BOX SCORE
JACKSON, Tenn. -- In a completely wild game featuring a weather suspension to the next day, Morehead State baseball ultimately fell 8-7 to Murray State in 13 innings in round one of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
Leading until the seventh inning of the game Thursday night, Morehead State fell behind and then tied the game on a bases loaded hit by pitch in the top of the ninth inning. After an hour rain delay the game was suspended until Friday morning.
The Eagles took a 7-6 lead in the 12th, but Murray State tied it again with a two-out homer in the bottom of the inning and then won the game on a wild two-out bunt play and an error in the 13th.
The loss spoiled an incredible relief appearance by senior
John Bakke, who struck out a career-high 12 batters in the 19 he faced. Ultimately he was tagged with the loss, making the errant throw in the final inning.
The Eagles fell to 24-22.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Freshman shortstop
Colton Becker slammed his second career triple off the wall in deep center field to score senior catcher
Jack Gardner and
Ryan Layne. Gardner had singled to lead off the frame, and Layne doubled off the wall in right field.
- Jordan Cozart got the Racers on the scoreboard with a two-out RBI single to left field in the bottom of the third inning.
- The Eagles scored two in the fourth. Freshman center-fielder
Ryley Preece slashed an RBI single to right field to score sophomore DH
Alex Jacobs, who had been plunked with the first pitch of the inning by Racer starter Shane Burns. Senior third baseman
Stephen Hill then executed a perfect squeeze bunt as freshman left-fielder
Jacob Ferry slid around the tag.
- The Eagles manufactured a fifth run in the fifth. Jacobs laid down a sacrifice bunt to third that turned into a single, and the throw from the pitcher went errant allowing freshman first baseman
Jackson Feltner, who had singled to lead off, to score.
- Cozart banged a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 5-3 Eagle advantage.
- The Racers scored three runs in the seventh, including the go-ahead two-run homer by Cozart.
- With the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, senior
Jon Burghardt pinch hit and was plunked in the foot on the first pitch to tie the game 6-6.
- Jacobs doubled to lead off the 12th inning and later scored on a single to center by Ferry.
- With two outs in the bottom of the 12th, Murray's Brock Anderson tied the game again on a solo homer.
- With two outs again in the 13th and a runner on first, David Hudleson bunted toward third base. Looking like he might beat it out, Bakke made the throw but it careened past
Priamo Lozada and into right field. Trey Woosley motored all the way from first to score the winning run.
NOTABLE
- Feltner increased his OVC-best reached base streak to 36 games and his league-high hitting streak to 27 games.
- Hill had three hits, his 14th multi-hit game of the season.
- Starter
Jason Goe went 5.0 innings, allowing three runs with three strikeouts. Reliever
Cory Conway also saw time for his 80th career appearance and 76 in relief.
- Becker, Jacobs, Feltner, Layne, Preece and Hensor also had multi-hit efforts with two safeties apiece as the Eagles finished with 18 hits. Feltner ran his batting average back to .400 for the season.
- This result marked the sixth one-run decision in the last seven games for the Eagles.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will face Austin Peay later Friday evening in an elimination game.
