MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State baseball team had just six hits on Friday, but capitalized with runners on base, scoring double-digit runs for the fourth time in five games on the way to a series-clinching victory over Canisius.
John Bakke notched his third win of the season (3-2) for Morehead State (18-12), tying a season high in strikeouts with eight. Colton Becker homered for the third straight game with his grand slam, and Carter Sakamoto launched a two-run eighth inning home run -- his first as a Morehead State Eagle. With the win, Morehead State has now won five straight games, and holds a 9-1 record at Allen Field this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 1-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the third inning. Guzman put Morehead State on the board with a leadoff home run off senior Chris Pouliot.
The game remained tied until the very next inning, when the Eagles got going again on offense. Morehead State put up two runs in the frame, punctuated with an RBI triple off the bat of Becker, which brought the score to 3-1 in favor of the Eagles.
Canisius clawed back to even the ballgame at three before Morehead State reclaimed a 7-3 advantage in the fifth inning. Colton Becker stepped up with the bases loaded and two outs, and homered for the third straight game to make the score 7-3. Becker's grand slam marked the second game in a row Morehead State has hit a go-ahead grand slam to break a tie.
Morehead State held the Golden Griffins scoreless before expanding their lead in the seventh inning. The Eagles scored once on an RBI single off the bat of junior Jackson Feltner, bringing the Morehead State advantage to 8-3.
Canisius got within 8-4 until the Eagles scored again in the eighth inning to stretch its lead to 10-4. Morehead State scored twice on Sakamoto's two-run homer. The score remained 10-4 for the rest of the game, as the Eagles coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» Bakke struck out eight Golden Griffins hitters.
» The Eagles power output was led by Becker, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Becker drove in five runs for Morehead State, the second time he's done so this week.
» Morehead State hitters hit three dingers in the ballgame.
» Junior Ryley Preece stole two bases in Friday's game.
» Morehead State went 2-for-5 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 43 Canisius hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and three fly balls while striking out 11.
» The Eagles drew six walks from Canisius pitching.
Morehead State looks for the sweep in Saturday's series finale, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
