2004 Easton/USA Challenge
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March 14, 2004
Missouri completes perfect 4-0 weekend with 7-3 win over Tennessee-Martin

MILLINGTON , TN – Missouri ( 15-3-1 ) claimed the first-ever Easton USA Challenge title with four wins over the last three days. The Tigers’ final victim was Tennessee-Martin 7-3 on Sunday afternoon. MU scored in five of the first six innings in route to the four run win.

Cody Ehlers, Lee Laskowski, James Boone, Gary Arndt, and Cosme Caballero each had two hits for the Tigers. Brett Hall had two doubles for the Skyhawks (4-11).

Garrett Broshuis (4-0) picked up the win for Missouri , allowing only four hits and one run in seven innings. Justin Bryant took the loss for UT-Martin, who finished 0-3 in the event.

All-Tournament Team
James Boone, Missouri
Cody Ehlers, Missouri
Lee Laskowski, Missouri
Erik Dessau, Missouri
Jarrett Grube, Memphis
Brent Dlugach, Memphis
Josh Payne, Memphis
Matt Miller, Wake Forest
Ben Ingold, Wake Forest
Josh Prickett, Indiana State
Michael Miller, Indiana State
Kyle Malan, Western Illinois

Wake Forest tops Indiana State 8-4 in 10 innings

MILLINGTON , TN – Wake Forest scored eight unanswered runs and claimed third place in the Easton USA Challenge with an 8-4 win over Indiana State at USA Stadium Sunday afternoon. The Demon Deacons scored two runs in each of the sixth and eighth innings to push the game to extra innings. 

Wake Forest (9-7) belted out five hits and scored four runs in the top of the tenth, led by Matt Antonelli’s two-run double that broke open the tie.

Nick Blue and Brad Scioletti each had three hits in the Demon Deacons’ win. Kyle Kolb recorded two hits for the Sycamores (2-9).

Lee Land (1-0) picked up the win in relief for Wake Forest . Adam Lindsay (0-2) took the loss for Indiana State .

Wake Forest finished third with a record of 2-2 in the six-team Challenge, while Indiana State , at 1-3, finished fourth.

March 13, 2004
Missouri rallies for 3-2 win over Memphis
MILLINGTON, TN – Missouri plated three runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead and knock off the University of Memphis 3-2 in the Easton USA Challenge at USA Stadium Saturday night. The win guarantees that Missouri will be named tournament champion tomorrow following their game with Tennessee-Martin.

Memphis (10-3) took an early lead 1-0 through an inning and tacked on a run in the fourth. Missouri ’s ( 14-3-1 ) first four batters of the inning reached base and Cody Ehlers and Lee Laskowski each recorded RBI singles. Adam Garrett’s sacrifice fly scored Ehlers for the eventual winning run.

Erik Dessau (4-1) picked up the win for Missouri , going seven innings and scattering six hits while striking out three. Taylor Parker picked up his second save of the year in two innings of work. Bill Edwards (0-2) took the loss in relief.

Memphis finished second in the six team Challenge. Missouri will win the title regardless of the outcome of their final game against Tennessee-Martin at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. The first game Sunday has been moved up to 11:00 a.m. between Indiana State and Wake Forest .

Western Illinois tops Tennessee-Martin 10-7
MILLINGTON , TN – Western Illinois scored runs in six of the nine innings and knocked off Tennessee-Martin 10-7 in the Easton USA Challenge at USA Stadium Saturday. Kyle Malan homered and drove in four runs going 3-for-4 for the Leathernecks. Bryant Jones and Adam Salter each had two hits for Tennessee-Martin.

Nathan Miller (2-0) earned the win for Western, whole Micky Dobson took the loss in relief for the Skyhawks.

Western Illinois finished the Challenge with a 1-2 record. Tennessee-Martin, 0-2 in the event, will play Missouri in their final game at 3:00 p.m. Sunday.

Memphis annihilates Wake Forest 15-3
MILLINGTON , TN – Memphis scored fifteen unanswered runs over the final eight innings in route to a 15-3 shellacking of Wake Forest Saturday in the Easton USA Challenge. After allowing a three-run homer in the bottom of the first, Memphis ’ onslaught began. The Tigers scored three in the second, five in the fourth, two in the sixth, and five in the eight for the eight-inning run-rule shortened game. 

