BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Another late comeback bid by the Morehead State baseball team came up short on Thursday as No. 16 Tennessee Tech built a 9-0 lead and held on to defeat the Eagles 10-7.

The game was marred by an hour-and-a-half delay at the start and another 2.5 hour delay in the second inning. MSU fell to 31-22 overall and 17-11 in the league. TTU moved to 45-6 overall and 26-2 in the OVC.

"We were ready to play, but we didn't play well," said head coach Mike McGuire. " I thought our at-bats in the late innings were quality and we able to have some unselfish at bats, but early on I don't think we challenged (TTU starter Travis) Moths and he was able to come back after the delay and go five and may have gone more if not the for the delay. I thought our last three pitchers (Will Lozinak, Cory Conway and JC Hatcher) threw well."

The Eagles spotted the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and TTU busted the game open in the fourth when Cody Littlejohn belted a two-out grand slam. Kevin Strohschein nailed a two-run homer in the fourth as TTU built its 9-0 cushion.

MSU started its rally with single runs in the fifth and sixth frames. Junior catcher Hunter Fain had a sac fly in the fifth, and junior center-fielder Connor Pauly singled home junior left-fielder Niko Hulsizer in the sixth.

The hosts then plated three in the seventh, including a two-run double by junior shortstop Reid Leonard. Two more sac flies by Hulsizer and senior second baseman Braxton Morris pushed the Eagles' season sac fly total to a school record 35.

Fain made it a three-run game in the ninth with a solo homer to right center-field.

MSU, which is second in the nation in hits only behind Tech, totaled 10 on the day and held TTU to just six. Leonard, Pauly and junior first baseman Trevor Snyder, along with junior right-fielder Jake Hammon, had two hits each. Leonard moved his school record reached-base streak to 45 games.

Jake Ziegelmeyer was pinned with the loss, only tossing the first 1.2 innings before the long delay. He fell to 5-1. Moths was credited with the win, and Ethan Roberts collected his 13th save.

The teams will play game two of the series starting at 1 p.m. ET on Friday.