BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Friday versus Eastern Michigan (2-5), Morehead State baseball (3-7) was unable to overcome a late offensive surge from its opponent as the Eagles fell 6-4 in the first game of the battle of the Eagles. Morehead State played catch-up from the start after going down in the first inning, and will look to get back on track in Sunday's doubleheader.

In the first inning, Morehead State found itself down 2-0 before a sacrifice fly from Alex Jacobs scored Jackson Feltner from third to cut the deficit to one. Luke Helton then settled in on the mound, not giving up a run again until the fifth. He finished his day pitching four and one-third innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out four. The junior right-hander has pitched at least four innings in all three of his starts so far this season.

After going down 3-1 in the top of the fifth, the Eagles were able to respond with two runs of their own that tied the game. Colton Becker led off the inning with a double and then scored easily on a double from Feltner. Feltner advanced to third on a single from Roman Kuntz, before Jacobs hit another sac fly that scored him from third to tie the game at three.

A scoreless sixth inning passed before Eastern Michigan put up a run in the top of the seventh, as Shane Easter scored on a wild pitch from John Sherman, which gave the opposing Eagles a lead they would not lose.

EMU pushed two more across in the eighth inning on an RBI single from Matt Kirk and a groundout form Easter.

Morehead State threatened in the ninth and scored a run after Trevor Callahan shut down a run-scoring opportunity for Eastern Michigan. Becker came to the plate with two outs and roped his second double of the game down the left field line before a single from Ryley Preece allowed him to score, bringing Jackson Feltner to the plate. Feltner got a pitch he liked to start the at bat and drove it to deep right-center field, but it did not quite have the distance, and EMU center-fielder Brady Huebbe made the catch to end the game.

Reliever Jarrett Miller shined again for Morehead State, as he threw two-thirds of an inning and got out of a bases-loaded jam that kept MSU in it. Sherman was saddled with the loss, allowing three runs in 2.1 innings.

Kuntz, Becker and Feltner all had multi-hit games for the home team.

The two squads will matchup again tomorrow for two nine-inning games in a doubleheader, with the first pitch of game one at Noon ET.