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JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Morehead State baseball program established school records for overall victories and Ohio Valley Conference wins in a season Saturday as the Eagles scored 10 times in the fifth through seventh frames en route to a 13-6 triumph at Jacksonville State.
This year's edition topped the 1993 team's record for wins as it improved to 32-18 overall and 17-9 in the league. The 2014 team in Head Coach Mike McGuire's second campaign notched 16 OVC wins. Since falling to Eastern Kentucky on March 27, MSU is 21-5, and the Eagles are now in sole possession of second place in the conference race. The Eagles also claimed a series win at JSU for the first time since 2007.
The Gamecocks slipped to 26-24 overall and 13-13 in the league.
"Another total team effort today," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "I thought (junior pitcher) Craig Pearcy had his best performance of the season. Today, the top of our lineup struggled quite a bit at the plate, but the rest of our lineup came through. That's been the mark of our club. Some guys may struggle one day, but others who have been struggling come through with big at-bats. We also got much better situational hitting today and didn't leave as many runners on as we did Friday."
After stranding 14 men on base in Friday's win, the Eagles rapped out 16 hits and left only six on today. The effort marked MSU's 32nd game with double-digit hits as the Eagles continue to lead the nation in batting average and slugging percentage among five other categories.
Pearcy allowed just three runs, with two coming on a first-inning double, and six hits in six innings to improve to 3-4.
Four MSU batters notched three hits. Senior catcher Chris Robinson, senior designated hitter Clayton Meyer, senior shortstop Robby Spencer and sophomore third baseman Alex Stephens were all 3-for-5. Spencer and Stephens totaled three RBI apiece, and Robinson and Meyer knocked in a pair of runs. Robinson, who leads the conference in times crossing the plate, did that three more times today.
Morehead State, the national leader in doubles, spanked seven. Robinson cranked his 21
st double, and senior left fielder Nick Newell drove in a pair with his team and OVC-best 26
th two-bagger. Stephens and Spencer nailed two doubles each, with Spencer's clearing all three bases in a five-run sixth inning.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first frame, the Eagles outscored the hosts 11-1 in the next six stanzas.
Jake Walsh, whose record evened at 3-3, surrendered five runs, four earned, in 5.1 innings. Third baseman Ryan Sebra paced his team with a 3-for-5 effort, including a double and a home run.
MSU will strive for a series sweep on Sunday when the teams meet at Rudy Abbott Field at 2 p.m. ET.
