Murray State
Eastern Kentucky
'Breds give up big inning in 8-2 loss at Eastern Kentucky
4/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds were holding their own at Eastern Kentucky this afternoon, holding the best offense in the Ohio Valley Conference to one run on two hits over the first three innings, but EKU scored five runs in the fourth inning, as MSU fell 8-2.
Eastern Kentucky (22-5, 6-3 OVC) scored the first run of the game in the second inning when Chris Clark hit a one-out double, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a single by Drew Reynolds.
'Breds starter Craig Kraus held the Colonels hitless in the third inning, but the Colonels scored five runs on four hits, including a three-run triple by Brett Bolger, to take a 6-0 lead after four.
EKU added a run in the fifth, but Murray State (8-22, 2-7 OVC) got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh inning when left fielder J.D. Merritt led off with a walk, then catcher Chad Fogle single to right. First baseman Josh Foreman doubled in Merritt and Fogle to cut the EKU lead to 7-2.
Eastern Kentucky tacked on a run in the bottom half of the inning for the final score.
Seven batters for Murray State each had a hit, while Foreman had a double and two runs batted in.
Eastern Kentucky was paced by Drew Reynolds, who had three hits, a run scored and three RBIs. Clark went 2-for-2 with two doubles, four runs and an RBI, while Jonathan Woodard also had two hits. Bolger had a triple for the Colonels and three RBIs.
On the mound, Kraus (0-5) took the loss, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits, striking out three and walking four in five innings. Chandler Shepherd closed out the game, allowing one run on one hit, striking out one and walking one in three innings.
For EKU, Dan Bachman (3-1) got the win, allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking two in 6-1/3 innings. Brandon Scott entered in the seventh inning, allowing no hits and striking out two in 1-2/3 innings, while Richard Boothe faced the minimum three batters in the ninth inning.
"Eastern Kentucky does a good job competing at the plate," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "They do such a good job of hitting the ball where you aren't.
"We have got to do a better job of closing innings. Too often, we've been doing things that are self-inflicted. We need to do a better job with that, because that's part of competing at this level."
Murray State steps out of its conference schedule to visit regional rival Southern Illinois on Wednesday for a 3 p.m. game, then returns home for a three-game set against OVC rival Morehead State. The teams will play a double-header on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., then will close out the series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
