Murray State
Morehead State
Murray State Takes Game 3 At Morehead 13-6
4/22/2007 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
Murray State scored a combined 10 runs over the second, third and fourth innings and sophomore third baseman Tyler Owen went 5-for-5 as the Thoroughbreds won Game 3 of its series at Morehead State 13-6.
Senior second baseman Seth Hudson also extended his team season-high hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the first inning.
Morehead State (10-27, 4-11 OVC) plated a run in the first inning, but the 'Breds countered in the top of the second when Owen hit a one-out double followed by a single by junior designated hitter Andrew Cella. Senior right fielder Jamie Leidolf then stepped up and hit his first home run of the season -- his first since the 2005 season -- to give Murray State a 3-1 lead.
In the third inning, Murray State (14-23, 8-5 OVC) padded that lead when senior center fielder Tyler Pittman drew a two-out walk, followed by a single by Owen. Cella then powered his second home run in as many days to give the 'Breds a 6-1 lead.
In the fourth inning, Murray State struck again, as senior left fielder Austin Swain hit a one-out single, and senior first baseman James Akin hit a single. Both advanced on a wild pitch, and senior catcher Jason Payton was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pittman then hit a bases-clearing double and scored on a single by Cella to give the 'Breds a 10-1 lead.
The Eagles scored four runs in the fourth inning, but the 'Breds added some runs of their own in the fifth when sophomore shortstop Justin Yount hit a one-out single, then stole second. Hudson singled him in to give Murray State an 11-5 lead.
Morehead State countered with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Murray State answered in the top of the sixth when Payton led off with a double, went to third on a single by Owen and scored on a single by Leidolf to make it 12-6.
The 'Breds tacked on another run in the seventh inning when Hudson led off with a walk and went to second on a groundout. He then stole third base and scored on a single by Owen to close out the scoring at 13-6.
"Tyler Owen has been on fire lately, especially in conference play," said Murray State head coach Rob McDonald. "We've got enough guys in our lineup capable of swinging the bat, though. We aren't relying on just one guy every game, and that feels good. We've got enough guys finding ways to compete."
Owen went 5-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two runs batted in, while Leidolf went 3-for-5 with a home run, a run and four RBIs. Cella went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs, while Swain went 2-for-4 with a run and Hudson went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Pittman had a double, scoring two runs and driving in thre, while Payton also had a double and scored twice.
For Morehead State, Trent Hanna went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI, while four Eagles had two hits apiece. Nick Bobrowski hit his first home run of the season for Morehead State. Donald Cheney hit two doubles, while Christian Winstanley and Chris McCaslin had a double each.
On the mound, Brad Rowland (2-4, 1-1 OVC) got the win in relief, allowing one run on six hits, striking out five and walking three in 5-2/3 innings. Anthony Stacy started for Murray State, allowing five runs on eight hits, striking out two in 3-1/3 innings.
For Morehead State, Michael Bottoms (1-2, 1-1 OVC) took the loss, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits, striking out two and walking three in four innings. Tyler Lee came on in the fifth, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking three in five innings.
Murray State revisits the Southeastern Conference this week, going to No. 19 Mississippi on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. game.
