Louisville, Ky.-- Morehead State battled the Louisville Cardinals into extra innings but fell 9-8 Tuesday night at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
Morehead State (6-5) got home runs from designated hitter
Hunter Thomas (7) and first baseman
Alex Kean (2). Thomas went two for five with three runs batted in. Kean was two of four at the plate with three runs batted in. Second baseman
Aubrey Kearns also had two hits in five at-bats.
The Eagles got an outstanding pitching performance from freshman
Landon Waugh. The Louisville native pitched 6.2 innings in relief of starter
Hunter Porter. He allowed four runs on four hits, walking four Louisville batters.
Louisville (9-2) trailed 8-5 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. After Waugh got the first two hitters out, the Cardinals got back-to-back home runs from first baseman Matt Klein and third baseman Jake Munroe.
After a walk and a hit put runners on the corners, a hit batsman and a walk tied the game at 8-8 and send the game into extras.
After a scoreless 10
th for MSU, the Cardinals got two walks to lead off the inning. A deep fly ball to left field put runners on the corners. Munroe sent everyone home with a single that just got by a diving shortstop
Andy Cisneros.
TJ Schlageter (1-0) picked up the win for Louisville. Morehead State's
Brodie Shaw (0-1) took the loss.
The Eagles got off to a fast start; center fielder
Hayden Robbins walked to lead off the game. Third baseman
Griffin Olson was hit by a pitch and designated hitter
Hunter Thomas hit his seventh home run of the season, a 434-foot drive over the fence in left-center and the Eagles went up 3-0.
Louisville answered in the bottom of the third inning, getting four runs on three hits and three walks.
The Eagles struck again in the fifth inning when first baseman
Alex Kean hit his second home run of the season, a three-run, one-out home run over the fence in left center, to up 6-4.
The Cardinals got a run back in the sixth. UL catcher Tagger Tyson led off with a double in the left field corner. He was driven home on a one-out bouncer by Cardinal second baseman Kamau Neighbors to make it 6-5. Waugh wriggled out of a two-runners on, one-out jam ending with a strike out to end the inning.
MSU added another run in the eighth, on an Olson two-out triple off the left center field fence to score catcher
Caden Sheridan who walked and stole second base.
The Eagles added another run in the bottom of the ninth.
JJ Dutton led off with a walk. He advanced to third on Kean's one-out hit to right field. Shortstop
Andy Cisneros then laid down a safety squeeze bunt to score Dutton and extend the MSU lead to 8-5.
NOTABLE
- Designated hitter Hunter Thomas' hitting streak extended to five games. He has hit safely in 10 of MSU's 11 games.
- On the season, Thomas is hitting .348 with seven home runs and 25 runs batted in.
