Late rally by Ohio State topples Baseball Eagles, 7-3

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – After battling Ohio State before falling 1-0 Tuesday, Wednesday's game looked to be headed in the same direction with the Morehead State baseball squad leading 3-2 after seven at-bats. But the Buckeyes took advantage of four MSU mistakes in their final two plate chances and rallied back to beat the Eagles 7-3 at Bill Davis Stadium.
 
Ohio State improved to 21-11-1, while the Eagles slipped to 19-15.
 
"For about 15 innings we gave them all they wanted this week, and for some reason we had a meltdown on defense in the last two innings tonight," said Head Coach Mike McGuire. "We competed hard, and I have no fault in the way we have been competing. This was the type of game we needed some breaks, and we just didn't get any. Hard hit balls that normally are doubles ended up as outs."
 
RBI singles by freshman shortstop Reid Leanard and junior rightfielder Will Schneider gave the Eagles a 2-0 cushion after three frames. But. OSU's centerfielder Troy Montgomery tied the game with a two-run homer in the third.
 
MSU plated its final run when sophomore second baseman Braxton Morris crossed the plate in the fifth following a throwing error.
 
The Buckeye scoring rally began in the seventh when a towering pop fly in the infield was dropped to open the frame. After a sac bunt and a strikeout, third baseman Nick Sergakis vaulted the hosts into a 4-3 lead via a two-run homer off reliever Craig Pearcy.
 
Ohio State added three insurance runs in the eighth, taking advantage of two throwing errors by Eagle pitchers.
 
Pearcy absorbed the hard-luck loss to fall to 0-1. OSU's first reliever, Kyle Mikhalik, collected his first career victory.
 
The Eagles finished with six hits, including two by Leonard. Freshman catcher Hunter Fain added a single to extend his team-best reached-base streak to 25 games.
 
MSU wrapped up a nine-game road swing with the pair at OSU. The Eagles return to OVC play and home when they host UT Martin this weekend. Game one is Friday at 5 p.m. ET. All three contests are set to be streamed on the OVC Digital Network.