MOREHEAD, KY. -- Everything is clicking right now for the Morehead State baseball team, as another offensive outburst and dominant pitching performance propelled the Eagles to a 12-3 victory on Saturday afternoon over Saint Peter's to take the series with an opportunity for a second straight four-game sweep on Sunday.
Starting pitcher Grant Herron picked up where he left off in his second start of the season, punching out eight Saint Peter's hitters in the win. In addition to his eight strikeouts, Herron (2-0) went five innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on six hits and walking three for Morehead State (7-0). Freshman Riley Bradshaw also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing one hit, with no walks and three strikeouts, and Trevor Callahan slammed the door on any comeback hopes the Peacocks had with a scoreless frame in the ninth in his first appearance of the year.
Junior Ryley Preece led the way offensively for the Eagles, going 2-for-5 in the ballgame with a triple and his fourth home run in the last three games, this one a three-run shot to left that put the game out of reach. Ryan Grabosch put together a standout effort as well, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBI. Junior Jackson Feltner also chipped in, going 3-for-4 for Morehead State with a home run, a walk and two RBI. Colton Becker and Logan Castleman both stole two bases and drove in a run.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Morehead State got an RBI single from junior Logan Castleman, scoring Feltner from second base.
The Eagles lost the lead they built in the first, but got back on the board in the second trailing 3-1. Morehead State scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run homer from Grabosch, which brought the score to 4-3 in favor of the Eagles.
Morehead State held Saint Peter's scoreless before expanding their lead to 5-3 the following inning. The Eagles scored once on a run-scoring single off the bat of junior Colton Becker.
Morehead State held the Peacocks scoreless before building on their lead in the sixth inning. The Eagles scored twice on Feltner's two-run homer, bringing the Morehead State advantage to 7-3.
The Eagles held Saint Peter's without a run before expanding their lead to 12-3 the following inning. The Morehead State offense piled up five runs, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Preece.
GAME NOTES
» Preece and Grabosch drove in three runs each for the Eagles.
» The Morehead State pitching staff combined to strike out 12 Saint Peter's hitters.
» Four Eagles had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Morehead State hitters hit three homers in the ballgame.
» The Eagles out-hit the Peacocks at a 12-8 clip.
» The Eagles stole five bases as a team, with two by Logan Castleman, two by Colton Becker, and by from Jackson Feltner.
» Morehead State went 5-for-12 (.417) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 39 Saint Peter's hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and six fly balls while striking out 12.
» The Eagles drew seven walks from Saint Peter's pitching.
Joe Rotkis takes the ball for Morehead State on Sunday with the opportunity to help the 2023 Eagles become just the third team in Morehead State history to start 8-0. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
