BOX SCORE (PDF) | AUDIO ARCHIVE
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Junior centerfielder
Ryan Kent tied the school record with three doubles, and four Morehead State pitchers combined to strike out 14 SIU Edwardsville batters Sunday in an 11-2 Eagle victory over the Cougars at Simmons Complex.
MSU (23-18, 10-8 OVC)Â won the series over SIUE (8-28, 5-16 OVC).
"We came out and played well in all three phases today," said head coach
Mike McGuire. "We got an early lead and kept getting quality at-bats throughout. I thought our pitchers did a good job of limiting the free bases, and they all were able to pitch out of situations too."
The Eagles hit for the "cycle" and scored seven times in the second inning to break open a 1-1 tie. Freshman
Niko Hulsizer had his first career triple to drive in two, while Kent, freshmen shortstop
Reid Leonard and sophomore second baseman
Braxton Morris rapped RBI doubles. Junior rightfielder
Will Schneider crushed a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left field.
Kent added another RBI double in a two-run sixth frame, complemented by a run-producing single by freshman designated hitter
Trevor Snyder. Another RBI two-bagger from junior third baseman
Alex Stephens closed the scoring outbust in the eighth.
SIUE's only two runs came via home runs by Dustin Woodcock in the first and Logan Andersen in the third.
MSU starter
Luke Humphreys recorded eight strikeouts in the opening four frames before giving way to junior lefty
Cable Wright and senior righties
Patrick McGuff and
Tyler Keele. Wright was credited with the win to move to 4-0. McGuff tallied four punchouts.
The Eagles totaled 16 hits, led by Hulsizer and Kent with three each. Schneider had his team-best 18th multi-hit day, and freshman catcher
Hunter Fain extended his team-high reached-base streak to all 30 games he's seen at least one plate appearance.
Morehead State is scheduled to host West Virginia Tech on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET
