Morehead, Ky.-- After getting washed out Saturday, Morehead State was derailed by a couple of big innings and the Eagles lost a pair of games to Southern Indiana in Evansville, Ind., and the University of Evansville's Charles Braun Stadium.
Game One
A six-run eighth inning for Southern Indiana (15-15/ 6-2 OVC) broke the game open as Southern Indiana sent 12 batters to the plate. The Screaming Eagles knocked four hits including a triple and a home run in the inning and wound up with a 9-5 win in the opener of the doubleheader.
Morehead State (10-18/ 1-7 OVC) opened the scoring with three unearned runs in the third inning on just one hit. Southern Indiana committed one error and there were two walks, a hit batsman, a wild pitch and a passed ball.
The Eagles got another unearned run in the fifth when catcher
Hunter Thomas walked and scored on a throwing error to put MSU ahead 4-0. MSU pushed the lead out to 5-0 in the sixth when
JJ Dutton was hit by a pitch with two outs and was driven home by shortstop
Andy Cisneros with a double down the left field line.
Southern Indiana got to MSU starter
Grant Herron in the sixth, plating three runs. Herron, making his fifth start of the season, no-hit USI through the first five innings. Through six innings pitched,
Herron scattered three hits, allowing three runs. He struck out seven while walking two and he hit two USI batters.
The six-run eighth rounded out the scoring. MSU reliever
Will Grimmett (3-4) took the loss. USI reliever Camden Dimidjian (1-1) picked up the win. Ian Anderson (1) pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.
Game Two
Southern Indiana put up six runs in the fifth inning of the nightcap to break out of a 3-2 MSU lead, and the Screaming Eagles went on to post a 14-6 win.
The Eagles put up two runs in the second inning on center fielder
JJ Dutton's two-out, two RBI triple to go ahead 2-1. After giving up a run in the third, MSU plated a run in the fourth inning.
Caden Sheridan led off the inning with a double to left-center and was driven home by second baseman
Aubrey Kearns' two-single to center field.
Morehead State starter
Bradley Poynter (2-2) took the loss. He threw five innings, allowing eight runs on nine hits. Poynter walked two USI batters and struck out one.
The Eagles scored three in the eighth inning to try to rally. Thomas and left fielder
Davis Germann walked to lead off the inning. Sheridan was hit by a pitch with one out to load the bases.
Third baseman
Griffin Olson singled to drive in Thomas. Germann and Sheridan both scored on passed balls. USI answered with four runs on two hits in the bottom of the eighth to push out to the final score.
USI starter Blake Kimball (4-3) picked up the win for the Screaming Eagles.
The series finale is scheduled to shift back to Southern Indiana's USI Baseball Field tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.
NOTABLE
- Morehead State managed four hits in Game one; they left 11 runners on base.
- Hunter Thomas got a base hit in Game one to extend his hit streak to six games. He went 0-3 with two walks in the nightcap. He has now hit safely in 11 of the last 13 games.
- In his five starts, Herron has allowed four runs on four hits in 13.1 innings. He has walked seven batters while striking out 15. Opponents are hitting .098 against him.
- Caden Sheridan had a double in both ends of the doubleheader, running his hit streak to five games. He's hit safely in five of the last six games.
- With a hit in both games Sunday, shortstop Andy Cisneros ran his hit streak to four games.
