Eagles Power Past Bellarmine 13-3 in Seven Innings

Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State designated hitter Aubrey Kearns hit two home runs to pace the Eagle attack as MSU defeated Bellarmine 13-3 in seven innings Tuesday night at Allen Field in Prefontaine Park in Morehead, Ky.
 
Kearns got the scoring started early with a two-run homer over the Big Blue Wall in right-center to give the Eagles an early 2-0 edge. The sophomore struck again in the fourth, with a 413-foot blast over the screen in center field, that expanded the Eagle lead to 7-0. Both times he followed a double by left fielder Davis Germann.  
 
Morehead State (18-18) scored in every inning. In the second frame, Jaden Correa led off with in lined single to left. He advanced to second on a wild pitch. Griffin Olson walked, and both runners moved up on a double steal. Austyn Peak lifted a sacrifice fly to center. Correa scored from third and Olson scored when the throw to third base got away and rolled toward the third base dugout.
 
Eagle starter Landon Waugh (1-5) earned the win. He threw three shutout innings, allowing three hits and struck out three.
 
MSU got a lone run in the fourth. Second baseman Nick Griffith reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Jaden Correa's triple into the right field corner.
 
Bellarmine scored a lone run in the fifth on shortstop Landon Akers two-out single with runners on the corners scoring center fielder Luca Hoerger. The Knights scored again in the sixth on a hit batter and another two-out single, this one by left fielder Nick Gnardellis.
 
The Eagles responded to those runs with two in the fifth and three in the sixth. Griffth led off the fifth with a walk. Correa drilled a liner high off the screen in right center and was thrown out trying to stretch the play to a double. Olson walked and stole second base to put runners on second and third. Peak hit a bouncer to second to score Griffith and allowed Olson to move to third. Olson scored when a pickoff throw from the Bellarmine catcher hit him in the leg and rolled toward the Knight dugout, making the score 9-1. 
 
Kearns reached on an infield error on a popup to lead off the sixth and scored on Brayton Coomer's double high off the screen in center. Griffith reached on a fielder's choice when Coomer was retired at third on a ground ball. Jack Taylor lined a pitch into the gap in left-center that was misplayed, allowing Griffith to score from first base, and Taylor to end up at second base. Tayler advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored the third run of the frame on Olson's infield single. The Eagles led 12-2.
 
Bellarmine's Jake Bell led off the seventh with a home run to center field to round out the scoring for the Knights.
 
The Eagles ended the game in the seventh with one-out walks by Germann and Kearns in succession. JJ Dutton plated Germann with a single into center field to end the game 13-3. The 10-run rule was declared in effect before the game.
 
Bellarmine starter Raygan New (0-1) picked up the loss. He threw just the first inning, allowing two runs on three hits.



Morehead State will return to action Friday for the opener of the three-game Ohio Valley Conference series with Lindenwood at Allen Field at Prefontaine Park. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. ET.
 
NOTABLE

• Morehead State finished with 12 hits in the game. That's the seventh game in the last eight the Eagles have pounded out double-digits in hits.
• MSU pitchers set a season-low with just one walk issued in the game.
• Kearns finished 2-3 at the plate with two home runs, two walks, four RBI and three runs scored.
• Correa finished 3-3 with a triple (his first of the season), an RBI and a run scored.
• Germann was 2-4 with two doubles, a walk and three runs scored.
• Griffith scored three runs, going 1-3, reaching on two fielder's choices and a walk.
• Sam Smith pitched two innings out of the bullpen, allowing one run on two hits. He walked one batter and struck out two.
• Ethan Davis pitched the final two innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He notched a strikeout. 24 of his 34 pitches thrown were strikes.