COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – SIUE baseball scored seven runs over the first two innings Saturday and went on to a 7-2 win over Tennessee Tech in game two of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Bush Stadium.

SIUE improved to 7-1 in the OVC with the win and 7-10 overall. Tennessee Tech is now 10-10 overall and 4-4 in the OVC.

"It took the pressure off us early to come out and score those runs quickly," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said.

The Cougars scored four times on five hits in the first inning. Parker Guinn, Skyler Geissinger, and Austin Verschoore each had RBI hits in the inning. Alec Saikal added a sacrifice fly as well. SIUE then tacked on three runs on a hit in the second inning. The Cougars were helped out by a pair of Tennessee Tech errors. Dustin Woodcock singled to drive in two in the second while Saikal added his second sacrifice fly of the game.

The Cougar runs came against TTU starter Evan Fraliex (2-1). Fraliex settled in to toss seven innings. He gave up nine hits.

P.J. Schuster (3-0) tossed six shutout innings in his first start of the year. Schuster allowed only four hits, he walked one, and he struck out six.

"P.J. did his job on the mound," Stoecklin said. "He gave us six quality innings. We needed that as a team and as a staff. He had all three pitches working. He kept them off balance. He couldn't have pitched much better."

Brett Thomas threw the final three innings allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits. He struck out four. Tech scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings against the Cougar reliever.

"Brett did his job going in and shutting the door," Stoecklin said. "Obviously he wasn't at his best. But he got a chance to work to some lefties."

SIUE and Tennessee Tech complete the series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.