BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State baseball crossed the plate seven times in the final three innings in its home opener against Illinois State Friday, but unfortunately the Eagles had already fallen into a 12-3 hole in the first six and fell 13-10 to the Redbird at Allen Field.

MSU slid to 5-4 on the year, while ISU moved to 4-3 and also to 5-0 all-time against Morehead State. The Eagles got a pair of two-run homers from newcomers Connor Pauly and Adam Rapp in the setback, but committed four errors leading to six unearned ISU scores. MSU entered with an OVC-low two errors on the year.

"We have been a very good defensive club in the first eight games, but we just weren't tonight," said head coach Mike McGuire. " I thought (senior righthander) David (Calderon) pitched pretty well, but all those extra outs we had to get not only cost us on the scoreboard, it didn't allow him to pitch as deep. Offensively, I really like what we did in the last three innings. We just have to do that from the first pitch on. I think we showed a little bit of what we're capable of."

Calderon (1-2) struck out eight in a five-inning outing, allowing seven runs, but only one was earned. ISU got a two-out, three-run homer by Joe Aielts in the fifth that broke open a 4-3 game into a 7-3 Redbird lead. Another three-run round-tripper in the seventh pushed the visitor's advantage to 12-3.

Junior infielder Reid Leonard cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-clearing double off the wall in left field, and then junior Trevor Snyder brought home Leonard on another two-bagger.

Pauly smacked an RBI double in the eighth, and Rapp slammed his first home-field homer in the ninth.

Snyder, who entered in the sixth frame as a pinch hitter, led the Eagles by going 3-for-3. Pauly, Rapp and senior infielder Braxton Morris collected two hits.

Besides Calderon, four other Eagles pitchers combined to strike out 13 Redbird batters.

The teams continue the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.