BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Morehead State baseball team fought back from an early 9-0 deficit on Thursday, cutting the deficit to 9-5 before Indiana took advantage of free bases allowed by MSU pitching and put together big innings to down the Eagles 23-5. Morehead State dropped to .500 on the season with the loss.
John Bakke (1-2) got the ball to start for Morehead State (9-9) and took the loss. Alex Kafka was a bright spot for the Eagles, coming out of the bullpen and throwing 1.1 innings, giving up one run on no hits, with no walks and one strikeout.
At the plate, the Eagles were led by junior Ryley Preece, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a home run and two walks. Senior Chase Vinson put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Junior Roman Kuntz also contributed for Morehead State, notching an RBI single for the second straight game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles were trailing 9-0 in the third inning when they first put runs on the board. Morehead State's offense started clicking and put up four runs, including an RBI single off the bat of Chase Vinson.
The Eagles kept the deficit at 9-4 before closing the gap further in the fourth. Morehead State picked up a run on Preece's sixth home run of the season, which tightened the Hoosiers lead to 9-5. The Eagles were unable to get any closer, as Indiana scored 14 unanswered on their way to the win.
GAME NOTES
» The Eagles drew five walks from Indiana pitching.
Morehead State looks to salvage the series tomorrow in the finale.
