GAME 1 -- HTML STATS | PDF STATS | ARCHIVED BROADCAST
GAME 2 -- HTML STATS | PDF STATS | ARCHIVED BROADCAST
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State baseball team won its seventh consecutive Ohio Valley Conference series on Friday at Allen Field when it split a doubleheader with Murray State. The Eagles tallied a 14-10 win in opener before the Racers stormed back with a 27-7 victory in game two.
Morehead State, which moves to 35-20 overall, finishes OVC play at 20-10 and its home schedule at 16-6. Murray State, which wraps up its year 16-40 overall, closes its league slate at 11-19 and 5-23 on the road. The Eagles take the series, two games to one, after winning Thursday's opener.
Morehead State did not drop an OVC series after being swept March 20-22 at Belmont. From that point on, the Eagles rolled to victories over Eastern Kentucky (2-1), UT Martin (3-0), SIU Edwardsville (3-0), Austin Peay (2-1), Eastern Illinois (2-1), Jacksonville State (3-0) and Murray State.
Morehead State has wrapped up a No. 2 seed for next week's OVC Tournament in Jackson, Tenn. The Eagles have earned a first-round bye and will open against a to-be-determined opponent on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. MSU's 35 overall wins and 20 league victories are both school records.
Southeast Missouri has clinched the regular-season league title and tournament's No. 1 seed. SIU Edwardsville is locked in as the No. 3 seed. Belmont, Jacksonville State, Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay are separated by just one game entering the regular season's final day on Saturday.
"Our goal was to win the regular season, but I am still proud of how we have played over the last two months," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "We had an 11-13 record and 3-7 league mark in late March. We have gone 24-7 overall and 17-3 in conference play since then, which is impressive."
Murray State finishes ninth in the conference race and misses the league tournament for a fifth consecutive season. The OVC Tournament bracket will be finalized and released late Saturday. Check MSUEagles.com, Twitter.com/MSUEagles and Facebook.com/MSUEagles for details.
"We didn't perform well in the final contest of this Murray State series, but I still like where we are as a club," McGuire said. "For the most part, I think we are clicking in all three phases of the game. You can't win seven straight conference series without playing pretty consistently in all areas."
Morehead State pounded out 16 hits, including eight for extra bases, in game one on Friday. Senior catcher Chris Robinson, who went 4-for-5 with three runs and five RBI, hit for the cycle. Sophomore third baseman Alex Stephens added a 4-for-5 performance with one score and three RBI.
The Eagles added seven base knocks, including four for extra bases, in game two. Senior right fielder Brandon Rawe clobbered a solo homer, which gave Morehead State four dingers of the day. Robinson, Stephens and senior first baseman Kane Sweeney all went deep in game one.
Murray State also smashed 16 hits, including seven for extra bases, in the opener. Senior first baseman Anthony Bayus, who went 4-for-5 with a pair of scores and four runs batted in, also hit for the cycle. Bayus and senior catcher Rick Linton launched roundtrippers for the Racers.
Murray State rolled to a 16-0 advantage after three innings of the nightcap and never looked back. Sophomore catcher Tyler Lawrence, who finished 5-for-5 with five runs and 11 RBI, established a school record with four homers. His RBI total was just one shy of the school standard.
Robinson, Rawe, Sweeney, outfielder Cyrus Strahm, outfielder Clayton Meyer, infielder Blaine Tanner, pitcher Blake Smith, outfielder Nick Newell, pitcher Ryan Vansaghi, infielder Robby Spencer were all recognized between games as part of Senior Day festivities. Michael Gustin, who is in his fourth year as a team manager and his third as the play-by-play Voice of the Eagles, was also working his final contest at Allen Field.
"Today was bittersweet because we said goodbye to 11 seniors who have meant so much to this program," McGuire added. "Most of them were here my first year when we went 16-40. We have come a long ways as a program, and we aren't done this season. We are heading to Tennessee next week with the expectation to win an OVC Tournament. If we play to our potential, I really think we are capable. We pitch better on the road, and I think we can hit in just about any ballpark. The first-round bye should be big for us. We are excited about the opportunity and can't wait to get rolling."
All games of the OVC Tournament will be shown live and free of charge on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. Gustin and Media Relations Director Matt Segal will also have the audio play-by-play of each contest on MSUEagles.com. For more, visit the official web site and social media platforms of MSU Athletics.
