Two-out production leads to 9-8 walk-off win for Baseball

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MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State baseball team scored nine runs in the final three innings – all in two-out situations – to rally for a 9-8, extra-innings walk-off win over visiting Longwood Wednesday at Allen Field.
 
Trailing 8-2 after seven at-bats, the Eagles scored four times in the eighth, tied the game 8-8 in the ninth and got a two-out, walk-off single by junior first baseman Jesus Carrera to win it in the 10^th.
 
MSU improved to 9-3 in 2016, while Longwood slipped to 7-6. It was the first-ever meeting between the schools.
 
Sophomore second baseman Braxton Morris got the rally heated up in the eighth, nailing the first pitch he saw from Lancer reliever Cameron Trichka over the wall in right field to cut his team's deficit to 8-6.
 
In the ninth, freshman shortstop Reid Leonard's double plated Ryan Kent, and sophomore Tyler Niemann delivered a pinch-hit single to right field to score Leonard with the tying run. Junior rightfielder Will Schneider was tagged out at the plate attempting the end the game that frame.
 
Senior right-hander Tyler Keele, who entered the game in the top of the ninth, mowed down the three Longwood batters he faced in the 10^th, setting up the game-winning chance for the hosts.
 
Moris led off the final stanza with a single and moved to second when junior catcher Jimmy Wright laid down a sacrifice bunt that he ended up being safe on. Following a double play, Carrera sliced a two-strike pitch from reliever Sean Pico into left field for the game-clinching RBI. It marked his second walk-off hit this year after doing it earlier versus Arkansas State.
 
"We were not very good at the plate for the first seven innings, and we I felt we gave them a couple of easy runs early," said Head Coach Mike McGuire. "But I thought we became much more patient at the plate and started taking walks instead of outs late in the game. That's important, especially in our park. You never know when having a couple of extra runners on will lead to more runs."
 
Keele was credited with the victory to move to 1-0. His opponent batting average dipped to .045 in his sixth appearance.
 
Longwood freshman closer Cody Boydstun, who had saved all three of the Lancers' win over Fairleigh Dickinson this past weekend, allowed the winning run on base and surrendered the final three runs for his first loss of 2016.
 
The visitors built an 8-2 lead on the strength of two home runs by designated hitter Alex Lewis, who finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. The Lancers connected on four round-trippers.
 
MSU had 11 hits, led by two each from Leonard and Morris, who also had three RBI.
 
Morehead State opens Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend hosting Tennessee Tech for a trio of contests. The first game is set for Friday at 3 p.m. ET.