Baseball pounds Omaha in game 1 before falling in nightcap

BOX SCORES (GAME 1 | GAME 2) | ARCHIVED AUDIO

EMERSON, Ga. – Using a 19-hit offensive attack and stellar pitching, the Morehead State baseball team opened its doubleheader Saturday with a 14-0 shutout of Nebraska-Omaha. The Mavericks held off the Eagles' rally to win 6-5 in game two for a split at the Perfect Game Complex.

Morehead State now sits at 5-2, while UNO moved to 4-3.

Junior third baseman Alex Stephens finished the double dip 7-for-10 with four RBI, including a double and a home run in the nightcap. Senior righty Matt Anderson (2-0), who recorded eight strikeouts in six innings in the opener, combined with freshman righthander Jason Goe and junior righty Seth Boyle to record the Eagles' first shutout since Feb. 15, 2013.

The Eagles trailed 6-3 in the bottom of the ninth in game two before scoring twice. However, the UNO shortstop snagged a screeching line drive with runners on the corners to end the contest.

"Obviously it would have been nice to win both ends today," said Head Coach Mike McGuire. "We got to use a lot of players in game one, and it was nice to see our offense get going late in the game. We would like to have some pitches back and some swings back in game two, but when it came down to the ninth inning, we battled to the end and showed some resilience, and I like that fact."

Game 1

A pitchers' duel through four frames, Morehead State broke open the contest with a five-spot in the fifth and also added four in the seventh and three more in the eighth.
RBI singles by Stephens and sophomore Tyler Niemann got MSU's offense going in the fifth, and junior catcher Jimmy Wright made it 5-0 with a three-run round-tripper.
Sophomore second baseman Braxton Morris led off the four-run seventh with his second homer of the year, and Stephens pushed across two more with a single later in the frame.

Freshman Niko Hulsizer delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double to highlight the eighth stanza. The Eagles finished with 19 hits, including six players with multi-hit efforts. Junior centerfielder Ryan Kent was 3-for-5.

The Mavericks had only five hits with leftfielder Adam Caniglia accounting for three.

Game 2

MSU junior left-handed starter Curtis Wilson cruised through four innings, allowing just two hits, but a grand slam by UNO third baseman Clayton Taylor erased a 2-0 Eagle advantage in the fifth.

The Eagles trailed 6-3 to open their final at-bat and a double play on the second batter had things looking bleak. However, back-to-back singles by Stephens and freshman designated hitter Trevor Snyder, followed by a walk to pinch hitter Wright, loaded the bases.

Junior leftfielder Michael Patrick, who smashed a home run earlier in the contest, delivered a two-run single to right field. Freshman catcher Hunter Fain's bid for a game-tying hit was snagged out of the air by Maverick shortstop Riley Herold.

Stephens, who opposing pitchers have now failed to get out in three of the first seven games, was 5-fof-5.
Wilson (0-1), the first of seven MSU pitchers, allowed five runs in 5.1 innings, while Corey Binger (2-0), the UNO starter, picked up the win. Ryan Cate was credited with a save.

MSU wraps up the Perfect Game College Spring Swing Tournament Sunday at 11 a.m. ET versus Saint Louis (0-8).