By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Clutch pitching and timely offense was the name of the game for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles opened their weekend series with Southern Illinois with a 3-2 victory at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Tech (6-0) moved to a perfect 6-0 on the season with the triumph over the Salukis (1-3), marking the team's best start since the 2022 campaign's 10-0 mark to open the year.
The Golden Eagles wasted little time in providing starting pitcher Jaxson Pease with room to work, scoring in the bottom of the first inning. The purple and gold loaded the bases with three consecutive hits to open the frame, taking a 1-0 lead behind a sacrifice fly ball off the bat of third baseman Preston Steele.
SIU limited the damage in the frame, but two innings later, the purple and gold struck again. In the bottom of the third, center fielder Nicho Jordan led things off with a double to left field, advancing to third base on a fielder's choice that put runners on the corners.
Taking his turn in the box, first baseman Carter Vrabel delivered the big swing of the day on a full count, ripping a two-run double down the left-field line to make it a 3-0 ball game in favor of Tech.
With three runs under his belt, Pease was methodical in his work over the opening five frames, working around four hits and three walks to hold the Salukis off the scoreboard. Southern Illinois finally broke through in the sixth, using a lead-off single and a double to plate its first run of the ball game.
A fly ball advanced the runner to third and a ground out cut the Tech lead to just one run, but Pease calmly closed out the frame to all but secure his second win of the season. The junior hurler struck out three in the contest, covering six innings overall.
Taking over on the hill in the seventh, right-hander Reece McDuffie was nearly flawless out of the bullpen, securing his second save of the season with three scoreless frames to his name. The right-hander's lone blemish was quickly erased, as a one-out single in the seventh simply gave the Golden Eagles a chance to flash their double-play ability, with shortstop Owen Lee and Vrabel combining for the inning-ending defensive highlight.
McDuffie forced four more ground outs and a pair of flyouts to finish off the final two frames and secure another victory for the Cookeville crew. Lee and Jordan led the Golden Eagles with two hits apiece while Vrabel paced the purple and gold with two RBI.
The series will continue Sunday afternoon with a 1:00 p.m. contest at the Quill. Admission to all Tech home baseball games is free of charge.
File photo by Betty Myers
