EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – With an 8-2 win over UT Martin Thursday at Roy E. Lee Field, SIUE baseball captured the program's first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season Championship.
SIUE won its 10th consecutive game to improve to 32-21 overall and 19-6 in the OVC matching the program record for OVC wins, set in 2015.
The Conference title is the first for SIUE baseball since winning the 2007 Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season.
UT Martin (25-28, 10-15 OVC) took an early lead when Skyhawks' leadoff hitter TJ Grines sent the second pitch of the game over the left field fence for a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
After Cooper Eggert scored on an error to tie the score in the third, Ryan Niedzwiedz drilled a two-out two-run double to left to put the Cougars on top. Joshua Heyder followed with a two-run home run to give SIUE a 5-1 lead.
The Skyhawks cut the lead back to 5-2 with a run in the fifth and then threatened again in the seventh.
SIUE starter Spencer Stearns worked into the seventh inning, departing with two runners on an nobody out. Joseph Martin walked the first hitter he faced then struck out Colten Payton before getting TJ Dunsford to ground into a double play.
Stearns (7-3) allowed just the two runs over six innings while striking out a season-high seven hitters. Martin didn't allow a hit in two full innings of work. He fanned two.
Heyder jump-started a three-run Cougars eighth inning with his second blast of the night to leadoff the inning. Sean Kang added an RBI single and Gage Franck brought home another run with a perfectly executed sacrifice squeeze bunt.
Easton Harris closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning, getting Andrew Lawrence to wave at strike three to end the game.
UT Martin outhit SIUE in the game 11-10. Gierer, Heyder, Kang and Ethan Willoughby all finished with two hits.
The Cougars and Skyhawks will play the second game of the series Friday at Simmons Baseball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
