By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
DAVIDSON, N.C. – For the second day in a row, the Tennessee Tech baseball team suffered a heart-wrenching loss at Davidson, falling to the Wildcats Sunday afternoon at Wilson Field, 6-5, behind another walk-off hit by the home squad.
It was a back-and-forth affair much of the day, with Davidson (13-10) taking the early 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the second. The Golden Eagles (8-15) fought back in the third, responding with a solo run to cut the deficit in half.
Center fielder Nicho Jordan hammered a lead-off home run to right field in the third, his second long ball in as many days. After holding the Wildcats scoreless in the bottom half, Tech continued its run in the fourth.
Rookie Kayne Jinks ripped a single through the left side with one out in the fourth, and moved on to third following a double to left-center off the bat of right fielder Theo Bryant IV. Jordan came through again for the purple and gold, peppering a single to center field for a pair of RBI and a 3-2 Tech lead.
Davidson instantly clapped back, plating a pair in the fourth to move back out front by a score of 4-3. The Wildcats made it a 5-3 advantage in the fifth, but the Golden Eagles once again had a response.
Leading off the sixth, second baseman Troy Baunsgard smashed a solo bomb to left field, his fifth round-tripper of the year. The Golden Eagles evened things at 5-5 in the seventh, with shortstop Nick Spardone scoring on a bases-loaded walk to Baunsgard.
The scoring stopped for both sides until the bottom of the ninth, when the Wildcats picked up an RBI single down the right-field line with one out and the bases loaded.
Jordan led the Tech offense in the contest, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Baunsgard drove in the other two Golden Eagle runs, while left fielder Preston Ford represented Tech's other multi-hit effort with a pair of base knocks.
Tech will return to action next weekend, opening Ohio Valley Conference action at Morehead State Friday, Mar. 31 with a 2:00 p.m. CT tilt. The series continues Saturday, Apr. 1 at 1:00 p.m. before concluding with a 12:00 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, Apr. 2.
File photo by Jim Dillon
