Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State starter Landon Waugh scattered seven hits and notched a career-high nine strikeouts in a complete game and JJ Dutton delivered a one-out single in the bottom of  the ninth to walk it off 4-3 Saturday night at Allen Field at Prefontaine Park.

Waugh (2-5) allowed just three runs and walked two batters while throwing 117 pitches.
 
Morehead State (27-23, 11-12 OVC) got a one-out single to right center by first baseman Brayton Coomer to set the table in the bottom of the ninth. Eagle shortstop Jaden Correa followed with a looping liner into right for a single to advance Austyn Peak, pinch-running for Coomer, to third to put runners on the corners. Center fielder JJ Dutton dumped a 2-2 pitch into left field for a walk-off single.
 
The Eagles got on the board early for the third straight game. Left fielder Davis Germann led off with a double off the screen in right center, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on right fielder Ian McCubbin's swinging bunt infield single with two outs. After a balk by WIU starter Jason Buhl advanced McCubbin to second, MSU catcher Caden Sheridan's liner in center to give MSU an early 2-0 lead.
 
Western Illinois (17-32, 8-15 OVC) evened up the game in the third inning. First baseman Liam Bushey delivered a two-out single and Leatherneck second baseman Wandel Campana tied it up with an Allen Field special over the screen in center field that traveled 354 feet.
 
Germann got the Eagles back on top 3-2 with a leadoff home run lined over the screen in center field that Trackman estimated to travel 355 feet.
 
Waugh was dominant through the middle innings: he wiggled out of a two-jam in the fourth inducing a fly ball to left. He threw a clean fifth getting two fly outs to deep left center and closing out the inning with a strikeout and struck out the side in the top of the sixth.
 
WIU's Buhl matched Waugh's effort, pitching clean fourth and fifth innings. Leatherneck Cade Sonoqui allowed just two hits through two outs in the eighth to keep WIU within a run.
 
WIU evened the score and threatened a big inning in the top of the seventh. Left fielder Gage Hoover led off with a nine-pitch walk. Shortstop Joshua McClintock blooped a single down the left field line. WIU catcher Krayton Morse followed with a fly to shallow right field. McCubbin cut down Hoover at the plate and McClintock was gunned down at third base attempting to advance for a 9-2-5 triple play.
 
Western Illinois tied it up in the eighth when center fielder Joe Connolly led off with a triple down the right field line and scored on Bushey's sacrifice fly to left.
 
WIU reliever Eric Rawlings (2-4) took the loss. He got the last out in the eighth and one out in the ninth. He allowed four hits and struck out one MSU batter.
 
Morehead State and Western Illinois will hook up Sunday for the series finale. First pitch at Allen Field at Prefontaine Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on ESPN+. Airtime is set for 1:00 p.m. ET.



NOTABLE

• Davis Germann went 3-4 at the plate with a home run (his 9^th of the season), a double (his team-leading 16^th), a run batted in and scored twice. Germann has hit safely in five straight games.
• Ian McCubbin went 3-4 with a double and a run batted in.
• Jaden Correa was 2-4 with a double