Baseball Pulls Off Wild 16-15 Win Over EIU in 10 Innings

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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Sophomore Niko Hulsizer hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth, and senior Ryan Kent delivered a one-out, walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Morehead State baseball team held off a relentless Eastern Illinois club for a 16-15, extra-inning win at Allen Field Sunday.

The Panthers (16-29, 9-12 OVC) were looking to hand the Eagles (28-16, 13-7 OVC) their first OVC sweep at home since they did so in 2013, but Morehead State pulled off the rally - something it could not do in the first two games of the series. The Eagles held 6-1, 11-6 and 14-11 leads before EIU managed to creep back every time it trailed.

"It feels really good to get this win today, especially with how we lost the first two games," said head coach Mike McGuire. "It was a credit to our team for not giving up when we faced adversity all day."

In the ninth, EIU scored five times to erase the Eagles' 14-11 cushion with the go-ahead runs scoring on Jimmy Govern's two-run homer. MSU had pulled ahead in the eighth on Eli Boggess' RBI single, and Tyler Niemann's two-run double. Boggess finished the day with five hits, including two home runs. He has put together games on Sundays now with five and six hit-days this season.

With the Eagles down to their last three outs, Hulsizer blasted his OVC and nation-leading 20th home run to center field to tie it up. In the top of the inning, Boggess made a diving catch at third base and snared a hard grounder to give his team a chance to win it.

After a flutout down the left field line to open the frame, sophomore catcher Hunter Fain slammed a double into the left field corner. He was pinch-run for by freshman catcher Brody Shoupe, and then Kent nailed the game-winner on a 1-0 count from EIU reliever Michael Starcevich. The ball sailed over the head of the Panther centerfielder, allowing Shoupe to easily cruise home.

Boggess homered for the initial time in the first inning to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead and later nailed a solo shot to put his team on top 7-4 in the fifth. EIU made it tight (8-6) in the seventh, but an appeal by the Eagle defense worked, and the seventh run was disallowed following what appeared to a be two-run single by Matt Albert.

The Eagles pushed their lead to 11-6 in the bottom of the frame on sophomore shortstop Reid Leonard's three-run double to right field.

Of the Eagles' 19 hits, Niemann totaled four and Leonard and Hulsizer had three. EIU had 18 hits, led by three apiece from Albert and Logan Beaman.

Freshman righthander Dom Masullo locked down the final four outs to improve to 2-0. 

Morehead State hosts Ohio on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET for the Bark in the Park promotion. The Eagles have already defeated the Bobcats 3-1 earlier this season.