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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Senior third baseman Jeff Birkofer smashed a two-run single to center field in the bottom of the ninth to give Morehead State a 10-9 victory over Ohio Valley Conference opponent Austin Peay before a season-best home crowd of 508 on Friday night at Allen Field.
The Eagles, who have won six straight tilts at Allen Field, improve to 24-21 overall, 12-10 in league action and 10-6 at home. The Governors, who entered the day with a nine-game winning streak in the series, slip to 18-29 overall, 10-12 in conference play and 5-13 on the road.
"I'm really proud of our young men for persevering and getting this win," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "Austin Peay may have come in with an 18-28 record, but they are still a very dangerous club. They represented the OVC in the NCAA Tournament last year for a reason."
Morehead State continues to destroy its overall victories (16-40) and home wins total (5-9) from a season ago. The Eagles improve to 10-2 in one-run affairs this year and notch their third win when trailing after eight innings. The walk-off victory was MSU's first since March 15.
Birkofer's third base knock of the game capped Morehead State's rally. It was also the third straight hit in the bottom of the ninth after senior designated hitter Bobby Burns went opposite field with a lead-off single and junior left fielder Nick Newell crushed a double to center.
The Eagles trailed by three heading into the bottom of the eighth, but scored twice in each of their last two at-bats. Birkofer, who drove in three runs, recorded his second three-hit performance of the campaign. He also produced an RBI single in the first and single in the sixth.
"I didn't feel like we had many timely hits early in the game, but we stepped up in the eighth and ninth innings when we needed to," McGuire said. "I have lots of confidence in our team from an offensive standpoint. Over half of our starting line-up is hitting .300 or better this season."
Morehead State, which began play ninth nationally with 479 hits this season, added 13 to its total. Newell, junior first baseman Kane Sweeney and junior right fielder Brandon Rawe registered two apiece. Rawe is now hitting .413 on the campaign, including .473 in OVC play.
The Eagles jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but Austin Peay answered with five runs in the fifth. APSU added two markers in the sixth and one in the eighth before Morehead State manufactured its late comeback. Freshman left fielder Cayce Bredlau paced the Governors with three hits.
Morehead State used seven pitchers, while Austin Peay called on five. The last men standing in the three-hour and 36-minute contest -- MSU sophomore right-hander Tyler Keele and APSU senior right-hander Ryan Quick -- were the pitchers of record. Keele improved to 5-1 this year.
The contest was dubbed as Youth Baseball Night. Youngsters from the Morehead Little League packed the stands and were treated to a variety of promotions throughout the evening. Those dressed in uniform were also invited to stand with MSU's players during the national anthem.
The teams are slated to continue their three-game OVC series on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and wrap it up on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Eagles are playing six of their final nine league affairs at home. Visit MSUEagles.com, Facebook.com/MSUEagles or Twitter.com/MSUAthletics for the latest.
"We will enjoy this one tonight, but tomorrow is a new day and we have to be ready," McGuire said. "Our goal from here on out is to win every series, and we have that an opportunity to do that with a good performance in game two of this series."
