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Western Illinois University Athletics

Jordan Pannell
Rob Schabert, Tennessee Tech
Jordan Pannell
3
Western Illinois WIU 0-2
6
Winner Tennessee Tech TTU 2-0
Western Illinois WIU
0-2
3
Final
6
Tennessee Tech TTU
2-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 7 0
Tennessee Tech TTU 1 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 X 6 9 0

W: Roberts, Ethan (1-0) L: Mortillaro, Joe (0-1)

5
Western Illinois WIU 0-3
6
Winner Tennessee Tech TTU 3-0
Western Illinois WIU
0-3
5
Final
6
Tennessee Tech TTU
3-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 5 6 2
Tennessee Tech TTU 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 X 6 10 1

W: Wood, Michael (1-0) L: Koch, Ian (0-1) S: Farr, Jake (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Fall in Saturday Doubleheader

Western loses a pair of 1-run games in the season opening series.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Western Illinois came up short in the later innings during both games of a doubleheader Saturday (Feb. 20) at Tennessee Tech. The Leathernecks dropped to 0-3, two of those losses to Tech (3-0) by one run.
 
GAME 1
 
Tech plated a run in each of the first two innings thanks to a two-out RBI single by Chris Brown and David Garza. In the third, Joe Mortillaro recorded two groundouts before giving up a single to Brown then Kevin Strohschein followed with a 2-run homer, extending the Golden Eagles' lead to 4-0.
 
The Leathernecks struck in the fifth inning scoring twice. Deion Thompson doubled to start the frame. He scored on a two-out RBI single from Chris Tschida. With the bases loaded following Nathan Pollock's infield single and walk to Colton Pogue, Mark Garton drew a bases loaded walk to make it 4-2.
 
Tech got two runs back in the seventh with a RBI single and sacrifice fly, extending the lead back to four runs. Pogue hit a two-out, solo home run in the ninth for the final margin.
 
Pollock (matching his career-high) and Pogue had two hits apiece for Western, accounting for four of the seven hits. Mortillaro allowed four runs on six hits in 5.0 innings, walking two and striking out five. Jordan Pannell fanned three while allowing one hit in 1.1 innings.
 
Strohschein had three RBI and Brown added three hits. Ethan Roberts earned the win throwing two scoreless innings of relief and striking out three. Starter Travis Moths struck out seven in 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits.
 
 
GAME 2
 
Tech used three wild pitches, the first coming on a strikeout, which would've been the third out of the bottom of the first, to take an early 1-0 lead. Western responded and went ahead.
 
Garton walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. He took third on a ball in the dirt, then raced home when catcher Connor Goodspeed's throw went into left field. The true-freshman Thompson, at bat at the time, then launched a homer to straightaway centerfield for a 2-1 lead.
 
The Golden Eagles tied the game in the bottom half on a RBI single from Goodspeed with two outs. Matt Jones lined a RBI double in the fourth to go ahead 3-2.
 
Connor Currier lined a RBI single in the fifth to tie the game, scoring Thompson who walked. Tschida then ripped a 2-run home run for a 5-3 lead.
 
TTU tied it in its half of the fifth following a RBI triple and later a throwing error. Another WIU fielding error hurt in the seventh as a sacrifice fly put Tech ahead 6-5.
 
Western threatened putting runners on in the eighth and ninth inning but came up empty.
 
Tschida led the hitting attack with three hits in the nightcap. Ian Koch (0-1) suffered the loss in his debut despite now allowing an earned run, giving up a run on a hit in 1.1 innings. Starter J.T. Baksha allowed three runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings, striking out four. Ricky Digrugilliers gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in 2.0 innings. Jimmy Perkins pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
 
Two Tech players had two hits apiece. Michael Wood pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to get the win while Jake Farr pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.
 
"The pieces are there for us to be really good. Our job as coaches is to fit all those pieces together to give us a chance to be successful. Joe battled, his stuff has gotten better from last year. We threw a lot of new guys today and got their feet wet. I thought all of our new guys came in and competed well. We've got to shore some things up defensively, but early in the year you're not going to be in a defensive rhythm, not like you will be in a couple of weeks," said head coach Ryan Brownlee. "Same things offensively, we showed some signs of being really good offensively. It takes a couple of weeks to get adjusted… seeing off-speed again and figuring out how pitchers will pitch you in certain situations. You're never pleased when you don't win but the way our guys approached things, energy was tremendous. We're a lot closer right now than we have been in the past, which is a great thing."
 
Western returns to action on Friday (Feb. 26), traveling to in-state rival Southern Illinois. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
 
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