By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – It was a historic day at the ballpark for the Tennessee Tech baseball team on Friday, as the Golden Eagles erupted for a 27-11 blowout victory over longtime Ohio Valley Conference rival Morehead State at Prefontaine Park in Morehead, Ky.
Backed by a season-high 21 hits, the purple and gold (36-19, 17-9) set a new program record for runs scored in an OVC contest with 27 at Allen Field. Tech's 16-run margin of victory over the Eagles (14-38, 4-22) marked the most over a league opponent since the Golden Eagles dropped Murray State 23-7 in a road tilt back on Apr. 15, 2018.
The Cookeville crew's 27 runs represented the most for the program since Apr. 16, 2019 when the Golden Eagles dropped a 28-8 performance over Alabama A&M.
Tech got started right out of the gate, loading the bases with one out for right fielder Jackson Green. The senior kicked off a career day by clearing the bags with a three-run double to left-center field. It was just a small preview of what was to come from the veteran.
Morehead plated one in the bottom half, but Tech doubled down in the third with two more runs courtesy of Green. The Nicholasville, Ky. native, just a 90-minute drive down the road from Morehead, smashed his fourth home run of the season to left-center field, making it a 5-1 lead.
Catcher Mack Whitcomb tacked on another marker in the fourth, ripping a single to left field for an RBI. The Eagles cracked back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring five times on the power of a home run, a three-run triple, and an RBI single.
In the sixth, the Cookeville crew powered back out front, taking advantage of two Morehead errors to score four runs in the frame, with a familiar ace on display yet again. Tech took the lead behind an RBI fielder's choice to shortstop off the bat of designated hitter Jorsixt Jimenez.
The visitors added another on the play, as center fielder Nicho Jordan scored on a throwing error by the Eagles. With an 8-6 advantage in the tank, Green flashed his power stroke again, crushing a two-run blast to left field for his fifth round-tripper of the year.
The Eagles chipped back with a lead-off bomb in the sixth, but the Golden Eagles provided their own response in the top of the seventh. Shortstop Preston Steele led off the frame with a triple to left-center field, and third baseman Jackson Rooker plated him with a bunt single to first base.
Another run by Morehead in the bottom of the seventh only seemed to agitate the Tech offense, as the purple and gold prepare to unleash a mammoth showing. The Golden Eagles dropped 10 runs with 16 batters taking to the box in the inning, the most runs in one frame by the squad since scoring 11 in the eighth of a 12-8 win over Bradley on Mar. 26, 2022.
Second baseman Eddie Garza got the fun started with an RBI double to right-center field. Steele followed with a two-run double to right-center field, before first baseman Carter Vrabel singled up the middle for another RBI.
A pitching change did little to tame the beast that was the Tech bats, with newly inserted shortstop Owen Lee greeting the new arm by hammering a two-run jack to center field, his eighth long ball of the season. A base hit by left fielder Landon Smelser and a walk to Jordan forced another change on the mound, and the new hurler was promptly greeted by a throwing error on an RBI grounder by Whitcomb.
For the second time in the contest, Jordan scored on another throwing miscue by the Eagles, setting up Garza for more fun. He added to his great inning with a two-run single through the left side, bringing a merciful end to the scoring in the frame.
After Morehead smacked a three-run dinger in the bottom of the eighth, Tech retaliated one more time in the ninth, spattering six more markers across the scoreboard. Despite two quick outs in the inning, the purple and gold scurried up a two-out rally, with Whitcomb and pinch-hitter Riley Black drawing back-to-back walks.
Green came through one last time, firing an RBI single through the right side before Garza drew a walk to load the bases. Steele watched four of five offerings miss their mark with the bags juiced, earning an RBI of his own. Vrabel turned in the big blast of the day, clearing the high wall in right field for a grand slam and his fifth trot of the year.
Producing one of the single greatest days at the plate in program history, Green became just the ninth known Golden Eagle to go 5-for-5 or better (Kevin Strohschein finished a program-best 6-for-6 in a win at Alabama A&M on Apr. 5, 2016) in a ball game. The senior became just the seventh member of the program to drive in at least eight runs (only Strohschein and Ryan Flick drove in more with nine each), and the first since Nick Osborne plated eight at Murray State on Apr. 15, 2018.
His 13 total bases tied for the fourth-most in a single game in school history. Both Green and Jimenez scored five runs in the tilt, tying for the third-most in program history.
Smelser piled up three more hits while Whitcomb, Garza, Steele, Vrabel, and Owen Lee each tallied two. All 11 Golden Eagles to see the diamond reached base, with 10 drawing at least one walk and 10 recording at least one hit. Eight different players drove in at least one run for the purple and gold.
Vrabel plated five while Garza and Steele each drove in three. Smelser, Jordan, and Steele each dented the dish three times as well. In addition to the team's 21 hits, the squad also drew 14 walks in the affair, led by Steele's three and Green's and Jordan's pair. Logan Moller (3-1) picked up his third win of the season after tossing 3.0 innings out of the bullpen.
With both Eastern Illinois and SIUE winning again on Friday, the Golden Eagles can no longer clinch higher than the No. 3 seed at the OVC Tournament next week. Tech can still clinch a share of the OVC's regular-season title, with losses by both EIU and SIUE and another victory over Morehead State tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for a noon CT start.
File photo by Jim Dillon
