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CLEMSON, S.C. -- Despite jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, the Morehead State baseball team dropped game one of mid-week series against Clemson, 10-5, Tuesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Eagles move to 7-13 on the season, with the Tigers improving to 12-7.
“I thought we played pretty well overall, and the game was closer than the final score indicates,” Head Coach Mike McGuire said. “We made it a priority in practice on Monday to get better at bats by taking more walks, and striking out less, and I thought we took a step in the right direction tonight.”
Morehead State got the bats going early, establishing that two-run lead when senior catcher Drew Williams crushed a two-run home run into the left field grandstands in the top of the second. Clemson answered in the bottom half of the second with a run of its own on an RBI single from senior center fielder Thomas Brittle..
The Eagles extended their lead to 3-1 in the top of the third when freshman third baseman Alan Mocahbee drove in senior left fielder Taylor Pickens. Again, the Tigers answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning to cut the MSU lead in half, this time on an RBI single from sophomore catcher Garrett Boulware.
Clemson took control of the contest in the bottom of the fourth, driving in six runs on four hits.
In the top of the fifth, MSU plated two more to trim the hosts' advantage to 8-5. Mocahbee plated freshman second baseman Trey Gross and Pickens with a double to left field.
CU tacked on one more in each of the fifth and eighth innings to close out the five-run victory.
Three Eagles – Pickens (2-for-4), Williams (2-for-4, two RBI), and junior designated hitter Bobby Burns (2-for-3) – recorded multiple hits for MSU.
MSU junior right-hander Dan Hyatt (0-1) took the loss in relief, allowing six earned runs in just 1.1 innings. Freshman righty Craig Pearcy pitched two scoreless innings while not allowing a hit out of the Eagle bullpen. Clemson junior righty Mike Kent (1-1) picked up the win, pitching three scoreless innings in relief.
“We came into tonight with a staff mindset on the mound, which can put you in a tough spot if one guy struggles,” McGuire said. "Overall I thought our guys threw the ball pretty well. Clark Pence got us off to a good start, and Pearcy had a solid couple of innings.”
The final game between the teams is scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on MSUEagles.com.
