Racers Come Up Short in Opener Against EKU

Friday, May 8

Reagan Field

6 p.m.

Murray State

14-36, 9-16

Eastern Kentucky

18-27, 9-15

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Eastern Kentucky	1	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	6	10	1
Murray State	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	4	9	0

5/8/2015 9:23:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Eastern Kentucky scored four of its first six runs in the first two innings, all via home run on its way to a 6-4 victory over the Murray State baseball team Friday night at Reagan Field.

A solo home run by the nation's leader in that category, Kyle Nowlin, in the top of the first put EKU (18-27, 9-15 OVC) ahead early. It was Nowlin's 18^th homer of the season. In the second inning, the Colonels got a two-run long ball and another solo shot to take a 4-0 lead.

The Racers (14-36, 9-16 OVC) got on the board for the first time in the bottom half of the second on a Taylor Mathews RBI, scoring Nick Moore from third. After runs in the fourth and fifth by the Colonels, MSU started to cut away at the deficit with a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning.

An Anthony Bayus single through the right side scored Derek Yoder to make it 6-2. In the seventh, a Mathews triple to right center scored Dalton West, who reached earlier in the inning on an error and a Matthew Johnson RBI groundout that scored Mathews in the next at-bat, made it 6-4.

The EKU defense was a big factor in the contest, as the Colonels turned three double plays to end Racer rallies. The Colonels also got a big play in center field in the eighth inning when Nowlin robbed Kipp Moore at the wall in right center field, which would have scored two MSU runs and tied the game. Tyler Lawrence, West and Yoder all collected three hits each in the loss.

Brad Boegel took the loss for the Racers in the start. Boegel pitched five innings, allowing six earned off of six hits while recording five strikeouts. The MSU bullpen pitched great on the evening, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing just four hits in relief and striking-out seven batters. Sheldon Baxter pitched the sixth, John Rafferty pitched the seventh and into the eighth, while Andrew Bramley finished the eighth and pitched the ninth.

The Racers and Colonels continue their three-game series Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Johnny Reagan Field.