SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Belmont 6-6, Morehead State 5-9
North Dakota State 6,
@Eastern Kentucky 1
BELMONT 6-6, MOREHEAD STATE 5-9
NASHVILLE - It went down to the final inning of the final regular-season game, but the Morehead State baseball team held off the host Belmont Bruins 9-6 in the series finale late Saturday to earn the final Ohio Valley Conference Tournament berth. The Bruins got a two-run single in the last inning of the opening game to win 6-5.
After seeing its offense held in check in the first two games, the Eagles produced two big innings in Saturday's final, erasing an early 3-1 deficit to go up 4-3 and extending their lead to 9-3 before holding off the Bruins for the win.
The Eagles earned their seventh consecutive tournament berth since 2014, improving to 24-22 to end the regular season with a 13-11 OVC mark.
Freshman left-fielder Jacob Ferry put his team on top 1-0 in the fifth with a sac fly to left field. The ball scored Feltner, who had singled to the same field. The Bruins scored four times in the seventh inning. A bases-loaded hit by pitch from junior lefty John Bakke pushed the first run across. Belmont got a two-run single followed by an RBI double to make it 4-1.
MSU rallied with three in the eighth. A bases loaded RBI single by Feltner started the rally. Senior right-fielder Ryan Layne grounded into a fielder's choice but scored fellow senior Stephen Hill. Sophomore DH Alex Jacobs clubbed an RBI single that scored senior catcher Jack Gardner.
The Eagles took the lead in the top of the ninth. Senior second baseman Bryce Hensor led off with a double, followed by a walk to freshman center-fielder Ryley Preece. Hill laid down a sac bunt back to the pitcher to move those two into scoring position. Gardner lifted a sac fly to left field to score Hensor.
The Bruins needed just four batters against Eagle senior Jake Ziegelmeyer to score the walk-off win. A single and double led off the frame. After an intentional walk, a two-run single up the middle by Brody Heaton sealed the Eagles' fate.
In game two Gardner doubled home Hensor in the first inning for a 1-0 lead before Belmont scored three off Eagle starter John Sherman in the bottom of the frame.
MSU retook the lead, 4-3, via RBI singles by Hensor and Ferry in the second. Preece added an RBI ground out. MSU made it 5-3 in the third as freshman shortstop Colton Becker singled to score Feltner.
The Eagles used three hit varieties to score four times in the sixth. Hensor crushed a two-run triple, Hill nailed an RBI double and Gardner added an RBI single. The Bruins climbed to within 9-6 in the sixth with a two-run double and an RBI single.
Bakke came back in and tossed the next 2.1 innings, holding Belmont scoreless. Game one starter Jason Goe, who tossed 7.1 innings Friday, came on and got the Bruins out in the ninth inning for his first career save.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 6, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University pitchers tossed a no-hitter through four innings, but North Dakota State University earned a 6-1 win on Saturday at Earle Combs Stadium.
EKU seniors Jacob Abbott, Jaxson Blair, Chance Bodine, Brennan Kelly and Nick Laster were honored before the game. All five played in their final contest as Colonels
North Dakota State (38-16) grabbed an early lead when Jake Malec and Bennett Hostetler each scored on wild pitches in the first inning. The Bison drew four walks in the inning and did not have a hit. NDSU scored again in the second without registering a hit. Jack Simonsen led off the inning with a walk. He advanced to second and then third on two wild pitches, and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
Eastern got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Logan Thomason that plated Charlie Ludwick.
EKU freshman Garret Simpson pitched five innings of relief, tying his career longest outing. He allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out three. Ludwick went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Abbott came on to pitch for the Colonels in the eighth and in doing so set a new program record for appearances in a season with his 33rd. The previous mark of 32 was set by Robert Teague in 1991.
Zach Solano had a 2-for-4 day with a run and an RBI for North Dakota State. Three Bison relievers combined to pitch the final four and one-third innings without allowing a run and giving up just wo hits.