By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team couldn't complete the sweep of Ohio Valley Conference rival Lindenwood Sunday afternoon, falling to the Lions at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in the series finale, 5-3.
After taking the first two contests of the series in St. Charles, Mo. behind brilliant pitching, the purple and gold couldn't quite replicate the recipe for a third straight day. Tech (22-14, 8-4) blanked Lindenwood (12-23, 5-7) through the opening 15 frames of the weekend, surrendering just a single run over the first two games.
The Lions finally broke through against the league's top pitching staff, scoring a pair of runs in both the second and third frames. Trailing by four on a weekend where the offense struggled to find its footing, the Golden Eagles struck back in fifth with its final salvo of the series.
Third baseman Eddie Garza led things off with a base hit through the right side. He advanced to third two batters later, courtesy of center fielder Jackson Green's double down the left-field line.
Working a 3-2 count, left fielder Austin Turner came through with Tech's biggest swing of the day. The senior peppered a base knock through the right side, plating both Garza and Turner to cut the deficit in half. Turner also reached third base on the play, advancing two bags after a fielding error in right field.
The miscue allowed Turner to score two pitches later, denting the dish on a sacrifice fly ball to right field by second baseman Troy Baunsgard. All of a sudden, Tech was back within a run.
Lindenwood answered with a single run in the bottom of the fifth, using a base hit and a pair of ground outs to score the final marker of the contest. Pitching took over for both sides the rest of the way.
Tech reliever Andrew Guardino covered the final 2.2 innings on the hill for the purple and gold, scattering two hits and a walk while punching out four Lion batters. Shortstop Tanner Shiver and Garza tied for the team lead with two hits each.
The Golden Eagles will complete their five-game road swing Wednesday evening, heading to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for a rematch with in-state rival Middle Tennessee at 6:00 p.m. CT. Tech topped the Blue Raiders 11-9 back on Apr. 3 in Cookeville.
File photo by Jim Dillon
