Racers Sweep Eastern Illinois

Sunday, March 29

Charleston, Ill.

Noon

Murray State

10-17, 6-5

Eastern Illinois

0-19, 0-8

Murray State

Eastern Illinois

3/29/2015 5:45:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The Murray State baseball team won both games of a doubleheader Sunday to earn its first series sweep of the season as the Racers won all three games against Eastern Illinois over the weekend. MSU won game one of the day 8-4 and took the second 8-2 to push its record to 11-17 overall and 7-5 in OVC play.

In game one, the Racers scored the first three runs of the game, scoring two in the second inning and adding a third run in the third. A Nick Moore sacrifice fly opened the scoring on the day as he brought home Anthony Bayus. Derek Yoder came around to score on a throwing error on the play. Yoder scored five total runs in the two games of the day.

A Tyler Lawrence RBI double to right scored Matt McGowan to push the MSU lead to 3-0. EIU fought back however, scoring two unearned runs in the bottom of the third and tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth. After Lawrence's second RBI of the game, the Panthers (0-20, 0-9 OVC) tied the game again with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

The Racers were able to retake the lead for good in the sixth when Yoder scored from third base on a wild pitch to make it 5-4, before a three-run eighth inning for the Racers busted the game open. A Taylor Mathews RBI bunt made it 6-4 and Yoder scored on another error to make it 7-4 in favor of the Racers. Nick Moore doubled down the right field line later in the inning to score Mathews to round-out the scoring for MSU.

Brad Boegel picked up his first career win in the contest. Boegel pitched a complete game for the Racers and allowed just two earned runs off of eight hits while striking-out four batters.

In the second game of the day, the Racers found themselves trailing for the first time in the series as EIU scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to an early lead. MSU wouldn't trail for long as it got three runs in the top of the second thanks to another run off of a Panther error and a Nick Moore two RBI single to make it 3-2.

Murray State got one run in the fourth on a Bayus RBI single and added two more in the fourth on a passed ball and a fielder's choice to make the score 6-2. Back-to-back doubles in the seventh by Mathews and Moore pushed the lead to 8-2.

Brandon Hicks picked up his first win of the season in relief for the Racers. Hicks pitched five scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while striking-out three. Sheldon Baxter got the start on the mound and pitched two innings and allowed two earned to go along with two strikeouts.

For the doubleheader, Moore and Bayus each led the Racers by going 3-for-7. Bayus scored three runs and added an RBI while Moore collected a team-high five RBIs on the day. Mathews also added three runs scored in the two wins and he and Lawrence each added a pair of RBIs.

MSU returns to action Tuesday when Southern Illinois comes to Reagan Field for a 4 p.m. non-conference contest.