Tech’s comeback bid falls short in series-opening loss to Morehead State
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A furious rally over the final three frames fell just short for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Thursday evening, as the Golden Eagles dropped their Ohio Valley Conference series opener against Morehead State, 7-4, at Quillen Field at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
By Mike Lehman
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A furious rally over the final three frames fell just short for the Tennessee Tech baseball team Thursday evening, as the Golden Eagles dropped their Ohio Valley Conference series opener against Morehead State, 7-4, at Quillen Field at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The loss officially eliminated the purple and gold from contention for a bid to the OVC Tournament next weekend, leaving the team's contests with the Eagles on Friday and Saturday as the final two for the program as members of the league it's called home for more than 75 years.
Thursday's tilt between the two longest-tenured members of the OVC simply came down to execution with runners in scoring position. Morehead State capitalized on its opportunities, finishing 4-for-7 in the tilt while exploding for a decisive five-run third inning. As for the Cookeville crew, the home squad ended the evening a tough 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
The Eagles eventually built a 7-0 advantage leading into the bottom of the seventh, but the purple and gold kept applying the pressure with patience at the plate. The Golden Eagles drew eight walks in the contest to go along with their seven hits, including a pair to load the bases with one out in the seventh.
Shortstop Owen Lee got the purple and gold on the board, firing a sacrifice fly ball to center field. A pitching change for the visiting Eagles helped keep the damage to one run, but Tech got a taste of scoring and went back for seconds in the eighth.
A one-out walk to second baseman Eddie Garza and an infield single off the bat of left fielder Jackson Rooker helped kickstart a rally, while a fielding error by Morehead State loaded the bags for the Golden Eagles again.
This time, the Cookeville crew took advantage, starting with a run scoring on a balk by Morehead State's bullpen. Right fielder Luke Bragga plated Tech's third marker of the contest with an RBI groundout to shortstop. Designated hitter Jorsixt Jimenez kept his elite season rolling with an RBI knock up the middle, cutting the deficit to just three.
For Jimenez, it marked his 67th RBI of the season, moving into a tie for 13th on Tech's all-time single-season list.
The Golden Eagles mounted one final attempt at stealing a win from the clutches of defeat in the ninth, bringing the winning run to the plate with two outs. A fielding error and back-to-back walks loaded the bags with two outs, but Bragga's swing on the first pitch he saw found the Morehead State left fielder, ending the comeback bid.
Rooker and third baseman Tyler Bennett led the purple and gold with a pair of hits each, while center fielder Landon Smelser drew three walks on the night. Southpaw Eli Huddleston turned in 4.1 innings of work out of the bullpen, holding Morehead State to just one run on two hits over that span. Right-hander Reece McDuffie finished off the final two frames, scattering a hit and a walk.
Tech will look to even its final series in the OVC on Friday evening, squaring off with the Eagles in a 6:00 p.m. CT match-up at the Quill.
Photo by Jim Dillon
