Box Score I Play-by-Play

MARTIN, Tenn. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team won its second straight Ohio Valley Conference series this weekend, as the Colonels held on and edged host UT Martin, 8-7, on Sunday in game three of this weekend’s three-game set at Skyhawk Field.

With the win, EKU improves to 24-20 (14-7 OVC) and remains tied for second place with Jacksonville State in the OVC standings with two conference series remaining in the regular season. The loss drops UTM to 12-34 (6-15 OVC) on the season.

Junior right-hander Anthony Bazzani earned his seventh save of the season, but not without dramatics. Bazzani replaced sophomore right-hander Brent Cobb in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out, a runner on first base and the Colonels leading 8-6. He walked the first batter he faced and then allowed both base runners to advance into scoring position on a wild pitch. The next batter, Matt Young, legged out an infield hit, allowing one run to score and leaving runners on the corners for Jordan Owen, who was already 3-for-4 on the day. Bazzani, however, struck out Owen looking and then got Chase Okey to ground out to end the threat and the inning.

The dramatics continued in the ninth. After EKU went down in order in the top of the ninth, Matt Milligan led off the bottom of the ninth by singling off Bazzani. The next batter, pinch-hitter Kyle Bargery, went down on strikes, but Nico Zych followed that up with a double down the left field line. Milligan was waved around to score, but was held up at the last second. When he attempted to dive back to third base, senior left fielder Jacob Daniel’s throw cut him down at the bag.

Daniel’s throw was, perhaps, the play of the game as it registered the second out of the inning, prevented the tying run from reaching third base and shifted the momentum towards EKU. Riding that wave of momentum, Bazzani then struck out Sonny Mastromatteo looking to end the game.

Junior left-hander Shane Grimm started for EKU and, while he did not receive a decision, pitched well, going 5.1 innings and allowing just three earned runs on nine hits while striking out five batters. Cobb (4-1) received the win as he came on in the bottom of the sixth and pitched the next two innings, allowing just one run on one hit to become the pitcher of record.

Right-hander Willie Frederick (3-7) received the loss for UTM, going 6.1 innings and surrendering five earned runs on 10 hits while fanning five batters.

A day after hitting for the cycle, senior Richie Rodriguez, again, led EKU offensively, going 3-for-3 with an RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Senior Michael Garcia and sophomore Bryan Soloman, meanwhile, drove in two runs apiece in the winning effort.

Owen and Zych both recorded three hits each for UTM in the loss.

With the game tied 1-1, EKU plated three runs in the top of the third to take the game’s first commanding lead. Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and went to second on a single by junior Austin Grisham. The next batter, Daniel, then laced a base hit into right center field, scoring Rodriguez and putting Grisham on third. After Daniel was picked off at first base, Soloman scored Grisham on a sacrifice fly. Senior #A.J. Jamison# then concluded the scoring in the inning by reaching on an error, stealing second and coming home on a double down the left field line by Garcia to make the score 4-1.

EKU lead 5-2 in the top of the fifth, but UTM plated three runs in its half of the fifth to tie the game. Zych provided a two-out RBI single in that frame to make the score 5-5.

After EKU retook the lead in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez, UTM, again, answered in the home half of the inning as Young scored Grant Glasser with an RBI single to make it 6-6.

The Colonels took the lead for good in the top of the seventh as Jamison singled home Daniel and then scored, himself, on a passed ball to make the score 8-6. EKU would never trail again.

EKU returns to action this week with a pair of midweek contests against Dayton and Marshall before hosting OVC foe Tennessee Tech in its final home games of this season this weekend at Turkey Hughes Field.