MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Strikeouts were the key that unlocked the broom closet on Saturday, as Luke Helton (4), Grant Herron (5), and Jarrett Miller (4) combined for 13 K in the win that clinched the Morehead State baseball team's sweep of Canisius. The win marked the sixth straight for the Eagles.
Junior Grant Herron (4-1) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Morehead State (19-12). The right-hander went four innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on one hit, allowing five walks and striking out five, moving his team leading punchout total to 46 on the season.
Colton Becker led the way offensively once again for the Eagles, going 2-for-2 in the ballgame with a walk and two RBI, notching his fourth multi-hit game of the week and moving his weekly RBI total to 15. Ryley Preece furnished a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with three walks and an RBI. Roman Kuntz also contributed, going 2-for-5 for Morehead State with two RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles were trailing 1-0 in the first inning when they first put runs on the board. Morehead State got a single from Kuntz, with Ryley Preece originally stopping at third before scoring on a fielding error by the Golden Griffins.
The score stayed at 1-1 until the very next inning, when the Eagles put runs on the scoreboard once again. Morehead State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Preece, which brought the score to 2-1 in favor of the Eagles.
Canisius fought back to even the ballgame at two before Morehead State reclaimed a 3-2 advantage in the fifth inning.
Morehead State held the Golden Griffins scoreless before the offense got in gear the next inning. The Eagles scored six runs in the inning, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Becker and a two-run single from Kuntz, bringing the score to 9-2 in favor of Morehead State. Canisius put five runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Eagles still held on for the 9-7 win.
GAME NOTES
» Herron struck out five Golden Griffins hitters.
» The Morehead State pitching staff combined to strike out 13 Canisius hitters.
» Morehead State's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed six runs across.
» The Eagles had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of the Golden Griffins 2-1 in the bottom of the second.
» Becker stole three bases in Saturday's game.
» The Eagles swiped five bases as a team.
» Morehead State went 6-for-12 (.500) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 45 Canisius hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and six fly balls while striking out 13.
» The Eagles drew six walks from Canisius pitching.
Morehead State looks to extend its winning-streak on Tuesday at Bellarmine before hitting the road for a three-game set at Lindenwood in OVC play next weekend.
