By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Brilliant pitching and a timely inning of offense propelled the Tennessee Tech baseball team to a 5-2 victory at Little Rock on Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a big win over the league's defending regular-season champions at Gary Hogan Field.

It took a brief moment for the pitching to get settled for the purple and gold (16-7, 1-0), but once it did, it was all over for the Trojans (9-13, 0-1) and their offense. Little Rock did get to Tech ace Jaxson Pease early, plating a pair of runs in the opening frame.

A double, an RBI base knock, and another single plated the first run and set runners on the corners with two outs for the home team. The Trojans then used a delayed steal, with the runner on first taking off for second, forcing the throw, and then getting in a rundown as the runner from third took off for home and scored before the Golden Eagles recorded the final out of the frame.

From that point on, Pease was spectacular on the bump, tossing five consecutive scoreless frames while scattering three hits and a walk. The junior righty fanned five in that span, taking the Cookeville crew into the top of the seventh with just the two-run deficit.

The Golden Eagle bats rewarded their starter with the decisive inning of the contest, scoring five times to jump on top. Red-hot third baseman Preston Steele sparked the attack, lacing a lead-off double to right-center field before advancing to third on a ground out.

First baseman Carter Vrabel and designated hitter patiently drew back-to-back, five-pitch walks to load the bases against Little Rock's Jackson Wells. Center fielder Jackson Green followed by reaching on a fielder's choice to third base, driving in the first run for the Cookeville crew.

While pinch hitter Landon Smelser took his turn at the dish, Wells was called for a balk during the at-bat, bringing Black home for the tying run. Smelser kept the inning alive by drawing the third free pass of the inning after a full count, passing the torch to the top of the lineup.

Shortstop Owen Lee brought an end to Wells' evening on the mound for the Trojans, watching four of the next five offerings miss their mark for yet another walk to load the bases again. Little Rock went to the bullpen, calling on Malcolm Brown to try and get out of the jam.

Catcher Mack Whitcomb didn't exactly greet Brown with the warmest of welcomes, watching the right-hander's first two pitches miss the zone and essentially daring him to challenge the sophomore backstop. Brown responded with a fastball up on the outer half and Whitcomb answered by smashing it the other way. The slugger belted a laser that clipped off the outstretched glove of a leaping Jayce Blalock in right field, clearing the bases for a trio of RBI and, more importantly, Tech's first lead of the game at 5-2.

Golden Eagle head coach Matt Bragga took his turn putting a call into the bullpen, welcoming sophomore Juan Vargas into the ball game to close things out. The youngster was masterful on his way to claiming his team-leading fourth save of the year, covering three dominant innings to secure the Tech win.

The Panama City, Panama native struck out the side in the seventh, setting the tone right off the bat. He induced a ground out to open the eighth before surrendering his lone hit of the evening, an infield knock to shortstop. Another groundout to second base and his fourth punch-out of the night brought an end to the eighth.

It was 1-2-3 for the Trojans in the ninth, as Vargas fanned the first two hitters of the frame before inducing one final ground out to third to finish things off. The youngster's fourth save of the year also represented Pease's fourth win of the season.

Seven different Golden Eagles combined for the team's eight hits on the night, with Steele leading the way with a 2-for-3 showing with a walk. Lee finished 1-for-2 with three walks and a run scored while Whitcomb paced the run production with his three-run double.

Game two of the weekend's series at Gary Hogan Field is slated for a 4:00 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday afternoon.

File photo by Betty Myers