Baseball Drops Nip-and-Tuck Battle at Marshall, 4-3

Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Freshman righthander Jake Ziegelmeyer tossed six strong innings in his first career start, but the Morehead State baseball team was on the short end of a 4-3 decision at Marshall Tuesday afternoon as the Thundering Herd won on a walk-off home run in the ninth inning.
 
The Eagles saw their record slip to 22-11 overall with their fifth consecutive defeat.
 
"I thought Jake pitched really well in his first college start, and I thought the bullpen actually pitched well too, but we didn't do enough yet again offensively to win," said head coach Mike McGuire. "We had some opportunities late, and with the guys we wanted at the plate, but we didn't get it done. We have to hit more line drives. We hit the ball hard several times, but they were hard fly outs."
 
Ziegelmeyer tossed six innings, allowing seven hits and just two earned runs while only walking one. Freshman righty Alex Garbrick (3-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up a two-out homer to Tyler Ratliff to win it for the 'Herd.
 
The hosts jumped on top 2-0 in the first, via an RBI double and a throwing error on a bunt single that allowed a runner to race all the way around from first to the plate.
 
Morehead State answered in the third when sophomore leftfielder Niko Hulsizer plated freshman catcher Brody Shoupe with his team-best 41^st RBI. Hulsizer later got picked off first base but was able to get in a run down, and junior second baseman Braxton Morris stole home on the play to make it 2-2.
 
Shoupe drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth for a 3-2 Eagle cushion, but Marshall answered in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single.
 
Hulsizer and junior third baseman Eli Boggess were each 2-for-5 as Hulsizer extended his team-best reached-base streak to 17 games. Morris' reached-base streak now sits at 11 games.
 
After going 0-5 on the recent road swing, the Eagles return to Allen Field this week to host SIU Edwardsville in a three-game conference set. Morehead State is 48-11 at home since 2015. Game one is Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.