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MOREHEAD, Ky. – After 26 combined hits, eight total errors and 11 walks between the two pitching staffs, it was a sacrifice fly that ultimately propelled the Morehead State baseball team to a 12-11 victory over Belmont at Allen Field Friday evening.
The Eagles (13-9/4-4 OVC) put the kibosh on their six-game losing skid by scoring three times in the bottom of the eighth inning. MSU led Belmont (13-9/3-2 OVC) 9-4 but the Bruins scored seven times in the fifth and sixth frames to push ahead 11-9.
A two-run single by freshman designated hitter
Trevor Snyder tied the game 11-11 in the eighth, and after Snyder advanced to third on a wild pitch, sophomore second baseman
Braxton Morris delivered the game-winner on a deep fly out to centerfield.
Junior lefthander
Cable Wright (2-0) tossed 3.2 scoreless frames and struck out five for the win. He allowed a double to Belmont's Tyler Walsh in the ninth, and the Bruin centerfielder stole third. But, Wright made the game-saving play next as he stabbed a comebacker to him off the bat of Rafael Bournigal and threw home from his back side to cut down Walsh.
"Cable has pitched in pretty much any situation we've asked him to in his career," said Head Coach
Mike McGuire. "He usually throws to one or two batters, but today we felt good keeping him out there. He got two quick innings, and we had (closer)
Tyler Keele ready, but they had three lefties coming up, and it's tough to take a guy out you have confidence in and who has been throwing well. Belmont has been a tough opponent for us since I've been here, so it feels good to know we put an end to this losing streak, and it's time to start a new winning streak."
Sophomore leftfielder
Tyler Niemann was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, while junior rightfielder
Will Schneider extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a 3-for-5, four-RBI effort. Freshman shortstop
Reid Leonard totaled three hits, and Snyder and junior centerfielder
Ryan Kent amassed two hits each.
After a two-run homer by the visitors in the first, MSU rattled off a solo tally in the first, four in the second and three more in the third. The four-spot in the second erased a 4-1 Belmont advantage.
Four Bruin batters got two hits apiece as Belmont had 11. MSU finished with 15 hits off three pitchers. Connor Etheridge allowed the go-ahead run and took the loss to fall to 1-2.
MSU starting pitcher
Matt Anderson, the OVC leader in Ks per nine innings, fanned nine in four frames before exiting in the top of the fifth.
The teams are set for the series rubber match on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
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