By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Getting an early taste of Ohio Valley Conference foe Jacksonville State before league play officially begins, the Tennessee Tech baseball team collected its second victory of the season Sunday afternoon, scoring late to down the Gamecocks on their own turf, 5-4.
Squaring off with its OVC rival in non-conference play as part of a round-robin tournament, Tech (2-1) just kept finding ways to score when it needed it, supporting a relatively strong showing from the pitching staff. The purple and gold limited the Gamecocks to just four runs on 10 hits.
The Golden Eagles took the initial lead in the third, with shortstop Ed Johnson denting home plate after a pair of JSU errors. Following a one-out single by the Auburn transfer, he advanced to second on a miscue at first base. A throwing error in Cody Littlejohn's at-bat allowed Johnson to cross the plate for the 1-0 lead.
Tech doubled its advantage in the fifth, with catcher Raul Ortega reaching home while the Gamecocks turned a double play. Jacksonville State quickly turned in an answer, plating three runs in the bottom half to take a 3-2 advantage.
Both sides traded a pair of zeroes on the board over the next two innings, but Tech struck again in the eighth. After Johnson singled to center field, he advanced all the way to third base when the Gamecocks tried to pick him off and the pitcher threw the ball away. Second baseman Brett Roberts followed by ripping a double to left field to tie the game.
A sac bunt by Littlejohn advanced Roberts to third, but it was another JSU mistake that allowed him to score. With two outs and an 0-2 count on Tech's batter, Gamecock hurler Jackson Tavel was called for a balk, sending Roberts home.
One more time, the home team rallied, with each of the first three batters in the bottom of the eighth reaching safely. Jonny Hickman took over on the mound for the purple and gold, forcing a sac fly to right field for the first out. While the Gamecocks tied the game with the score, Hickman was able to punch out the next batter and force a ground out to shortstop to end the frame and stave off further damage.
In the ninth, Tech did just enough at the plate to take the lead for good. Theo Bryant IV drew a one-out walk while Ortega singled to first base. Freshman Gabe Lacy singled to right-center field to load the bases with just one out, bringing Johnson to the plate with a chance to play hero. The sophomore delivered, popping a sacrifice fly to right field for the go-ahead RBI.
Hickman made quick work of the Gamecocks in the bottom of the ninth, gathering a pair of punchouts and forcing a ground out on one pitch to the final batter of the contest. The Ringgold, Ga. native picked up his first win of the year with two innings of one-hit ball, fanning three with no walks.
Johnson, Roberts, Ortega and Gavin Johns each tallied a pair of knocks on the day to lead the Tech offense.
The Golden Eagles are set to return home to Cookeville and Quillen Field at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex to host Kent State, beginning Friday, Feb. 26 in a 3:00 p.m. CT tilt. The two teams will wrap up the three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 27. Game one is set for 12:00 p.m. while the second contest, predetermined to go just seven innings to help with Kent State's travel home, will follow at approximately 3:30 p.m.
File photo by Jaylynn Nash, NC State Athletics
