Box Score | Archived Audio | Archive Video
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Junior first baseman
Tyler Niemann homered twice and drove in five runs, but the Morehead State baseball team could only generate two more tallies and surrendered eight runs to visiting Eastern Illinois in the top of the ninth as the Eagles fell 14-7 Friday at Allen Field.
Morehead State slipped to 27-15 overall and 12-6 in the OVC. EIU won for the eighth time in the previous nine games and moved to 15-28 overall and 8-11 in the league.
Niemann broke a 2-2 tie in the first inning when he sliced a three-run homer just inside the left field foul pole. After EIU scored twice on a two-run homer by Dougie Parks in the top of the frame, junior second baseman
Braxton Morris tied the game with an RBI double to score sophomore leftfielder
Niko Hulsizer.
Niemann made it a 7-3 Eagle lead with a two-run homer deep over the right field wall in the bottom of the third, but three EIU pitchers combined to shut out the MSU offense for the final six frames. The Panthers then scored 11 unanswered runs.
The Eagle defense turned three double plays and also gunned down a runner trying to score from third and led 7-6 heading to the top of the ninth, but Andrew Curran's RBI triple down the right field line off senior reliever
Cable Wright opened the door for the scoring output. Wright was charged with just two runs allowed but absorbed the loss to fall to 2-2. Parks later hit a grand slam to make it 14-7.
Jake Haberer picked up the win, striking out four in two innings of relief of starter Brendon Allen.
The teams will go head-to-head for game two of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
