MARION, Ill. – In a game that will go down as an all-time classic, the Lindenwood baseball team (30-26, 13-14 OVC) defeated UT Martin (26-29, 11-15 OVC) by a score of 7-4 in the opening round of the OVC Tournament on Tuesday afternoon. The Lions trailed by a run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth before
Jake Radosevich powered LU to the next round with a walk-off grand slam.
Josh Newell laid it all out on the field for LU, battling through 8.2 innings (10 H, 4 R, 5 K) on the mound before giving way to
Aaron Jungers, who picked up his seventh win of the season after recording the final out in the top of the ninth.
Sam Driscoll led the Lindenwood offense with a pair of hits while also scoring one run and driving in another.
Matt Graf and
Filip Sarota also recorded RBIs in the contest while
Will Geary and
William Zareh registered hits.
How it Happened
UT Martin scored the game's opening run in the top of the second with a JT Popick RBI ground out that plated TJ Dunsford, who had led off the inning with a double before moving to third on an Andrew Davis sacrifice bunt.
The Lions answered right back in the home half of the frame in similar fashion, as
Sam Driscoll drove one to the gap in right center for a leadoff double before moving up 90 feet on a
Filip Sarota fly out and scoring on a
Matt Graf RBI ground ball.
However, after a TJ Grines single and stolen base with one out in the top of the third, a ground out followed by a Colten Payton base hit allowed the co-OVC Player of the Year to come home for the go-ahead run.
The Skyhawks would tack on another run in the top of the sixth with Colten Payton doubling to lead off the frame before moving to third on a ground out and eventually scoring on JT Popick RBI single.
After
Will Geary drew a walk and
Jake Radosevich reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the sixth, a
Sam Driscoll double down the right field line allowed Geary to score and put runners on second and third with no outs.
Filip Sarota then stepped to the plate and drove a ball deep enough to center field for
Jake Radosevich to beat the throw home for the tying run.
Matt Graf drew a walk to put two on with one out, but the next two Lindenwood batters were retired and the game remain tied entering the seventh.
The next two innings passed without either side scoring a run, but with two outs in the top of the ninth, a Cameron Green solo home run to right field put the Skyhawks ahead 4-3.
The Lions were on the brink of elimination with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the ninth, but with the top of the order due up, three consecutive walks loaded the bases for
Jake Radosevich, who put some voltage into a ball to center field for a walk-off grand slam - delivering an all-time OVC Championship moment.Â
It was the second walk-off grand slam for the Lions this season, with Lindenwood defeating Murray State 4-0 behind a
William Zareh walk-off granny on April 15th.
Next Up
The Lions now advance into the double elimination bracket to face No. 3 seed Southeast Missouri on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
