Eagle Baseball Rallies Late to Edge USI on a Walk-Off Balk

Morehead, Ky. -- The Morehead State baseball team mounted a late rally scoring two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings and clinched a 6-5 victory over Southern Indiana with a walk-off balk with two outs in the bottom of ninth.
 
Eagle second baseman Nick Griffith led off the ninth inning and was hit by a pitch. Pinch-hitter JJ Dutton delivered a one-out single through the right side. Griffith advanced to third on a throwing error on the Southern Indiana right fielder. MSU's Jaden Hart entered to pinch-run for Dutton.
 
Eagle center fielder Kyle Krupp hit a bouncer to the right side the USI second baseman muffed for an error as Griffith scored and Hart advanced to third base on the play. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning shortstop Griffin Olson came to the plate.
 
Hart attempted to steal home and was initially called out to end the inning. After a lengthy conference among the umpires, the balk was called giving the Eagles the win.
 
Morehead State (21-21, 7-10 OVC) trailed 5-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Left fielder Davis Germann drew a leadoff walk and Olson doubled off the screen in right center. Third baseman Aubrey Kearns delivered a two-run single up the middle to cut the lead to 5-4 but couldn't sustain the rally.
 
Southern Indiana (23-20, 6-11 OVC) got out to an early lead with three runs in the second inning with four straight one-out hits and a sacrifice fly. USI added another run with back-to-back one-out doubles to lead 4-0.
 
Morehead State got on the board in the fifth when first baseman Alex Kean lined a pitch over the screen in center field that traveled 371 feet.
 
The Eagles added another run in the sixth on catcher Caden Sheridan's 348-foot liner over the fence in left field to cut the USI lead to 4-2.
 
Devin Costa (3-1) got the win. He threw a one-hit ninth inning in his .
 
Eagle starter Cole Wells threw two and two-thirds innings allowing four runs (all earned) on six hit and one walk. He struck out two USI batters.
 
Landon Waugh was solid out of the bullpen for the Eagles. He got the last out of the third inning to get the Eagles out of a jam. He then shut out USI until the Screaming Eagles pieced together a couple of two-out hits to score a run to make the score 5-2.
 
USI's Caydon Laird (1-1) took the loss, giving up a run on one hit. Southern Indiana starter Ean DiPasquale turned in a solid performance, allowing two earned runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out eight Eagles.
 
Morehead State and Southern Indiana will wrap up the series Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
NOTABLE

• The Eagles struck out 13 times in the game. It was the 17^th game of the season MSU recorded double-digit strikeouts.
• Kearns' single in the eighth extended his hitting streak to four games. He has hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games.
• MSU was out-hit by USI 11-7. The Eagles are now 2-16 when getting out-hit this season.
• McCubbin extended his reached-base streak to 23 games, going 1-3 at the plate.
• Olson extended his hit streak to four games; he has hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games.
• Eagle pitching surrendered two walks in the game. USI drew three walks in the series opener Friday.