By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The bats stayed hot and the pitching staff delivered again for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Tuesday evening, as the Golden Eagles (9-6) cruised to an 11-4 victory over in-state rival Belmont (6-10) in a contest with no Ohio Valley Conference implications.
It was the long ball that did the trick for the purple and gold at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. Tech clobbered five round-trippers on the night, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to dominate late and win its third-straight contest.
The Bruins opened the contest with a pair of runs in the first looking strong on offense early on. A quick bottom half appeared to have Belmont in control, but momentum swung quickly in the second.
With two outs in the top of the second, freshman Jackson Berry came out of the bullpen to get the Golden Eagles out of a jam with a pair on. A wild pitch allowed both runners to move into scoring position, but the rookie southpaw rebounded with a strikeout to end the inning.
The Tech offense rewarded Berry nearly immediately, as Preseason OVC Player of the Year Jason Hinchman drew a five-pitch walk to kick off the bottom of the second. On the very next pitch, first baseman Golston Gillespie tied the contest, smashing his fourth home run of the year to right field from the right side of the plate.
The blank slate on the scoreboard gave Berry plenty of room work, as he covered the next four innings with just a single, unearned run allowed in the sixth. The McGregor, Texas native struck out four Bruins while holding the visitors to just a single hit and earning his first win of the year.
The Golden Eagles gave him a lead to work with in the fifth, with senior Cody Littlejohn delivering this time around. The second batter in the frame, the left fielder drilled the first pitch he saw clear over the fence in center field, recording his fourth dinger of the season. An infield single by reigning OVC Player of the Year Ed Johnson set up second baseman Brett Roberts for an RBI single later in the frame.
In the sixth, it was more fireworks for the purple and gold, this time thanks to some chess moves by Tech head coach Steve Smith and the bat of sophomore John Dyer. With runners on second and third, two outs in the inning and the Golden Eagles clinging to a 4-3 lead, Smith inserted the left-handed-hitting Hayden Gilliland into the contest against the right-handed pitcher.
Belmont skipper Dave Jarvis then went to his bullpen, bringing in a southpaw for the lefty on lefty match-up. Smith answered back, lifting Gilliland before he even saw pitch for the right-handed hitting Dyer. He responded by taking a 1-1 offering from the newly inserted Bruin hurler and depositing it over the left-field fence for his first bomb of the season and three RBI.
Not finished with the trips around the bases, Tech struck again in the seventh. After a base hit from Johnson and Roberts getting plunked by a pitch, Hinchman took his turn going yard on the day, blasting a three-run shot to left field, his second of the year.
Gillespie made it back-to-back jacks one pitch later, hammering his second long ball of the game, this time from the left side of the dish. With the home run, the redshirt sophomore became just the second known player in program history to hit a four-bagger from each side of the plate in the same game and first since Chris Brown did so at Austin Peay on Mar. 24, 2017.
Brock Myers and Mark Leonard each tossed a scoreless frame in relief on the night, each allowing just a single hit. Daniel Holley covered the ninth for Tech, allowing a single run before ending the night.
Gillespie, Hinchman and Dyer each finished with three RBI in the contest while Johnson tallied three hits and a pair of runs. Gillespie also scored three times while going 2-for-2 with a walk and hit-by-pitch.
The Golden Eagles will hit the road this weekend for an OVC series at Jacksonville State. Game one is set for Friday, Mar. 26 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The series will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first contest scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
