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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Senior Bobby Burns' pinch-hit triple in the ninth inning drove home the winning run as the Morehead State baseball team knocked off Alabama A&M 9-8 at Bulldog Field Wednesday.
The Eagles (9-11) salvaged a series split against AAMU (8-15).
Morehead State led 6-0 after three frames and 8-4 later, but the hosts scored four times in the sixth to tie it at 8-8.
"I thought we swung the bats well today," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "We missed a couple opportunities to break it open, but as a whole it was a day of quality at-bats."
In the ninth, senior Jeff Birkofer drew a one-out, pinch-hit walk off AAMU pitcher Many Lora. Burns then cranked this third career triple to plate his classmate. Lora (2-3) allowed two hits and the one run in three innings.
Senior relief pitcher Dan Hyatt (1-0) tossed 2.2 innings and allowed only two hits and no runs for his first win of the year. Sophomore righty Craig Pearcy surrendered two walks in the ninth but coaxed a fly out and a strike out to record his third save of the season.
"I thought Dan and Craig pitched very well today," McGuire added. "And that was a huge hit by Bobby coming off the bench."
Junior rightfielder Brandon Rawe was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. Rawe now has an Ohio Valley Conference-best 12 doubles. Junior catcher Chris Robinson smacked a pair of hits and tallied three RBI, and junior leftfielder Nick Newell recorded two hits.
Junior first baseman Kane Sweeney also kept his hitting streak intact at eight contests, and junior shortstop Robby Spencer had a hit to extend his reached-base streak to 11 games.
MSU plated four runs in the third inning. Sweeney and Rawe nailed RBI doubles, Robinson rapped a run-scoring single, and freshman second baseman John Reina singled home a run, one of two RBI for him.
The Eagles now head to Cape Girardeau, Mo., for a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Southeast Missouri slated to start Friday at 4 p.m. ET.
