MOREHEAD, KY -- Starting pitcher Luke Helton was effective on Friday, fanning eight UT Martin hitters over 6.1 innings of work to help lead the Morehead State Baseball team past the Skyhawks, 13-9, as catcher Hunter Thomas also provided a huge boost with a grand slam.
In addition to his eight strikeouts, Helton (7-2) tossed 6.1 innings, giving up seven runs, all of them earned, on 11 hits and walking one for Morehead State (27-19, 11-8 OVC). Junior Will Grimmett also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing two scoreless innings while allowing one hit, with no walks and two strikeouts.
Roman Kuntz also hit his OVC leading 23rd home run and upped his RBI total to 70 for the season, also an OVC lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Morehead State scored twice, with one run coming across on Nick Gooden's single.
The Skyhawks failed to push any runs across before the Eagles offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. Morehead State pushed across a run on senior Ryley Preece's one-out RBI double, which brought the Eagles lead to 3-0.
Morehead State's lead had disappeared by the time the fifth inning came around and turned into a 5-3 UT Martin advantage, when the Eagles tied up the game at five. The Eagles added two to their tally on senior Ryan Grabosch's two-run homer to left.
The game stayed tied until the very next inning, when Morehead State got rolling again on offense. The Eagles scored five runs in the inning, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of junior Hunter Thomas, bringing the score to 10-5 in favor of Morehead State.
UT Martin got within 10-8 until the Eagles scored again in the seventh inning to stretch its lead to 13-8. UT Martin put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Eagles still coasted to the 13-9 win.
GAME NOTES
» Senior Colton Becker compiled three base hits in the game for Morehead State.
» Helton struck out eight Skyhawks hitters.
» The Eagles power output was led by freshman Davis Germann, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Thomas drove in four runs for Morehead State.
» Every Morehead State starter reached base safely in the win.
» Morehead State's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed five runs across.
» Five Eagles had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Morehead State hitters hit three home runs in the ballgame.
» Becker stole three bases in Friday's game.
» Morehead State went 4-for-13 (.308) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 45 UT Martin hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out 11.
» The Eagles drew eight walks from UT Martin pitching.
» Senior Roman Kuntz led the Eagles at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Morehead State goes for the series win tomorrow at noon.
