By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Patient, methodical offense and great pitching kept the Tennessee Tech baseball team among the nation's undefeated through three games of the season as the Golden Eagles earned a 6-3 victory over visiting Le Moyne Saturday afternoon at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Much like the first two tilts of the four-game series, the Dolphins (0-3) lit up the scoreboard first on Saturday, scoring single runs in the first and second innings. Without even so as much as batting an eye, the Golden Eagles (3-0) went to work in the third, kicking off a stretch of four straight frames impacting the game on offense.
Catcher Mack Whitcomb provided the first spark, sending a sacrifice fly ball to left-center field to drive in second baseman Jackson Rooker to cut the deficit to 2-1. First baseman Riley Black squared things up to kick off the bottom of the fourth, hammering a lead-off bomb to right-center field for his first long ball as a Golden Eagle.
Le Moyne clapped back in the fifth, putting a pair of runners on with two outs before a base knock up the middle plated a run for a 3-2 lead. The Dolphins seemed destined to double that advantage with another ball peppered up the middle, but Tech shortstop Owen Lee made a dazzling, diving stab and flipped the ball to Rooker at second base just in time to collect the final out of the inning and end the threat.
Continuing to put the pressure on, Tech struck again in the bottom half of the frame behind the bat of veteran Nicho Jordan. The center fielder ripped an RBI single to right field, scoring Rooker for the second time in the ball game to make it a draw at 3-3.
The Golden Eagle put the Phins in their review mirror in the sixth, with left fielder Jackson Green providing the game-winning hit. The senior smashed an RBI triple off the wall in right-center field, plating Black, who had singled to open the frame.
Making his collegiate debut, right fielder Luke Bragga earned his first career knock by beating out a dribbler to the pitcher and putting runners on the corners with one out. Rooker made it a 5-3 contest with a sac fly to shallow left field, giving Green just enough distance to use his blazing speed to score without a worry.
Still not done, Owen Lee put the final stamp on the inning two pitches later, blistering a double through the right side to score Bragga and create a three-run cushion for the Tech bullpen to work with.
The pen delivered on the challenge, throwing up five scoreless frames to lock down a 3-0 start to the year. Taking over in the fifth inning, right-hander Lucas Vega covered nine outs for the Cookeville crew, scattering one hit and a walk while striking out four Dolphin batters.
The Tech newcomer earned his first win of the year with the performance, thanks to two more solid innings on the hill from his teammate Reece McDuffie. The Golden Eagle veteran worked a swift eighth before the Dolphins put together one last rally in the ninth.
Le Moyne earned back-to-back hits to lead off the final frame before a Tech error in the outfield allowed the bases to load up without an out on the scoreboard. Never deterred, McDuffie calmly struck out the next batter on four pitches before getting ahead of the next Dolphin 0-2.
Forcing a weak, shallow fly out to left-center field, the Golden Eagle reliever dug in for his final match-up of the evening. Taking on Le Moyne's three-hole hitter, McDuffie picked up his third punch-out of the day, using a perfect fastball on the outer half to catch the batter looking and secure his first save of the year.
Six Golden Eagles tallied hits in the contest, led by Owen Lee and a 3-for-5 day at the dish. Black also secured a multi-hit performance, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs. Rooker scored twice as well, reaching base three times on the day behind a walk and two hit-by-pitches.
The fourth and final game of the season-opening series between Tech and the Dolphins is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. CT first pitch at the Quill on Sunday morning. With inclement weather expected in the Cookeville and Upper Cumberland regions throughout the weekend, fans are encouraged to check TTUSports.com and Tennessee Tech social media for any potential updates to this weekend's schedule.
Photo by Jim Dillon
