'Breds Win Wild Affair With Eagles

Sunday, April 27

Murray, Ky.

1:00 p.m.

Murray State

Morehead State

4/27/2008 5:00:00 AM | Baseball

In a game that saw the lead change hands twice in the eighth inning, and three Eagles' players ejected, it was Murray State that came out victorious as they scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 7-5 victory over Morehead State Sunday afternoon at Reagan Field. The victory gave the 'Breds their second-straight Ohio Valley Conference series victory.

Trailing by one going into the bottom of the eighth inning, Matt Scheer started a rally by being hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt and foul out left Scheer on second with two outs, Wes Cunningham drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch that the MOR dugout should have been called strike three. Tyler Owen followed by tieing the game with a base hit through the left side before Matt Hon's grounder to second was bobbled, allowing the winning run to score. Taylor Thieke followed up a pair of coaching ejections by ripping a pitch into the gap in right center for a two-run double.

MOR did not go quietly into the night in the ninth as they loaded the bases on a pair of singles and an error. Drew Lee drove in a run with a single up the middle. That would be as close as the game would get as 'Breds left hander Anthony Stacy called a called third strike on a full-count to end the game.

The 'Breds (16-22, 7-10 OVC) got on the scoreboard in the second as Hon singled up the middle and was followed by a Thieke base on balls. After Elliot Frey sacrificed both runners into scoring position, Daniel Miller delivered an RBI base hit into the hole at short.

The Eagles (16-25, 6-12 OVC) were able to tie the game in the top of the fifth as JD Ashbrook singled to center for the first base hit of the game. After stealing second and going to third on a wild pitch, Michael Fear plated the runner with a groundout to short.

MSU got the lead back in the home-half of the inning as Zach Noonan was hit by a pitch and was sacrificed to second by Cunningham. After a flyout moved the runner to third, Hon laced a single that couldn't be handled by the second baseman for an RBI. Thieke followed with an infield single and Frey drove in the second run of the inning with a base hit back through the middle.

MOR got a run back in the sixth as Eric Allen reached on a one-out base on balls and came around to score on a Marc Midden single through the right side.

The Eagles gained their first lead of the game in the eighth as they got RBI singles from Michael Bottoms and Andrew Wertz with two outs for the one-run advantage.

Brad Rowland (1-2) picked up the victory after giving up one run on two hits in one-third of an inning. Stacy (2) picked up the save by giving up one hit and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning. Quentin Morgan (1-3) took the loss after allowing four runs, one earned, on two hits over 1.1 innings.

Owen paced the 'Breds 12-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Hon, Thieke and Frey each added two hits.

The 'Breds return to the diamond on April 29 as they travel to take on Evansville at 6 p.m.