By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The bats were out in full force and the pitching staff did its job in limiting scoring chances as the Tennessee Tech baseball team topped in-state rival Belmont 16-3 in an eight-inning affair at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville on Wednesday evening.
The Golden Eagles (10-4) swept the season series with the Bruins (2-11), having already bested them in a 10-8 battle in Cookeville back on Feb. 18. In Wednesday's meeting, the purple and gold racked up 15 hits and six walks, constantly applying pressure and scoring multiple runs in five innings.
The offense set the tone straight out of the gates, with second baseman Jackson Rooker leading off the contest with a double to center field. Two batters later, right fielder Jorsixt Jimenez slashed his own double to left field, plating Rooker for the first run of the night.
Belmont answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the second, but the Cookeville crew was quick to respond and move back in front for good. After Rooker and shortstop Owen Lee each drew walks, the pair of middle infielders moved up a base thanks to a balk by the Bruins. The two moved up another 90 feet by the benefit of a wild pitch.
Rooker scored on the wild offering, putting the Tech squad up 2-1. Catcher Mack Whitcomb made sure that lead held up the rest of the night, grounding out to third to drive in Owen Lee for a 3-1 lead.
The Bruins claimed a run in the third before the Golden Eagles went back to work at the plate. Leading off the fourth, the purple and gold put a pair on to set up third baseman Preston Steele for some heroics. The senior ripped an RBI double down the left-field line, kicking off a big frame.
Following another Tech base knock, Rooker reached on a fielder's choice that drove in the team's fifth marker of the ball game. Owen Lee made it a 6-2 advantage with an RBI ground out to second base.
In the fifth, Belmont picked up its final run of the night, but the slight spark of life was enough to reignite the Golden Eagle attack. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Owen Lee delivered a clutch swing of the bat, drilling a base hit up the middle to plate a pair for an 8-2 Tech lead.
Tech got right back after it in the seventh, with Mack leading the way with a double to left field on the first pitch of the frame. Later in the frame, center fielder Nicho Jordan plated a run by reaching on a fielder's choice and designated hitter Ryan Lee followed with a sac fly to left field.
Closing the scoring in the seventh, Steele turned in another RBI double, this time to true left field. The Golden Eagles exploded in the eighth for five more runs, officially kicking in the run rule agreed to prior to the contest.
Owen Lee led the frame off with a ground-rule double to left-center field. Whitcomb followed by clubbing a two-run blast to left field for his fourth home run of the season. Jackson Green, who entered the contest in the seventh as a pinch-runner, smacked a base knock to center field, setting up some déjà vu.
Jordan followed Whitcomb's lead from earlier in the frame and crushed a two-run jack to right-center field, the senior's first round-tripper of the year. Not to be held back, the Golden Eagle proceeded to load the bases and Rooker drove in the final run of the night with a fielder's choice.
On the mound, Drew Mattox tossed the first 2.2 innings with just one earned run allowed and two strikeouts. Jack Brafa (2-1) picked up his second win after covering the next 2.1 frames out of the bullpen. The sophomore fanned three Bruins while surrendering just one run.
Reece McDuffie covered the sixth and seventh frames while facing the minimum, requiring just 20 pitches to go six-up, six-down. Lucas Vega fired a scoreless eighth to conclude the night, punching out a pair without allowing a hit.
All 10 Tech batters that saw the field recorded at least one hit on the night, led by Steele's 3-for-4 showing with two RBI and two runs. Owen Lee and Whitcomb each finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs while Jordan added three RBI and two runs.
The Golden Eagles will return to Cookeville to open a three-game series with Purdue Fort Wayne this Friday at 3:00 p.m. CT at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. Admission to all Tech baseball games is free of charge. Fans are encouraged to check TTUSports.com and Tennessee Tech social media for any potential updates to this weekend's schedule.
File photo by Betty Myers
