LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The Morehead State Baseball team put together a furious comeback, scoring four runs in the ninth inning, but the late-game rally came up short and the Eagles fell 10-7 to the Little Rock Trojans Saturday.
Little Rock claimed the series with wins in the first two games. Roman Kuntz took the team lead for home runs with his 11th, and Nick Gooden also went deep for MSU.
Righty Joe Rotkis was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going five innings, surrendering only one run on six hits, walking one and striking out three. Pitcher Hunter Porter (1-1) started and took the loss on the mound for Morehead State (12-11, 0-2 OVC).
In the batter's box, the Eagles were paced by Kuntz, who went 2-for-4 on the day with the solo home run and two RBI. Ryley Preece also chipped in for Morehead State, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and two RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles had a tough first inning as Porter was tagged for six runs. MSU was still trailing 6-0 in the fourth inning when it first put runs on the board. MSU scored two runs on the solo shots from Kuntz and Gooden.
The Eagles kept the Trojans off the board before narrowing the gap further in the sixth. Morehead State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Kuntz, which tightened the Trojans lead to 6-3.
Little Rock built its lead to 10-3 before the Morehead State offense got back to work, reducing that lead to 10-7 in the ninth. The Eagles bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Preece.
GAME NOTES
» Morehead State's highest scoring inning was the ninth, when it pushed four runs across.
» Morehead State went 5-for-10 (.500) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 40 Little Rock hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out five.
» The Eagles drew four walks from Little Rock pitching.
» Kuntz led the Eagles at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
» Little Rock was led offensively by junior Nico Baumbach, who went 5-for-5 with three doubles and an RBI.
UP NEXT
The teams will finish the series on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
