HTML STATS | PDF STATSMOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State baseball team plated nine runs in its final four at-bats and its bullpen allowed just one run in five innings en route to a 10-4 victory over Shawnee State (Ohio) on Wednesday afternoon at Allen Field.
The Eagles, who compete in the Ohio Valley Conference, improve to 18-18 overall and 6-6 at home with their sixth win in the last nine games. The NAIA Bears, who play in the Mid-South Conference, fall to 25-21 overall and 13-14 on the road.
"Today wasn't our best effort, but an ugly win beats a pretty loss any day of the week," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "We came out flat and didn't play well in the first four innings, but I'm proud of our young men for finding a way to get the victory."
Sophomore right-hander Matt Ellenbest, the second of four Morehead State pitchers, allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings for his first Division I victory. He has lowered his season ERA from 6.39 to 4.35 by allowing just one earned run in six appearances this month.
"Matt has pitched very well in April," McGuire said. "We feel comfortable putting him in close games because he throws a high percentage of his pitches for strikes. Matt started slow this season, but has matured and developed into a very reliable bullpen option for us."
Morehead State's offense needed just eight hits in the victory, but took advantage of five bases on balls and five hit batsmen. The Eagles scored twice on just one hit in the fifth, four times on just one base knock in the sixth and two more times on a pair of hits in the seventh.
"We didn't swing the bats very well, but the good thing was we took our free bases and capitalized on them," McGuire said. "A lot of guys battled with two strikes and that turned into walks or hit by pitches. We usually focus on quality at-bats and we had several tonight."
The teams combined for 21 hits, but just one for extra bases. SSU posted 13 base knocks, but stranded nine runners. Morehead State left 10 men on base.
Senior designated hitter Bobby Burns extended his season-best hitting streak to 12 games with an eighth-inning single. Senior third baseman Jeff Birkofer led MSU with a 2-for-4 performance and three runs. Three Eagles were credited with two RBI each.
Junior shortstop Brady Page recorded a game-high three hits for Shawnee State, while five of his teammates tallied two base knocks apiece. Senior third baseman Daniel Katayama registered a game-best three RBI, including a two-run single in the fourth.
Sophomore right-hander Taylor Smith, the fourth of six Shawnee State hurlers, was pinned with the loss. He yielded two hits and three earned runs in two innings.
Morehead State continues its four-game homestand and returns to league play on Thursday when it welcomes UT Martin. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET. Weather permitting, the contest will be webcast live and free of charge on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.
With 19 regular-season games remaining, Morehead State has already surpassed last year's marks for overall victories (16-40) and home wins (5-9).
