By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MACOMB, Ill. – The offense stayed hot, and the pitching took care of business as the Tennessee Tech baseball team opened its Ohio Valley Conference series at Western Illinois with a monster, 14-2 victory at Alfred D. Boyer Baseball Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
For the third time in the past four games, the Golden Eagles (20-11, 5-2) racked up at least a dozen hits and runs, tallying 16 knocks in the road victory. The win marked Tech's 11th straight against the Leathernecks (6-19, 1-6), backed by a pair of impressive pitching performances.
Junior hurler Jaxson Pease delivered 6.0 solid frames for the Cookeville crew, moving to 5-1 on the season while surrendering just two runs in the second inning. The right-hander struck out five Western Illinois batters in the contest, scattering seven hits and three walks.
Taking care of the final 3.0 innings for the Golden Eagles, sophomore Drew Mattox picked up his third save of the campaign. The righty allowed just two hits in his time on the mound, fanning a pair for good measure.
The Tech bats provided all the room its pitching staff would need to pick up the win in the second frame alone, dropping a four spot before tacking on 10 insurance runs throughout the remainder of the ball game. Patience and a relentless approach paid dividends throughout the day, starting with the team's two-out rally in the second.
After designated hitter Ryan Lee drew a walk and shortstop Owen Lee followed with a base knock to left-center field, the Leathernecks picked up their second out of the frame with hopes of escaping unscathed. Second baseman Eddie Garza put those dreams on hold by working an eight-pitch walk to load the bases.
Left fielder Jackson Green shattered WIU's wishful thinking on the very next pitch, smashing a bases-clearing triple to center field for his second three-bagger of the season. Center fielder Nicho Jordan made it an even four runs on the scoreboard for Tech with an infield single to shortstop, plating Green for the early lead.
Western Illinois put up a fight in the bottom half of the frame, scoring its two lone runs of the contest. The home squad even kept the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard in the third, but Tech just kept coming.
In the fourth, the visiting purple and gold flashed its speed, with Green drawing a free pass before swiping second for his sixth steal of the season. He went on to add his second later in the ball game, but not before scoring in off an RBI-single down the right-field line by Jordan, who also stole second.
With a relatively comfortable three-run cushion already in place, the Tech squad really went to work in the fifth, sending 11 batters to the plate while racking up seven hits and a game-changing five runs. Sparking the explosion of offense was Ryan Lee, who doubled down the left-field line to kick off the inning.
Two batters later, first baseman Carter Vrabel ripped an RBI base hit up the middle to get in on the fun. Garza shortened up his swing on an 0-2 offering and singled down the left-field line before Green continued his spectacular day at the dish with an RBI knock to left field.
After Jordan worked a six-pitch walk to load the bases, third baseman Preston Steele broke things wide open by peppering a two-run single to center field. Right fielder Jorsixt Jimenez finished off the scoring for the Golden Eagles in the frame, picking up a run-scoring, infield single to second base.
Tech continued to add to the lead in the seventh, with catcher Mack Whitcomb leading things off with a double to right-center field. A pair of walks loaded the bags for the Golden Eagles with one out before Vrabel drove in a run with a ground out to second base. Garza reached on a Leatherneck error on the next pitch, bringing home another TTU run for an even 10-run lead.
Jordan scored the Cookeville crew's 13th run of the day in the eighth, leading off the inning by getting plunked by the second pitch he saw. He advanced to third on another double off the bat of Whitcomb before denting the dish courtesy of a wild pitch.
Even the Tech bench got in on the act, with pinch hitters Aaron Moffitt and Luke Bragga each picking up base knocks in the ninth. Moffitt plated the final run for the Golden Eagles, smacking an RBI single to right field.
All in all, each of the Golden Eagle starters delivered at least one hit on the day, with Whitcomb leading the way with an impressive 4-for-5 showing at the plate. Green paced the Cookeville crew with four RBI and three runs scored on two hits and two walks, not to mention a pair of steals. Jordan ended the day 2-for-3 with a couple of runs driven in and two walks.
Game two of the series between the two purple and gold squads is slated for a 2:00 p.m. CT first pitch at Boyer Baseball Stadium.
File photo by Jim Dillon
