Murray State
Morehead State
'Breds beat Morehead State 9-2, but fall in second game 9-1
4/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds became the first team in the Ohio Valley Conference to beat top-ranked Morehead State, 9-2 in the first game of the double-header, but the Eagles rebounded to win Game 2 9-1.
In the first game, the 'Breds (20-16, 8-3 OVC) got an excellent complete-game performance from senior pitcher Craig Kraus (6-1, 2-0 OVC), who allowed two runs on five hits, striking out eight and walking two in nine innings.
Murray State opened the scoring in the second inning when Alex Stewart sent the first pitch of the inning over the right-field fence for his fourth home run of the season. Dustin Hennigar then popped a one-out homer of his own. Austin Swain then walked, followed by walks to Phil Lopez and Brett Mullins. A balk scored Swain to put the 'Breds ahead 3-0.
Morehead State (19-15, 9-1 OVC) responded in the bottom of the second when Bryan Ingram hit a two-run home run to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the third inning, Clint Griggs led off by getting hit by a pitch, then Tyler Pittman singled him to third. A balk scored Griggs to give Murray a 4-2 lead.
In the sixth inning, Swain led off with a double, then went to third on an error on the play. Lopez singled him in to put the 'Breds ahead 5-2.
In the eighth inning, Hennigar led off with a walk, then went to second on a sacrifice bunt, then to third on a groundout. A single by Mullins scored Hennigar. Mullins stole second, then after a walk to Chaz Ebert, Seth Hudson laced a triple down the right-field line, putting Murray State ahead 8-2.
In the ninth inning, Pittman drew a one-out walk, stole second, then scored on a throwing error for the final 9-2 score.
Hennigar had a game-high two hits, including a home run, to go with two runs and a run batted in. Swain scored twice, while Hudson had two RBIs. Griggs had eight putouts at first base, while Lopez had five assists at shortstop.
For Morehead State, five batters had one hit apiece, while Ingram had two RBIs. Ingram also had nine putouts at first base, while Pete Troyer had four assists at shortstop.
On the mound, Adrian Duran (6-3) took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits, striking out four and walking five in 6-1/3 innings.
In the second game, Morehead State fought back, breaking up a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth for the 9-1 win.
Hudson, Pittman and Mullins had the only Murray State hits in the game. Hennigar had seven putouts at catcher, while Billy Fares had three assists on the mound.
Fares (4-4, 2-1 OVC) took the loss, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, striking out seven and walking three in 5-1/3 innings.
For Morehead State, four batters had two hits apiece.
Shane Lucci (1-3) got the complete-game win, allowing one unearned run on three hits, striking out six and walking five in seven innings.
"We came out ready to play," said Murray State head coach Rob McDonald, "and we played a good game. Craig Kraus pitched very well for us today. I like to think that we can take a game like that and use the momentum to win more games.
"In the second game, their pitcher pitched well, and we made some mistakes, but we have to put that behind us and come out sharp again tomorrow."
Murray State plays the rubber game of this series tomorrow (Sunday) at noon CT.
