Life in the Valley

MVC Teams Manage Just 6 Runs During 0-5 Day vs. Tough Competition

Friday is the day of the Ace in college baseball (well, not the Purple Ace, UE was off yesterday). Scores are traditionally lower and starters are expected to work a bit deeper into the game to save the bullpen for Saturday and Sunday.

The second Friday of the college baseball season was no different, as 5 games involving Valley teams saw MVC schools score only 6 times, as the conference suffered an 0-5 slate. Not that the opponents were any kind of lightweights. The opposition featured #8 Georgia (twice), #18 Mississippi State and Jacksonville, all in true road games. The other opponent was Kentucky, unranked but coming off a trip to the College World Series last spring. To UK’s credit, they are on the road this week at Belmont – a rare case of an SEC team playing at a Valley team.

All of which isn’t to say the Valley squads were completely overmatched. Missouri State and Belmont both had every chance to win their games thanks to their own high-quality pitching. While Illinois State also was felled by just a 2-0 score at Jacksonville. UIC fell 9-3 in its opener at Georgia, though the game was much more competitive than that, before the 8th-ranked ‘Dawgs took the finale, 15-1.

Let’s start in Nashville, where UK took the lead in the top of the 1st only to be answered right back in the home half when Pete Daniel scored on a passed bal to make it 1-1. It stayed that way until the 6th, when the ‘Cats broke through with the go-ahead run on Patrick Herrera’s RBI single, scoring former Illinois State second baseman Luke Lawrence, who scored both UK runs on the day. Lawrence also stole 2 bases. Lawrence hit .329 for the Redbirds last season, leading the team in both hits (78) and runs (55). SEC competition. Andrew Perry was brilliant in relief, too, pitching 3 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts.

Kentucky pitchers were pretty darn good, too, though. Starter Nic McCay improved to 2-0 with a 6-inning effort, allowing 1 run on 2 hits with 0 walks and 7 strikeouts. Combined with Jackson Nova and former Indiana State pitcher Simon Gregersen, the Wildcat hurlers struck out 14 Bruins (0-5) and walked 0.

#18 Mississippi State 3, Missouri State 1: Speaking of excellent pitching performances, Missouri State’s Michael Yusypchuk was stellar at Mississippi State Friday, pitching 7 innings and allowing 0 runs on 2 hits with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts on a scant 87 pitches (4.14 pitches per out). The Bears, however, also ran into an ace in the Bulldogs’ Pico Kohn, who went 6 1/3 innings and fanned 11 with 0 walks. His only blemish came in the 3rd inning, when Caden Bogenpohl singled in Tyler Epstein to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.

It stayed that way until the 8th, when Mississippi State struck against the Bears’ bullpen. The Bulldogs (4-1) parlayed a hit by pitch, stolen base, walk, and single to load the bases with 1 out. Ace Reese grounded out, but there was no chance to turn a double play and Aaron Downs scored the tying run. Mississippi State reloaded the bases on a grounder to deep short that Epstein kept on the infield to prevent a run from scoring. But the reprieve was short-lived, as Noah Sullivan doubled into the right center-field gap, scoring the go-ahead run and insurance run to make it 3-1.

The Bears weren’t quite done, however. In the top of the 9th with 2 outs, Curry Sutherland and William Zareh walked to put the tying runs aboard. But Epstein’s fly out to left ended the threat and the game.

Jacksonville 2, Illinois State 0: Speaking of the Redbirds, they visited a perennially strong Jacksonville club Friday and got their own excellent pitching performance from starter Tanner Perry, who allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits with 8 strikeouts and only 1 walk in 6 1/3 innings. But he was topped by Richard Long, who threw 7 shutout innings and gave up just 2 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Nick Anello worked the final 2 innings to get the save in the Dolphins’ 2-0 win. It was Jacksonville’s first win of the season, but their schedule to this point included a 3-game series against #21 West Virginia and a mid-week game against #10 Florida.

The Dolphins got both runs in the 7th inning, scoring one on Sammy Mummau’s double, then another on a 2-bagger off the bat of Nick DeLisi. Daniel Pacella went 2-for-4 for the Redbirds (0-3), who were outhit, 7-3.

#8 Georgia sweeps UIC: The Flames fell to 1-5 in the early game, dropping a doubleheader in Athens, 9-3 and 15-1. Slate Alford was the key for Georgia in Game 1, going 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs as Georgia outhit UIC, 10-7. But Flames pitchers walked 6 and hit 5 others. UIC also committed 2 errors. Pambos Nicoloudes doubled as part of a 2-hit game for the Flames, which put 2runners on with 2 outs in the 6th down 6-1. Nicoloudes singled to drive and Will Flanigan scored on an error, but Nicoloudes was thrown out at second to end the inning.

In the nightcap, Georgia scored 6 in the 1st and never looked back in a 15-1 win. Georgia pounded out 15 hits, including 3 homers and 7 doubles. Two of those came off the bat of Nolan McCarthy, who also scored twice. Speaking of Kentucky transfers, McCarthy left Lexington and their CWS team last season to join Georgia this spring. Ryland Zaborowski went 4-for-4 with 3 runs and 6 RBIs for the Bulldogs, including 2 doubles, a home run, and 9 total bases. Georgia starter Leighton Finley went 5 scoreless innings, giving up just 2 hits with 8 strikeouts. One bright spot for UIC was reliever Michael Vitellaro, who worked the final 2 innings (the game was called after 7 due to the 10-run rule), allowing just 1 hit and 0 runs with a strikeout. The appearance was Vitellaro’s season debut.

Saturday’s Slate: It’s a 10-game slate today, with all times Central and all games subject to change.

Valparaiso at Memphis, Game 1, Noon, ESPN+
Indiana State vs. Northeastern (at Port Charlotte, Fla.), Game 1, Noon, FLOSports
Kentucky at Belmont, Noon (Audio Only)
Bradley vs. Siena (at Millington, Tenn.), 1 p.m. (no broadcast)
UIC at #8 Georgia, 1 p.m., SECN+
Illinois State at Jacksonville, 1 p.m., ESPN+
Missouri State at #18 Mississippi State, 2 p.m., SECN+
Southern Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 2 p.m. (no broadcast)
Valparaiso at Memphis, Game 2, 3 p.m. (or thereabouts), ESPN+
Indiana State vs. Northeastern, Game 2, 3:30 p.m. (or thereabouts), FLOSports

Ed Morgans is the founder of MVCBaseball.com. An Evansville graduate, Ed has written about and broadcast college baseball, while following the sport for 40 years.