College Baseball Roundup From Feb. 16-17

Kaskaskia Community College went 3-1 over the weekend in baseball action down in Mississippi.

Saturday in Game 1 Kaskaskia lost 13-12 to Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

In the second game they beat Mississippi Delta 9-1. Effingham graduate Nick Gardewine started the game and got the win going six innings giving up no runs, five hits, two walks and had 10 strikeouts.

In Sunday's games they beat Hinds Community College in two games 6-4 and 9-2.

They will be back down in Mississippi this weekend for four more games.

SIUE Drops Second Game of Three-Game Series

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – SIUE baseball dropped the second game of a three-game series 11-4 at Lipscomb Saturday afternoon.

SIUE dropped to 0-2 for the season, while the Bisons improved to 2-0.

The Cougars used six pitchers for the game. The six combined for 13 walks and three hit batters.

"I didn't feel like we competed very well today," SIUE Interim Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "The fact is you're not going to beat many teams when you put on 16 base-runners in a nine-inning game."

For the second day in a row it was SIUE that jumped out on top. James Vazquez got the Cougars on the board in the second with a two-run single to score Zach Little and Devin Caldwell. Little had reached on a fielder's choice. Caldwell reached with a one-out single.

The Bisons took advantage of an error, three walks, and three hit batters by Cougar freshman Caleb Wilkerson (0-1) in the fifth to score four times to take a 4-2 lead. Wilkerson suffered the loss, but none of the runs allowed were earned. He struck out one.

Effingham graduate Chase Green had five at bats and was left on base three times.

EIU Splits Games

JACKSON, Miss. – The Panther baseball team split its two games on Saturday afternoon at the Jackson State Tournament, falling to Texas Southern in the afternoon and defeating host Jackson State in the nightcap. EIU improves to 1-2 on the year.

Game 1: Texas Southern 10, EIU 7
Tied at six heading into the top of the ninth inning, Texas Southern (2-1) scored four runs on four hits to go up 10-6. The Panthers were able to score one run in the bottom of the frame after they started the inning with back-to-back hits, but the rally fell short with Caleb Howell flying out to centerfield to end the game.

“We really battled back a couple of times from deficits to tie the game up, only to allow Texas Southern to come back and score,” said Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz. “Andrew Grahn was good as a starter today when he settled down into the game.”

The Tigers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third, scoring three runs on three hits and the Panthers lone error of the contest. EIU scored three unanswered runs over the next two innings to tie the game at three. Treysen Vavra and Demetre Taylor both had RBI singles in the third inning while Tyler Schweigert added one run in the fourth on a stolen base at home plate.

Vavra and Nathan Sopena both went 3-for-5 at the plate to pace the Panthers while Brant Valach added two RBI and Jacob Reese scored three runs. North Clay graduate Andrew Grahn played but did not get an at-bat for EIU.

EIU 4, Jackson State 3 (11 innings)

Tied at three in the top of the 11th inning, Treysen Vavra hit two-out RBI single to give the Panthers a one-run advantage. Redshirt-senior George Kalousek struck out the first Tiger batter in the bottom of the frame before the Panthers converted a double play to end the contest and pick up their first win of the season.

Vavra drove in Trey Russell in the third inning to give EIU an early 1-0 lead before he added another RBI in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, making the score 2-0. After Jackson State scored three runs on one hit and two Panthers in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers tied the game at three in the top of the eighth inning on a Nathan Sopena RBI single.

Brant Valach went 5-for-7 at the plate with one run in the victory while Caleb Howell and Sopena both added two hits. Vavra posted a game-high three RBI. Teutopolis graduate Luke Bushur and Stewardson-Strasburg graduate Jaden Widdersheim played for Eastern but did not bat.