Murray State
Eastern Kentucky
'Breds Post Lucky 13s In Sweep At Eastern Kentucky
4/14/2006 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
On paper, the Murray State-Eastern Kentucky baseball match-up looked something like a David-vs.-Goliath battle without the sling, but the only game played on paper is tic-tac-toe, as a determined and confident Thoroughbreds squad stepped up to the plate, sweeping the Ohio Valley Conference double-header at Eastern Kentucky, taking the first game 13-9 and the second game 13-2.
Prior to today's action, Eastern Kentucky led the conference in pitching, runs scored, home runs and pitching strikeouts, while the 'Breds (10-25, 3-8 OVC) rank among the bottom four in each of those categories. Also, MSU senior left-hander Andrew Bishop had been starting well but struggling in the fifth and sixth innings.
Against that top-ranked pitching staff, Murray State plated 13 runs and slugged 19 hits in each of today's games, while Bishop got the complete-game win in Game 2, out-dueling one of the best pitchers in the league in the process.
In the first game, the 'Breds scored the first eight runs in the contest, pushing out to a 10-1 lead midway through the fourth inning en route to the 13-9 win.
Tyler Owen went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and four runs batted in. Seth Hudson went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs and an RBI, while Austin Swain went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs.
Jason Payton went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and an RBI, while Brett Mullins went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and four RBIs. Justin Yount went 2-for-3 with two runs, while Chaz Ebert had two hits and an RBI.
For Eastern Kentucky (17-14, 6-4 OVC), Charlie Yarbrough went 4-for-5 with two solo home runs, three runs and two RBIs.
In the field, first baseman Jamie Leidolf had a game-high 10 putouts, while second baseman Hudson had a game-high five assists. For the Colonels, first baseman Yarbrough had nine putouts, while shortstop Lucas Waters had four assists.
On the mound, Kalen Gibson (2-6, 2-2 OVC) got the win, allowing five runs on 12 hits, striking out six and walking six in seven innings. Daniel Calhoun came on in the eighth, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out one and walking none in 1-2/3 innings. Charlie Wade entered in the ninth, getting his first save of the season (just the second for the 'Breds this season), getting his one batter to make the final out of the game.
For EKU, Scott Goetz (2-3) took the loss, allowing eight runs on 11 hits, striking out one and walking three in 2-2/3 innings. Nick Barte came on in the third, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out one in 2-1/3 innings, while Blake Anderson closed out the game, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out one and walking two in four innings.
In the second game, Bishop (2-5, 1-3 OVC) started slowly, but got into a groove, going the distance, allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking two in seven innings of work.
MSU jumped out to a quick lead again, scoring two runs in the first inning, but Eastern Kentucky tied it in the second at 2-2. The 'Breds got another run in the third inning, then exploded against EKU starter Chris Friedrich, who entered the game with an earned-run average of 1.62, third best in the OVC. Murray State scored six runs in the fourth inning to chase Friedrich, then added four more in the fifth inning to take Game 2 13-2.
Hudson went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs, going 6-for-9 on the day. Payton went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs -- going 5-for-10 on the day with two homers -- while Tyler Pittman went 3-for-5 with a double, three runs and two RBIs. Brett Wilson went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Mullins went 3-for-4 with a run, finishing with a 5-for-8 day.
Lincoln Kent got a home run and three RBIs for Murray State, while Ebert had a double and three runs. Owen also doubled for the 'Breds.
For Eastern Kentucky, Shawn Flora had two hits and an RBI.
In the field, right fielder Mullins had five putouts, while Bishop and Hudson had two assists each. For the Colonels, catcher Joe Oliver had seven putouts, while Waters and third baseman Matt Davis had two assists each.
On the mound Friedrich (6-1) allowed six runs on 10 hits, striking out five and walking none in 3-1/3 innings.Prior to this afternoon, Friedrich had allowed only seven earned runs in his previous eight games combined. Greg Harper came on in the fourth, allowing seven runs on seven hits, striking out one and walking one in 1-2/3 innings. Casey Howard closed out the game, allowing no runs on two hits in two innings.
"I'm proud of them," MSU head coach Rob McDonald said of his team. "Our backs were against the wall, and they came out and played like champions. This is a hitter's park, particularly with the wind blowing out. If you're going to win some ball games here, you'd better score some runs. It was good to see our guys drive some baseballs. We hadn't had much luck this year, but our hits fell in front of people, they fell behind people, they fell between people -- just a awful lot of the balls we hit today found an opening.
"Hitting is contagious. Baseball is a game where confidence is so important. A guy can be in a slump, and he gets a cheap hit, and all of a sudden, he feels better about himself, and he starts hitting better. This was just our day. We needed to win two today, and the way the ball fell for us, we had a good opportunity to win two"
Murray State will try to get the series sweep tomorrow at noon. That game can be heard locally on WRKY (1130 AM) or worldwide through the official Web site for MSU athletics, www.GoRacers.com.
