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Friday Night Lights from the Diamond - Local & Area College Baseball

Photo / Lipscomb Athletics / Kaleb Kantola delivers a pitch
Photo / Lipscomb Athletics / Kaleb Kantola delivers a pitch

Here’s a quick roundup of what happened in college baseball action around Middle Tennessee and the broader region on Friday, April 17—with highlights for Nashville-area fans.


Lipscomb Bisons def. North Alabama, 6-4

Location: Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium (North Alabama)Lipscomb opened ASUN play’s second-half stretch with a 6-4 road win over North Alabama.

  • Turning point: A four-run seventh inning put Lipscomb ahead for good.

  • Key hits:

    • Alejandro Ludeiro delivered a two-run single and finished 2-for-3 with two RBI.

    • Brady Miller and Jordan Thomas had back-to-back two-run knocks in the seventh.

  • Pitching: Alexander Llinas earned the win with a quality start (six innings, two hits, one earned run). Kaleb Kantola closed it out with his fifth save.

Final: Lipscomb 6, North Alabama 4


Tennessee Vols fall to Ole Miss, 7-4

Location: Lindsey Nelson Stadium (Knoxville)Tennessee dropped game one of its weekend series against No. 22/25 Ole Miss, as the Rebels got early momentum and held on.

  • Early offense: Ole Miss used three solo home runs in the early going to jump ahead.

  • Tennessee response: The Vols cut into the deficit with a two-run homer from Jay Abernathy, and Abernathy finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

  • What it meant: Tennessee couldn’t string enough late stops together, going scoreless in the late innings.

Final: Tennessee 4, Ole Miss 7

Up next: Saturday at 4 p.m. (start moved earlier due to weather risk).


Vanderbilt Commodores lose at Kentucky, 5-2

Location: Kentucky Proud Park (Lexington, Ky.)Vanderbilt’s first series game went sideways late—after a lead entering the ninth.

  • Game-deciding moment: Kentucky loaded the bases in the ninth and then hit a walk-off grand slam.

  • Mound news: Connor Fennell worked 6.1 innings for Vandy, and Jaxon Jelkin went 8.0 for Kentucky with nine strikeouts.

Final: Vanderbilt 2, Kentucky 5


Middle Tennessee beats Delaware, 8-7

Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.Middle Tennessee kept its opener moving behind a standout start.

  • Pitching highlight: David Horn Jr. delivered an 8.1-inning effort—career-long, striking out nine.

  • Big bats:

    • Tyler Minnick drove in runs and finished 2-for-4 with three RBI (plus a homer).

    • Nathan Brewer went 3-for-4 with two RBI and extra-base damage.

  • Close finish: The ninth got tight, but Gavin King picked up the third save in 10 days.

Final: Middle Tennessee 8, Delaware 7


Trevecca splits with UAH (UAH wins both)

Location: Huntsville, Ala.Trevecca fell twice to Alabama-Huntsville in Gulf South action.

  • Game 1: Despite Cade Martin’s three-homer day, Trevecca dropped it 11-7.

  • Game 2: Trevecca again showed fight, but UAH rallied late for a 9-8 win.

  • Series note: UAH now leads the all-time series 11-9 and is particularly strong in Huntsville.


Austin Peay (sweep) over Bellarmine — 21-6 in a doubleheader

Location: Clarksville, Tenn.Austin Peay powered through a Friday sweep, including a massive run total across the day.

  • Doubleheader sweep: AP won both games and overwhelmed Bellarmine 21-6 in the combined outcome.

  • Offense on display: Six homers for Austin Peay in the sweep effort.


Cumberland University sweeps Bethel (Doubleheader) — 16-11 & 4-3

Location: Kahlden Complex (Lebanon, Tenn.)

Cumberland finished a dramatic doubleheader sweep of Bethel, taking game one 16-11 and then grinding out a 4-3, ninth-inning win in game two.


Game 1: Cumberland 16, Bethel 11

  • Cumberland poured on offense with 16 runs on 11 hits, drawing 12 walks and hitting three homers.

  • Wilser Then sparked the day: 2-for-3 with two doubles and five RBI.

  • Key runs: Cumberland scored three in the first, Bethel answered with five in the bottom of the first, but the Phoenix surged again—especially with a five-run fifth to create separation.


Game 2: Cumberland 4, Bethel 3

  • A tighter game opened into a ninth-inning finish.

  • Dylan LaRue was the hero: 3-for-3 with two RBI, including the game-winning go-ahead homer in the ninth (his second of the day).

  • Carter Whitefield started and worked six innings, allowing one earned run.

  • Bethel threatened late with runners in scoring position, but Kyle Nyblod got the final outs to seal the sweep.


Tennessee Tech falls to Southeast Missouri State — 13-11

Location: Quillen Field at Bush Stadium (Cookeville, Tenn.)

Tennessee Tech erased an early hole and made a late push, but Southeast Missouri held on to win 13-11.

  • Fast start by Tech: Tech scored eight runs in the first three innings, building an 8-0 lead.

  • Southeast Missouri responded: Big innings—plus the difference-making bat power of Cal Sullivan and Ryan Lopetegui—helped SEMO take the lead.

  • Late drama: Tech cut into it late with a two-out three-run homer by Ty Denton, but the comeback fell short.

 
 
 

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