WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 7, Alabama State 4
Miami (Ohio) 8,
@Eastern Kentucky 4
@Missouri 13,
Murray State 1
MOREHEAD STATE 7, ALABAMA STATE 4
MOREHEAD, Ky. - For the second consecutive game, Morehead State's pitching staff recorded double digit strikeouts as the Baseball Eagles fended off Alabama State 7-4 Wednesday for the team's sixth consecutive victory.
The Eagles improved to 16-5 overall and concluded their longest homestand of the season 6-1. Starting pitcher TJ Satterly sat down seven Hornet hitters in the first 3.2 innings via strikeouts, while junior righthander Blake Preston whiffed four in three frames while only surrendering one hit. Sophomore Alex Garbrick rounded out the team's 12 strikeouts with one of his own.
The host Eagles built an early 2-0 lead with a pair in the second but then found themselves behind 3-2 after two doubles and an inning-extending error allowed the Hornets to push ahead in the fourth.
MSU responded immediately.
The Eagles plated three in fourth and two more in the fifth to extend their cushion to 7-3. RBI singles by junior second baseman Ryan Layne and senior shortstop Reid Leonard highlighted the fourth, while Layne smashed a run-scoring double in the fifth.
Although he allowed two runs in just 0.1 innings, freshman righty Zack Smith (1-0) was credited with the win. The Eagles tagged ASU starter Alexander Castro for five tallies as he fell to 0-3.
Layne was 3-for-4, while senior catcher Hunter Fain moved his batting average to .500 in the first 21 games with another 2-for-2 day. The nation's leading on-base percentage player, Fain, also drew two walks and scored three times in moving his reached-base streak to 23 games dating to last season. Leonard's reached-base streak now sits at 19 games.
MIAMI (OHIO) 8, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
RICHMOND, Ky. - Nick Howie hit his seventh home run of the season, but the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team lost to Miami (Ohio) University, 8-4, on Wednesday at Earle Combs Stadium.
Home runs in the first, second and fifth allowed the Redhawks (16-3) to build an 8-0 lead through five and a half innings. Jordan Stephens and Reid Norberg each hit two-run dingers.
The Colonels (11-10) began to chip into the deficit in the bottom half of the sixth. Howie launched his seventh over the left field wall to make it 8-1. Brent Lovell had an RBI single in the seventh. In the eighth, Charles Ludwick punched a run scoring single up the middle and Daniel Harris IV platted a run with an infield single to get the home squad within four. With the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate, Alex Stobert got a strike out to end the inning for Miami.
Howie finished 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and an RBI. Stephens had a 3-for-4 day with two runs and two driven in for Miami.
MISSOURI 13, MURRAY STATE 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Murray State baseball team fell to the Missouri Tigers, Wednesday afternoon by a score of 13-1.
Mizzou scored three runs in each of the first four innings to build a big lead early and was able to cruise to their 13th win of the season, while the Racers fall to 8-12.
Tyler Duke and Cole Womack each had two hits for Murray State, but that was all the Racers offense could muster against six Tiger pitchers.
While the first couple of pitchers for MSU struggled, Jase Carvell, Hunter Orr, and Peyton Hayes pitched the final 4.2 innings and allowed just one run combined with two strikeouts.
The only offense for the Racers came in the second inning as Sean Darmafall walked and advanced to third on two passed balls. Womack then delivered with his first hit of the season, a double that one-hopped the wall in right-center to drive in the lone run for the Racers.