Josh Payne, Kyle Scott, and Brent Dlugach each had three hits for the Tigers. Payne went 3-for-3 with three runs and four RBI including a grand slam. Scott had two runs and two RBI, while Dlugach knocked in three.

Ben Ingold went 2-for-4 for the Demon Deacons and blasted the three-run homer in the first.

Derek Hankins (2-1) followed up his last performance at USA Stadium, a 17 strikeout game, with a solid seven innings of work to pick up the win. After allowing the first inning homer, he settled down and allowed just two hits over his next six innings. He struck out four. Kyle Young (2-1) took the loss for Wake Forest .

Memphis (10-2) will play the second game of their split doubleheader against Missouri at 6:00 p.m. Wake Forest (8-7) will take on Indiana State at noon Sunday.

Indiana State outslugs Western Illinois 13-9
MILLINGTON , TN – In a game that featured 30 hits and 8 errors, Indiana State used three homers that accounted for seven runs to top the Western Illinois Leathernecks 13-9 in the Easton USA Challenge Saturday afternoon at USA Stadium. ISU took a 6-0 through an inning and a half only to see the game tied at 6-6 after four innings. The Sycamores then plated two in the sixth, one in the eighth, and three in the ninth in route to their second victory of the season. 

The top three spots in the order led the way for Indiana State as Michael Miller, Marcus Artner, and Josh Prickett combined to go 9-for-18 with seven runs and five RBI. Miller, Artner, and Nevin Ashley all homered in the game.

Kyle Malan went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI for Western Illinois . Dane Ainsworth had three hits for the Leathernecks.

Jason Murray (1-1) picked up the win in relief for the Sycamores. Tom Pazdernik (1-2) took the loss for WIU. Brian Omogrosso picked up his first save of the season in three and one-third innings of relief.

Indiana State will take on Wake Forest in both teams’ final game of the Easton USA Challenge on Sunday at noon . Western Illinois will complete their Challenge with the second half of their doubleheader against Tennessee-Martin at 3:00 p.m. on Field #2.

March 12, 2004
Memphis knocks off Western Illinois 6-2
MILLINGTON, TN – Memphis (9-2) scored two runs in the first, second, and fifth innings in route to a 6-2 win over Western Illinois (8-10) in the Easton USA Challenge at USA Stadium Friday night. The Tigers were led by Jordan Hart and Brent Dlugach with two hits each.

Jarrett Grube (4-0) earned the win for the Tigers with seven strong innings. Grube struck out nine without walking a batter and scattered seven hits. Brian Daly (1-2) took the loss for Western Illinois . 

After the Leathernecks plated a run in the top of the first, Memphis responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a RBI singles by Kurt Welch and Patrick Hope. The Tigers added two unearned runs in the bottom of the second.

Western Illinois cut the lead to 4-2 in the top of the fifth as Jim Sanew scored on Dane Ainsworth’s fielder’s choice. Memphis again answered with top in the bottom of the inning on a two-run blast to left field by Kyle Scott.

Memphis will take on Wake Forest and Missouri at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m tomorrow. Western Illinois will play Indiana State at 11:00 a.m. and Tennessee-Martin on Field 2 at 3:00 p.m.

Missouri holds off Indiana State's ninth-inning rally for 7-6 win
MILLINGTON , TN – Missouri ( 13-3-1 ) used a five-run sixth to distance themselves from Indiana State (1-8) and fended off a ninth-inning rally for a 7-6 win in the Easton USA Challenge at USA Stadium Friday night. Two Tiger pitchers shut down the Sycamores offense over the first eight innings before the Sycamores plated six in the ninth.

Cody Ehlers and James Boone each had two hits for the Tigers, while Josh Prickett went 3-for-4 and Michael Miller had two hits and three RBI for Indiana State .

Nick Admire (1-0) picked up the win for Missouri , allowing only four hits in four innings as the starter. Admire was predetermined to go only four innings, thus picked up the win. Chris Jones (0-3) took the loss for the Sycamores. 

