Landon Smelser hits one of his two home runs | Photo: Savannah Ray, TTU Baseball
Landon Smelser hits one of his two home runs | Photo: Savannah Ray, TTU Baseball
February 17, 2026

Smelser’s Two Homers Lift Tennessee Tech to First Win, 7-5 Over Lipscomb

Landon Smelser hit two home runs and drove in five runs to power Tennessee Tech to a 7-5 victory over Lipscomb on Tuesday afternoon at Bush Stadium, giving the Golden Eagles their first home win of the season.

Box Score Preview

By Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Landon Smelser hit two home runs and drove in five runs to power Tennessee Tech to a 7-5 victory over Lipscomb on Tuesday afternoon at Bush Stadium, giving the Golden Eagles their first home win of the season.

Tech (1-3) erased an early deficit with a five-run surge across the fifth and sixth innings, then held off a late Lipscomb rally behind a steady bullpen effort.

Golden Bats 

  • Smelser continued his hot start with two home runs to stretch his hitting streak to four games.
  • Smelser launched his first two home runs of the season and drove in five runs.
  • Eddie Garza posts his third multi-hit game of the season with a 2-for-4 performance with one run scored.
  • Owen Lee notched his first double and drove in his fourth RBI this season. 

Eagles' Wings 

  • Jaxson Pease earned his first win of the season, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
  • Reece McDuffie (S, 1) slammed the door in the ninth with a strikeout of the only batter he faced.

The Bisons (2-2) struck first in the opening inning, taking advantage of three hits to grab a 1-0 lead. Lipscomb added two more runs in the fourth — one on an RBI groundout and another scoring on a Tech error — to extend the advantage to 3-0.

The Golden Eagles answered in the bottom of the fourth. Smelser reached on a dropped third strike and scored from first on Owen Lee's RBI double down the right-field line, trimming the deficit to 3-1.

Lipscomb pushed its lead to 4-1 in the fifth on an RBI double, but Tech responded in emphatic fashion in the bottom half. After Eddie Garza singled and Luke Bragga reached, Smelser launched a three-run homer to right field to put the Golden Eagles in front, 4-3.

Tech added another run in the sixth. Nash Crowell worked a leadoff walk and later scored on Jackson Rooker's RBI single to make it 5-4.

Lipscomb tied the game at 5 in the seventh with an RBI double, but Smelser struck again in the bottom half. Following a walk to Bragga, Smelser crushed his second home run of the day — a two-run shot to right — giving Tech a 7-5 lead.

Jaxson Pease (1-1) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and working out of traffic in the seventh and eighth. Reece McDuffie (1, SV) recorded the final out in the ninth to pick up his first save of the season.

Tech finished with nine hits. Smelser went 2 for 4 with two home runs and five RBIs, while Lee doubled and drove in a run. Rooker added an RBI single as the Golden Eagles went 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Lipscomb totaled 13 hits but left 16 runners on base. The Golden Eagles turned two double plays and limited damage in key moments to secure the win.

NEXT UP
Tennessee Tech returns to action this weekend with a four-game series against Ohio as it continues its homestand.