By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a day of lows and highs for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Saturday, as the Golden Eagles ended the day with momentum after a walk-off winner in the second game of a doubleheader split with Eastern Illinois at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Eastern Illinois (10-8, 2-3) got started early and often on the day, claiming game one in the Ohio Valley Conference series 18-6. Tech (7-6, 3-2) had other plans for game two, taking as large as a four-run lead. The Panthers answered, forcing extra innings, but the purple and gold got the last word in, thanks to a Luke Jones walk-off blast in the 10th for the 9-8 win.
In the Golden Eagle win, the Cookeville crew rode a hot start on the hill from freshman Ty Fisher to set up an early lead. In the bottom of the second, rookie Hayden Gilliland delivered the initial run of the contest, crushing his first collegiate long ball to left-center field.
Tech added to the advantage in the third, with second baseman Brett Roberts driving in a run on a single to third base. Jason Hinchman grounded out to third base, driving in another Tech run. Gilliland came up clutch again, smacking a double to left field to drive in Tech's third run of the frame for a 4-0 lead.
Fisher took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but an infield single, followed by a home run to left field, broke up the shut out and got EIU on the board. It also snapped a scoreless streak by the Dalton, Ga. native of 15 and one-third innings. The Tech offense backed its pitcher again, delivering a response in the bottom half.
Shortstop Ed Johnson led off with an infield single to his counterpart on the EIU side and promptly stole second. Hinchman stepped in and smashed a towering liner to deep right-center field, but the Panther center fielder Keith Kerrigan made an incredible leaping grab.
Compensating for the out, Johnson made an incredible base-running decision, tagging immediately after he saw the catch and rounding third with the intent to score. Without hesitation, he raced for the plate, scoring easily after as a desperate throw sailed over the catcher's head, too late for any effect.
The Panthers collected an unearned run in the sixth, cutting the Tech lead to 5-3. The Golden Eagles added right back to the lead in the seventh, with Johnson crushing a two-run bomb to left field, his second long ball of the day after clearing the fences in the opener.
Eastern Illinois finally chased Fisher from the contest in the eighth, collecting a two-run round-tripper to open the frame. The purple and gold southpaw rounded out his day with seven innings of work, four earned runs allowed and a career-high seven strikeouts.
The Panthers smacked a home run in the inning to cut the lead to one, and then made things really interesting in the ninth. The visitors plated a pair in the frame, taking its first lead of the game into the home half of the inning.
Johnson delivered again, drawing a four-pitch walk to lead off the frame. Roberts laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to follow, advancing his teammate to second. Hinchman took his turn at the dish and was as clutch as the Preseason OVC Player of the Year would expect to be, blistering a single through the left side to drive in the tying run.
Junior left-hander Daniel Holley, who took over on the hill in the ninth, made quick work of the Panthers in the 10th, retiring the side to set up his team, and ultimately himself, for the win. EIU seemed destined for an 11th inning, striking out the first two batters of the side.
But Tech head coach Steve Smith had a nice trick up his sleeve, pinch-hitting Luke Jones into the nine-hole spot. On the second offering, the Greenbrier, Tenn. native uncorked a mammoth swing and launched a towering missile into the night sky, easily clearing the left-field fence for a walk-off blast.
Hinchman drove in three with a pair of hits in the tilt while Gilliland finished a triple shy of the cycle with a pair of RBI. Johnson scored three runs with a pair of knocks and two RBI. Cody Littlejohn scored twice on a pair of hits as well.
In the first contest of the day, EIU scored in seven of the nine frames, using 17 hits to score 18 runs. Tech kept pace early, responding to a three-run first by the Panthers with a pair of its own in the bottom half, courtesy of Johnson's first two-run dinger of the day. He turned in an RBI single in the second inning, totaling three for the game.
Brett Roberts collected a pair of hits as well in the first game, scoring once. Littlejohn, catcher Will Long and Jones each tallied an RBI in the opening contest in addition to the three from Johnson.
The series finale is set for a 1:00 p.m. CT first pitch on Sunday afternoon at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium.
Photo by Jim Dillon