Missouri will take on Memphis Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. Indiana State will play Western Illinois at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.

Missouri claims 5-4 win in 12 innings
MILLINGTON , TN – Missouri ( 12-3-1 ) broke a string of five scoreless innings for both teams in the top of the twelfth inning for a 5-4 win over Wake Forest in the Easton USA Challenge Friday afternoon. Hunter Mense, in his first at-bat of the game, roped a double down the rightfield line scoring Gary Arndt for the winning run.

Missouri belted out thirteen hits in the contest but stranded twelve runners. James Boone led the way for the Tigers in the nine spot, going 4-for 5 with a run scored. Lee Laskowski had two hits for MU. Ben Ingold was the only Demon Deacon with multiple hits with two.

Dustin Braud (3-0) picked up the win for Missouri , throwing two and two-thirds innings of relief without allowing a hit. Brian Bach (2-3) took the loss for Wake Forest , though he only allowed one run in four and one-third innings.

Wake Forest lit up the scoreboard in the bottom of first with two runs, as Nick Blue led off the inning with a single to center and scored on Ben Ingold’s RBI double. Ryder Mathias singled in Ingold for the Demon Deacons second run.

Missouri cut the lead in half on a lead-off homer in the fourth by Tiger leftfielder Ryan Rallo. MU claimed their first lead in the fifth on a 2-RBI triple by Tyler Williams. However, the lead was short-lived as Wake Forest plated two runs in the bottom of the inning - one on a Matt Antonelli RBI single, the other as he scored an unearned run. 

Missouri fought back to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth as Cody Ehlers led off the inning with a home run to right field.

Missouri will take on Indiana State in the second game of the doubleheader. Wake Forest will play Memphis at 3:00 p.m. Saturday.

March 11, 2004
Memphis rallies for five in the ninth for 8-4 win over Indiana State

MILLINGTON, TN – Memphis (8-2) pounded out seven hits in the top of ninth and five runs to knock off Indiana State (1-7) 8-4 in the Easton USA Challenge at USA Stadium Thursday night. The Tigers used RBI singles by Chad House, Josh Payne, Kurt Welch, and Adam Amar to do the damage in the inning.  

Corey Kines (1-0) picked up the win for Memphis in three innings of effective relief, allowing only two hits and an unearned run. Joe Thatcher (0-1) took the loss for the Sycamores, giving up six hits and five runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Memphis had hits from all nine spots in the order, including two hits each from House, Amar, Patrick Hope, Michael Lewis, and Brent Dlugach.

Indiana State took an early lead 3-0 through four innings. The Sycamores plated a run in the second and two runs in the fourth. Memphis responded immediately with two runs in the top of the fifth and a single run in the sixth to tie the game at 3-3. 

Indiana State took the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Prickett lead off with a double and scored an unearned run scored on an errant throw to third by Tiger pitcher Corey Kines. Memphis then plated five in the top of the ninth for the 8-4 victory.

The Tigers take on Western Illinois in the Challenge Friday night at 7:00 p.m. , while Indiana State will play Missouri at 3:00 p.m.

Wake Forest explodes with five runs in the ninth for 5-1 win

MILLINGTON , TN - After being shut out for eight innings, Wake Forest plated five runs in the top of the ninth for a come-from-behind 5-1 win over Tennessee-Martin in the opening game of the Easton USA Challenge at USA Stadium. Brad Scioletti singled in Matt Antonelli for Wake’s first run to knot the game at 1-1. Steve LeFaivre then tripled in Scoletti, followed by Doug Riepe’s RBI single. Matt Miller capped off the scoring with a two-run homer to right, his second of the season.

Tennessee-Martin scored the only other run of the game in the bottom of the eighth to break the scoreless tie. Adam Salter and Brett Spivey led off the inning with back-to-back doubles scoring Salter.

Charlie Mellies (2-0) picked up the win for the Demon Deacons in one inning of relief. Jarrad Robinson (0-1) took the loss.

Wake Forest (8-5) will take on Missouri at 12:00 p.m. on Friday in the Challenge. Tennessee-Martin’s next game will be Saturday at 3:00 p.m. on USA Field #2.