Despite only registering four hits, the Morehead State baseball team notched their second straight win and a season sweep of Marshall with a 4-2 win over the 'Herd Tuesday thanks to six Eagles' pitchers holding their I-64 rival to only six hits. With the win Morehead State moved to 24-26 on the season, and wrapped up 2022 non-conference play with a 12-16 record.
Matt Bettio (W, 3-1), Trevor Callahan, Will Grimmett, Zach Miller, Sam Replogle, and Joe Rotkis (Save) combined to strikeout eight 'Herd hitters in the win while holding them to six hits. Callahan led the way in K's, striking out four after coming on for Bettio, who struck out three himself. Grimmett and Miller combined to pitch a scoreless seventh, Replogle followed with a scoreless eighth, and Joe Rotkis slammed the door on Marshall in the ninth, needing only seven pitches to record the final three outs.
The Eagles jumped on top in the first inning, as Ryley Preece led off with a single and scored after Alex Jacobs beat out a potential inning-ending double play to put MSU up 1-0. Marshall evened the score at one in the bottom half on a solo home run by Luke Edwards, but Bettio struck out Ryan Leitch to end the inning. Jacobs finished 0-3 at the plate, but drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to 48 games, now sitting just two games shy of the school record with three games left in the regular season.
Isaias Guzman starred for the Eagles in the win, smashing his seventh homer of the year, a two-run blast in the fourth that gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead. Guzman also robbed the 'Herd of multiple hits with his defense, with a lunging grab for the first out of the bottom of the first inning, and a diving play in the sixth to end the inning.
Marshall got a run back thanks to a throwing error in the fifth, but a great throw from Jackson Feltner in foul ground to Brody Shoupe gunned down the tying run at the plate to keep the score 3-2 in favor of Morehead State.
Nick Gooden's base running scored another run for the Eagles in the sixth inning. After being hit by a pitch, Gooden advanced to second on a groundout from Chase Vinson and then to third on a sacrifice bunt by Colton Becker before dashing home on a wild pitch to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead.
In the eighth inning, Sam Replogle came on for Zach Miller and got Christian Lucio to popout into shallow left field. Colton Becker showed off his range on the play, sprinting into shallow left field from the opposite side of second base to make the grab and end the inning, stranding two runners.
Joe Rotkis gave up a hit in the ninth, but got Travis Sankovich to groundout to end the game and give the Eagles the win.
A quick turnaround awaits the Eagles, as only one day off comes before their final series of the season. MSU heads to Clarksville, Tenn. this weekend for three games at Austin Peay with a chance to secure a top four seed in the OVC heading into the conference tournament next week.