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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- A three-RBI double from junior pinch hitter Bobby Burns in the bottom of the eighth gave the Morehead State baseball team its first lead since the third inning against Eastern Illinois, but the Panthers rallied in the ninth for a 6-5 victory on Sunday at Allen Field.
With the series sweep EIU (20-26) improves to 9-16 in Ohio Valley Conference play, while MSU (15-37) falls to 9-18 in league action.
The Eagles struck first in the contest, when sophomore right fielder Brandon Rawe drove in sophomore center fielder Duran Elmore with a double to right center. From there the Eagle offense went stagnant, with Panther starting pitcher Matt Borens allowing no hits over the next five innings.
EIU took its first lead of the game in the third, scoring two on three hits, before adding one in the seventh to extend the lead to 3-1.
Borens got into trouble in the eighth, allowing the Eagles to load the bases before Burns’ bases-clearing double gave MSU a 4-3 lead.
The Panthers rallied again though, scoring three in the ninth on only one hit as a pair of walks and an error contributed to the big inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Rawe, whose three hit performance was the only multiple-hit effort for MSU on the day, drove in Elmore for the second time in the contest to cut the deficit to one. The Eagles had the tying run on second, but couldn’t drive it in, as EIU junior left-hander Ben Kennedy came in for the final out of the game and the save.
Eastern Illinois freshman right-hander Jake Johansmeier (2-3) picked up the win out of the bullpen. MSU senior righty Morgan Cirbo (2-3) was charged with the loss in relief.
The 2013 season will come to an end next week as the Eagles travel to Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday for a midweek matchup with Tennessee, before heading to Jacksonville, Ala., for a weekend series with Jacksonville State. First pitch on Tuesday is at 6 p.m. ET.
