BOX SCORES: (GAME 1) (GAME 2) | ARCHIVED AUDIO (GAME 1) (GAME 2)

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- After snow forced the suspension of the first game with Jackson State on Tuesday, the Morehead State baseball split the midweek series Wednesday. The Eagles fell 4-0 in the resumed game before taking down the Tigers 11-2 in the second contest at Allen Field.

Morehead State sits at 8-9 heading into a weekend home series with OVC foe Belmont. Ten MSU pitchers combined to allow just six hits to JSU during play Wednesday.

"I thought we pitched well today," said head coach Mike McGuire. "We talked about how we need to get some guys more work because we will need them on the weekends and especially to maybe pitch longer in games, and I thought several guys stepped up and filled out the strike zone today. We haven't been a very consistent offensive club yet, but we showed some good signs today in the second game."

JACKSON STATE 4, MOREHEAD STATE 0

In the opener, the game was suspended Tuesday night with Jackson State leading 4-0 after 3.5 innings. Neither team surrendered a run today. Eagle pitchers John Sherman, John Hurayt, Cory Conway and Jeff Purnell gave up just two hits combined in the final six at-bats for the visitors. One was a double, and the other was a single where the hitter was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.

The Eagles had runners in scoring position in the fourth, seventh and ninth frames but could not push one across. Bryce Hensor singled in the ninth off reliever Jose Tirado, and Jake Hammon nailed a double to put runners on second and third. But, Tirado closed the door with two strikeouts.

MSU had eight hits as Hensor and Hammon tallied two each.

Starter David Looney (0-2) was tagged the loss, surrendering three runs in the first 1.2 innings on Tuesday.

MOREHEAD STATE 11, JACKSON STATE 2

Senior right-hander Kyle Cantu (2-0) struck out a career-high eight batters in the first six innings, and the offense produced 14 hits en route to the nine-run win.

Morehead State built a 5-0 advantage after the first three frames and made it 10-0 with a five-spot in the seventh. Relievers JC Hatcher and Will Lozinak also worked clean innings for the pitching staff.

Senior center-fielder Tyler Niemann led the way by going 3-for-5 with three RBI. Niemann recorded an RBI double in the first, had a run-scoring single in the seventh and crushed his second homer of the 2018 campaign, a solo shot, over the right-field wall in the eighth.

Hammon put together his second straight multi-hit effort with a 2-for-3 day while also collecting three RBI. Hensor added two more hits, and senior infielder Braxton Morris locked in with two hits and two RBI as well.

Jackson State's lone runs came on a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning.

NEXT UP

MSU hosts Belmont this weekend. Game one is slated for Friday at 3 p.m., but weather may change the schedule. Check MSUEagles.com and Twitter and Facebook (MSUEagles) for updates.