By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a spectacular way to celebrate both Mother's Day and Senior Day for the Tennessee Tech baseball team on Sunday, as the Golden Eagles won their sixth Ohio Valley Conference series of year with a 7-4 victory over Lindenwood at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The pitching staff continued to shine for the purple and gold (34-18, 16-8) while the offense delivered plenty of support and a historic performance from catcher Mack Whitcomb. The sophomore tied a program record by smashing three home runs in the contest, matching the effort of teammate and redshirt freshman shortstop Owen Lee at Middle Tennessee back on Mar. 11.
The Lions (26-26, 13-10) tried to set the tone early in the contest, taking an early 2-0 lead behind a long ball. After Tech miscue extended the first inning with two outs, Lindenwood first baseman Sam Grunberg sent a towering shot down the left field that just stayed inside the foul pole for a two-run home run.
The Golden Eagles immediately responded in the bottom half, scoring twice to tie the affair at 2-2. With the bases loaded, right fielder Jackson Green poked a nubber just past the pitcher for an infield knock to second base and the first Tech RBI of the day.
Second baseman Eddie Garza followed it up with a sacrifice fly ball to right field, driving in center fielder Nicho Jordan from third. Freshman hurler Logan Moller settled in from that point on, tossing up five consecutive zeroes through the sixth inning.
During that span, the Tech offense gave its starter a lead and some insurance, led by a power surge from Whitcomb. Jordan led off the bottom of the third with an infield single that glanced off the pitcher, turning things over to the Golden Eagle backstop.
Whitcomb delivered by crushing a laser down the left-field line on the first pitch he saw, clearing the wall for his 11th long ball of the season and a 4-2 Tech lead. Shortstop Preston Steele chalked up another marker for the Cookeville crew, smacking a flare to center field for an RBI and a 5-2 advantage.
In the fifth, Whitcomb went bridge again, blasting a moon shot down the left-field line on the first offering of the inning. Lindenwood finally broke through again in the seventh, picking up a weak infield single to third base with two outs.
Lion catcher Brodie Short pounced on the first pitch he saw from Moller for a two-run jack to right field, just clearing the outstretched glove of Green, who scaled the wall and narrowly robbed the dinger in must-watch fashion.
With the lead cut to two, Tech head coach Matt Bragga went to the bullpen and turned things over to sophomore closer Juan Vargas. The right-hander entered and picked up a strikeout on four pitches, snapping the momentum of the visitors.
Whitcomb then took the air out of Lindenwood's sails, completing history in the bottom of the seventh. The Mokena, Ill. native belted an absolute no-doubter down the left-field line with two outs in the frame, rocking his 13th round-tripper of the year to finish off a 3-for-3 day and give Tech a 7-4 advantage.
Vargas finished things off with strong work in the eighth and ninth, earning his eighth save of the season to make some history of his own. The Panama City, Panama native moved in sole possession of fifth place on the program's single-season saves list, trailing only legendary closers Seth Lucio and Ethan Roberts.
He completed 2.1 innings without allowing a hit, striking out three batters along the way. Moller (2-1) picked up his second win of the season after completing a season-high 6.2 innings of work, scattering five hits and four runs, including just two earned. The freshman also struck out three Lion batters.
Leading the offense, Whitcomb went 3-for-3 with four RBI, three runs scored, and joined a list of 13 other Golden Eagles who have piled up three pumps in a single game. The feat has been accomplished 15 times in program history, with Jason Hinchman, the OVC's all-time career home run leader, achieving the mark three times.
Ending the day 2-for-4 at the plate, Jordan scored two runs while stealing his 18th base of the season. He moved into a tie for 17th in school history for a single season while climbing to a tie for 23rd on the career charts with his 28th swipe.
Prior to the contest, 11 senior members of the Golden Eagle program were recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout their careers. Among those honored were Riley Black, Jackson Green, Jared Herzog, Houston High, Nicho Jordan, Ryan Lee, Preston Steele, Nick Vaccaro, Lucas Vega, Carter Vrabel, and Emery Wright.
The Golden Eagles will host their final home contest of the season on Tuesday evening, squaring off with in-state rival Middle Tennessee in a 6:00 p.m. CT tilt at the Quill. Tech downed the Blue Raiders back on Mar. 11 by a final score of 13-3 in seven innings, led by Owen Lee's own three-bomb outing.
Photo by Jim Dillon
