After two close games to open the series, Sunday's rubber match between OVC rivals Morehead State and Murray State proved to be a one-sided contest as the Eagles used early offense and great pitching to take the finale, 10-2.
Morehead State moved to 9-14 on the season with the win and holds a 2-1 record through the first weekend of OVC play.
Grant Herron (1-1) manned the mound to open the game for the Eagles and pitched brilliantly in three innings of work, striking out the side in the first on his way to seven K's in total. Pitching was a strong spot on the day for Morehead State, as Herron (seven), John Sherman (six), Matt Bettio (four), and Sam Replogle (one) combined to strikeout 18 in the win. Murray State only managed two runs on nine hits.
Morehead State jumped on top early with a run in the first, as Nick Gooden hit a grounder that got past Murray's third baseman Bryson Bloomer, scoring Jackson Feltner from second. After Herron worked his second scoreless frame, the bats heated up and the Eagles pushed five runs across in the bottom of the second inning.
Ashton Roy laid down a textbook bunt to third, and a throwing error allowed Colton Becker to score after advancing to third. Bryson Stripling reached on an error, and then Ryley Preece smashed his team-leading sixth homer out of the yard to make it 5-0 Eagles. Feltner then reached on the third Racer error of the inning, and a Chase Vinson single scored him from second.
A home run from Murray State's Parker Estes plated its first run of the game in the sixth, but Morehead State got that run back and more in the bottom half of the inning, as Roman Kuntz hit a towering three-run homer to right-center, followed by Alex Jacobs' solo shot to make the score 10-1 heading into the final third of the game.
Murray State pushed a run across in the eighth on a bases-loaded walk, but Bettio worked out of a jam and kept the score there. Replogle thwarted any hopes the Racers had at a comeback to give Morehead State the victory.
Preece and Alex Jacobs had two hits apiece as Jacobs upped his team-best reached-base string to 21 games and his hitting streak to 13 straight.
The next contest comes Tuesday at Northern Kentucky at 3 p.m. ET.
By Hunter Hurst, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations