, tossing six and two thirds innings, allowing just one earned run and scattering five hits. He finished with two strikeouts in the outing while walking none.
Offensively, Bosheers led the way with two doubles in five at bats. He drove in a team-high three runs while scoring one as well. Flick scored three runs while going 2-for-4 with his seventh long ball of the year. Eight of the Tech batters scored at least one run in the contest while six different Golden Eagles drove in at least one run.
With inclement weather expected in the area on Sunday, the Golden Eagles and Racers will move up Saturday's start time of game two to noon CT and play a doubleheader with the series finale to follow the first contest of the day.
Photo by Jim Dillon
