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MOREHEAD, Ky. – A grand slam by UT Martin’s Cody Terry put the Skyhawks in front 8-1 in the fourth inning, but Morehead State battled back, taking the lead when
Cameron Flynn scored on a RBI groundout by
Andrew Deeds in the seventh and holding on to win 10-9 Sunday afternoon at Allen Field.
Josh Schneider shut down UTM over the final four innings allowing just two hits and striking out four to grab his team-high seventh win of the season.
UTM took an early 2-0 lead when Wes Patterson hit a two-run home run in the top of the first off of MSU starter
Jeff Arnold. Ty Nelson had singled through the right side to get on after Arnold had retired the first two batters of the game.
Three straight singles by #J.D. Ashbrook#,
Daniel Pugh, and
Drew Lee allowed MSU to get a run back in the bottom of the first. Lee’s single through the left side plated Ashbrook from second, Lee’s team-leading 64th RBI.
The Skyhawks began to build a lead when Trey Karlen jacked a lead-off homer in the top of the third. Matt Young then doubled home Brent Morris in the top of the fourth to stretch the lead to 4-1. Karlen was then intentionally walked to load the bases for Terry, who sent the first pitch he saw from Arnold over the fence in right field to give UTM an 8-1 lead after three and a half innings.
The Eagles then began their long comeback in the bottom of the fourth. Flynn tripled to the power alley in left center, allowing Lee to score, and then came across on an RBI groundout by
Taylor Davis.
Pugh drove in
Michael Bottoms with a sacrifice fly, Travis Redmon scored on a wild pitch and Lee scored on a single by Michael Fear in the fifth to make it 8-6 after five innings.
UTM had an opportunity to blow the game back open when Karlen doubled in Young to start the sixth. A single by Terry put runners on the corners and chased MSU reliever
Tyler Hieneman. Schneider then walked the first batter he faced, Nelson, to load the bases with still nobody out. Schneider then induced a line out by Patterson and
Travis Redmon was able to double up Nelson at first for the first two outs of the inning. Schneider then got Jordan Owen to strike out swinging to end the threat.
The Eagles battled back into the game in the bottom of the sixth on the strength of a Bottoms sac fly that drove in Davis. A double steal by Deeds and Ashbrook placed runners on second and third with two-outs for Pugh. Pugh worked the count full and then laced a single to left center allowing Ashbrook and Deeds to score easily and tie the game at nine.
MSU then took the lead for the first time in the game in the bottom of the seventh, when Flynn singled and advanced to second on an error by center fielder Young. Flynn then moved to third on a Davis single and scored when Deeds grounded into a fielder’s choice.
The one run-lead was all that Schneider would need as he pitched superbly down the stretch, stranding Nelson on third in the eighth and getting the Skyhawks in order in the ninth to end the game.
Pugh led MSU with three RBIs, while four Eagles tallied multiple hits.
The Eagles avoided the series sweep with the win and moved to 24-21 and 6-8 in OVC play. UTM drops to 22-25 and 7-11 in conference.
Game Notes: Andrew Deeds is now on
a twelve game hitting streak.
