By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – An all-around dominant display on the diamond led the Tennessee Tech baseball team to a big, 11-0 victory over in-state rival UT Martin (13-28, 7-8) Sunday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles (13-25, 4-8) clinched their first Ohio Valley Conference series of the year.
On a chilly, but otherwise beautiful day at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex, the purple and gold bounced back in the best way after a tough, 16-2 loss to the Skyhawks on Saturday. Great pitching and defense were on display all game for the Golden Eagles, as was a healthy offense that pounded out 16 hits on the day.
Getting the starting nod for the Cookeville crew on Sunday, right-hander Peyton Calitri turned in a spectacular display, getting Tech through the first inning with relative ease. After hitting the second batter of the game, the junior caught the Skyhawk base runner halfway toward second base with a pick-off move.
The Golden Eagles provided instant offense to back up the veteran pitcher, with shortstop Troy Baunsgard leading off the bottom of the first with a double off the wall in left-center field. A base hit by left fielder Austin Turner moved him over before third baseman Peyton Mills' deep fly ball to center field drove him in for a sac fly and 1-0 lead.
Two pitches later, first baseman John Dyer provided the big blow in the inning, crushing a 1-0 delivery to left-center field for a two-run blast. The senior's 12th long ball of the year also marked the 36th of his career, moving him to within one of tying Ryan Flick for sixth on Tech's all-time career home run charts.
The Tech defense was on full display in the second inning, as the Skyhawks put runners on the corners with one out, looking to get on the board with a response. Calitri induced a ground ball on the next at-bat, allowing Mills to field it quickly and chuck it to second baseman Eddie Garza, who then tossed a dart to Dyer at first for a double play.
The purple and gold kept the pressure on in the bottom of the second, loading the bases before UT Martin escaped without damage. Calitri made sure to get the hot Tech bats back to the plate quickly, using just seven pitches to work a clean inning with three ground balls to his defense on the left side.
Catcher Hayden Gilliland took to the plate in the bottom half and promptly provided another run to the home effort. The junior smashed a solo bomb down the right-field line to lead off the frame, his fifth of the year.
Facing runners on the corners with two outs in the fourth, Calitri saw his defense shine yet again, as the hurler induced a high fly ball to shallow right-center field. With the ball traveling towards no man's land, right fielder Theo Bryant IV came out of nowhere to make a sliding catch to end the threat.
It was a clean fifth frame for Calitri, who struck out the lead-off man before creating two chances for Mills at the hot corner. The third baseman handled them both, picking a grounder for the second out and tracking down a fly ball in foul territory to end the inning.
After walking the first batter of the sixth, it seemed that Calitri's day might finally be done, much to the joy of the Skyhawk batters, but another stellar display of defense ended those dreams. The junior induced another ground ball, this time to Garza at second. The freshman fielded it cleanly, flipped the ball to Baunsgard for the first out at second, who then fired a dart to Dyer to complete the double play.
Calitri forced a flyout after surrendering a double, ending the sixth. The veteran completed six shutout innings with just four hits allowed on the day, punching out a pair to secure his third win of the season.
With the dazzling display done by the Tech hurler, the Golden Eagle offense provided a proper send-off, exploding for a massive inning in the bottom of the sixth to leave no doubt about the outcome of the contest. Garza kicked off the onslaught with a base knock through the right side before center fielder Nicho Jordan was plunked with a pitch to put a pair on.
Baunsgard moved the runners over with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt, leaving Turner wide open for an RBI single to center field for a 5-0 lead. Mills followed with a base hit of his own up the middle, plating a second run in the inning before Dyer was plunked and prompted the Skyhawks to go to the bullpen for answers with the bases loaded.
Gilliland left them no answers, smashing a seed to left-center field for another RBI and a 7-0 lead. Designated hitter Preston Ford kept things rolling for the Cookeville crew with a base hit of his own to left-center field, scoring one more on the board.
Bryant delivered another blow, ripping a two-run double down the left-field line for a 10-0 Tech advantage. Garza finished the job with an RBI double to left-center field. With the double-digit lead, all Tech needed to do to secure victory was finish the top of the seventh clean with the OVC's run rule in the final game of a weekend series.
Tech head coach Matt Bragga turned to Jacob Morin to secure the win after Calitri issued a tough walk to the lead-off batter in the seventh. After surrendering a base knock, Morin buckled down and responded with a fly ball out to center field.
Even with the Skyhawk runner advancing to third, the right-hander never wavered, forcing a shallow fly ball to left field for the second out. He needed just three pitches to end the day with a strikeout.
Turner and Gilliland led the Tech offense with three hits each on the day, but all nine Golden Eagles in the lineup gathered at least one knock. Seven different members of the purple and gold drove in at least one run as well, with Mills, Dyer, Gilliland, and Bryant each bringing in two.
Tech will wrap up the month of April with a road trip north next weekend, visiting Eastern Illinois for another OVC series Friday, Apr. 28 through Sunday, Apr. 30 in Charleston, Ill.
Photo by Jim Dillon
