By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Two emotionally-draining and heart-stopping contests, the Tennessee Tech baseball team found itself on top in both Saturday afternoon, earning a three-game, Ohio Valley Conference sweep at Eastern Illinois behind victories with final scores of 5-3 and 8-6.
It was a battle from the very first pitch, but the Golden Eagles (18-12, 9-6) set themselves up nicely for a chance at the three-game sweep over the Panthers (5-26, 1-11) by taking the first contest of a doubleheader by a final score of 5-3.
Tech had to rally not once or twice, but three times in the day's first action, but the third time proved to be the charm for the purple and gold as a three-run eighth frame propelled them past the Panthers for the second time in two days.
Eastern Illinois took the early 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first, but Tech answered immediately in the second, using a double from sophomore David Garza to set up an RBI double for junior Tyler Brazelton to even things a one run apiece.
Just one inning later, the Panthers were back at it, recapturing its one-run advantage with a solo marker in the bottom of the third. This time the home team managed to hold its lead for an extended period of time, blocking Tech's offense from the scoreboard over the next three frames.
Tech finally got to Eastern Illinois pitching staff in the seventh, tying up the contest once again with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Garza. He shortstop drove in freshman Kevin Strohschein, who led off the frame with triple to right center field.
Not too keen on seeing their lead evaporated, the Panthers matched Tech's seventh-inning output with a ticker of their own, moving ahead by a score of 3-2 on their way to the eighth inning.
The Golden Eagles struck gold in the frame, collecting a leadoff single off the bat of junior Matt Jones to chase EIU starter Matt Wivinis from the contest. Fellow junior Chris Brown followed suit, ripping a single through the left side. After the Panthers notched their first out of the frame, Strohschein loaded the bases with a single to third base.
For the second time in as many at bats, Garza smacked a sac fly to tie the game, sending a fly ball to left field to make a 3-3 contest. And error by the Panther catcher allowed both Brown and Strohschein to move up a base on the play, setting up pinch-hitter Connor Goodspeed for the late-game heroics.
After on pitch missed its mark, Goodspeed turned on the second offering, drilling a single through the right side to drive in two and propel Tech to a 5-3 lead.
Filling in for starter Michael Wood to start the seventh, freshman Ethan Roberts covered the final three frames of the contest without a real opportunity for the Panthers. The rookie right-hander collected his fourth victory of the year, scattering three hits while punching out three EIU batters.
The series finale, which also represented the second contest of the day, developed into a war of its own, particularly in a drama-filled final three innings.
For the second straight contest, Eastern Illinois jumped early to take a 1-0 lead, plating the game's first run in the bottom of the third off a solo home run from Jason Scholl. Two frames later, the Golden Eagles righted the ship, swinging ahead of the Panthers, 3-1, thanks to a two-run double from Brown and an RBI single off the bat of Strohschein.
A solo marker in the seventh propelled Tech to a 4-1 advantage, but Eastern Illinois refused to go down without a fight. The Panthers rallied in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three teams on three hits, a walk and two hit-by-pitches to even the scoreboard at four runs each.
Both sides traded a scoreless eighth frame, setting the Golden Eagles up with the heart of lineup and one last chance at earning an OVC sweep. So, naturally, the final inning was the most dramatic of them all.
Brown clipped a single to left field to lead things off, giving Tech some early momentum. After EIU reliever Jake Haberer coaxed Flick into the first out of the inning, Strohschein took to the plate and promptly ripped a single to the pitcher to put two on with one out.
Haberer dug deep and punched out Garza for the second out of the inning, setting up a match-up with the hero of the first game of the day, a pinch-hitting Connor Goodspeed. The senior slugger fought to a 1-2 count before fouling back the fourth offering from Haberer. On the hurler's fifth attempt, Goodspeed delivered again, singling to shortstop to load the bases and keep Tech alive with two outs.
Despite the clutch hit from Tech's pinch-hitter, the team still needed one more player to step up to keep its chances of the sweep alive. Step into the box Tyler Brazelton.
Without a hit in his first four trips to the plate, the junior watched as ball one passed by. Then a pitch found the zone. That was followed by the outfielder chopping off a pitch to send the count to 1-2. He patiently allowed one more attempt miss its mark on the outer half before digging deep and keying in on Haberer's fifth offering.
With a mighty hack, Brazelton clobbered his fifth home run of the season, and his first career grand slam, just clearing the fence in left center field. The four-run bombzini sent the Golden Eagle dugout into a proper frenzy and gave the visitors a very solid 8-4 lead.
Eastern Illinois made it interesting in the end, plating two in the bottom of the ninth and putting runners on first and second before reliever Trevor Maloney forced a fly ball to right field for the final out of the game, an 8-6 victory and 3-0 series win for the Golden Eagles.
Making his first start since being sidelined with an injury in the second week of the season, junior Jake Usher took a no-decision after tossing six brilliant innings of four-hit ball. The right-hander allowed just a single earned run while striking out seven EIU batters.
Senior Kyle Godwin earned his second win of the season after tossing one and two thirds innings with just two hits allowed. The Panthers managed two total and one earned run off the reliever before Maloney shut the door for the final three outs, earning his first save of the year.
Brazelton led the scoring effort with his four RBI on the ninth-inning long ball while Brown tallied two RBI on a 3-for-5 showing at the plate. For the second time in his last four games, Strohschein was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
With its four-game road stretch finally over, the Tech squad will return to friendly confines of Bush Stadium Tuesday evening, playing host to Alabama A&M in a 6 p.m. CT tilt.
Photo by Jim Dillon
