MARION, Ill. -- The Morehead State baseball team broke through after a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning to beat the Little Rock Trojans 4-3 Thursday, staving off elimination and moving on at the OVC Tournament.
Joe Rotkis (3-1) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Morehead State (35-22). The right-hander went five innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on five hits, allowing two walks and striking out three. Will Grimmett also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing three shutout innings while allowing three hits, with no walks and one strikeout, picking up a save and helping the Eagles live to see another dat.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles were trailing 3-0 in the sixth inning when they first put runs on the board.
The score stayed at 3-3 until the very next inning, when the Eagles put runs on the scoreboard once again. Freshman Nick Gooden came across to score the lone run of the inning for Morehead State, which brought the Eagles lead to 4-3. The score remained 4-3 for the rest of the game, as Morehead State held on for the win.
GAME NOTES
» Morehead State's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Morehead State pitchers limited Little Rock to just 1-for-5 (.200) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 39 Little Rock hitters in the game, allowing 13 ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out four.
» The Eagles drew seven walks from Little Rock pitching.
» Senior Roman Kuntz led the Eagles at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a double.
Morehead State will play the loser of Friday's first game between SEMO and Southern Indiana at 5:00 PM ET.
