By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – A prodigious power display at the plate and a relentless offense led the Tennessee Tech baseball team to its fifth straight victory Tuesday evening in Murfreesboro, Tenn. as the Golden Eagles (14-4) rolled to a 13-3, run-rule win in seven innings over in-state rival Middle Tennessee (9-6) at Reese Smith Jr Field.
Shortstop Owen Lee turned in his top showing at the plate to date in the affair, belting a whopping three home runs to tie the Tech program record. He became just the 13th Golden Eagles in history to achieve the feat and the first since teammate Nicho Jordan clobbered three at Little Rock on May 14, 2023. Ohio Valley Conference career long ball leader Jason Hinchman accomplished the mission a whopping three times.
Before Lee could play his own personal home run derby, the Tech offense did strike up a lead in the top of the second. A walk and two hit-by-pitches loaded the bags with one out, setting up Kinnick Pusteoska for the first RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly to center field.
In the third, Lee claimed all the confidence he would need for the night with a mammoth jack to right field on a 2-0 count. Two batters later, right fielder Jorsixt Jimenez smashed his own round-tripper, a solo shot to center field for his second of the year a 3-0 Tech lead.
The Blue Raiders threatened in the bottom half, scoring once on a double down the left-field line. The Golden Eagles escaped without further damage and provided the bats enough time to build on their lead.
The levy broke in the fifth as Lee sparked the offense again, blasting a lead-off rocket to right field for his first career multi-home run game. Catcher Mack Whitcomb and Jimenez followed with back-to-back base knocks to the outfield before center fielder Jackson Green loaded the bags with an infield single to third base.
A visit to the bullpen couldn't help the home squad, as first baseman Carter Vrabel ripped a bases-clearing double to left-center field, upgrading the Tech advantage to 7-1. The Blue Raiders' woes continued into the sixth when an error in left field and a balk allowed second baseman Jackson Rooker to reach third to lead off the inning.
After watching two offerings miss their mark, Lee unloaded on the next pitch for a no-doubt, two-run tank, making history with the jack. The onslaught continued into the seventh, this time with patience paying off dividends.
A walk, an error in the outfield, and another walk quickly loaded the bags for the purple and gold with one out, and another pitching change for the Blue Raiders just didn't work out. Whitcomb, Jimenez, and Green each gathered bases-loaded walks to drive in runs, finally prompting one final switch on the hill for Middle Tennessee.
Third baseman Preston Steele grounded out to second, plating one final run to make it a 13-1 Tech lead. The Blue Raiders attempted to rally and keep the game alive in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of a Golden Eagle error to score two unearned runs.
Reece McDuffie took control to cover the final out and solidify the win, inducing a lineout to second base. Lucas Vega (3-1) earned his third win of the year after covering 3.2 innings out of the bullpen. The junior scattered three hits and struck out three while allowing just two, unearned runs.
Lee paced the Cookeville crew with a 3-for-4 display with the three dingers, four runs scored, and four RBI. Jimenez finished 2-for-2 with two RBI, three runs, and a team-high three walks. Vrabel plated three while Whitcomb scored twice and drew a pair of walks.
The Golden Eagles continue their road stretch with a visit to Atlanta this weekend for a series at Mercer. The slate starts Friday with a 5:00 p.m. CT first pitch at OrthoGeorgia Park while game two is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start on Saturday. Sunday's finale will kick off at noon.
File photo by Betty Myers
