Cookeville, Tenn. – The Eastern Kentucky baseball team scored a 5-4 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday to take its opening Ohio Valley Conference series. The Colonels (7-9, 2-1 OVC) have won six of their last seven games and edged the Golden Eagles (6-16, 1-2 OVC) despite being outhit 10 to six on the afternoon.

Freshman Blake Anderson (2-0) picked up his second win of the season by throwing 4.0 solid innings in relief of starter Andy Polzin. Anderson surrendered just one run over his 4.0 innings and fanned four hitters, as the Colonels overcame an early 3-1 deficit. Seniors Eric Anthrop and Richard Boothe combined to pitch the final 2.2 innings for Eastern, with Boothe picking up his first save of the season by throwing a perfect ninth.

EKU went on top 1-0 in the first as senior Derrick Bussell opened the game with a single and went on to score from third off a groundout by senior Adam Visnic. TTU evened the score in the bottom of the frame compliments of an RBI double by Nathan Marty, the first of five doubles by the Golden Eagles on the day. Tennessee Tech pushed across two runs in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Britt Clubb opened the inning with a double then put his team on top 2-1 by scoring off a groundout by Robby Adams. Hunter Mize followed with a base knock moments later to score Adams and put Tech up by two runs.

Senior Bryan Stevenson, who led the Colonels with a 2-for-5 effort and two RBI, made it a 3-2 contest in the third with a two-out solo home run (his first of the year). Eastern took advantage of TTU miscues in the top of the fourth, as junior Sean Ryan reached base after being hit by a pitch, then scored the tying run after the Golden Eagles committed two errors.

Ryan drew a leadoff walk to start off the sixth and moved up to second off an EKU groundout. With Ryan in scoring position, thanks in part to a single by Bussell, sophomore Tony Wells came to the plate and delivered an RBI base knock to give the Colonels a 4-3 lead. Stevenson followed shortly thereafter with a run-scoring single of his own to put Eastern up two, 5-3.

Tennessee Tech pulled within one run, 5-4, in the bottom of the seventh as Clint Alexander managed to score from third off a wild pitch from Anthrop (who came on in relief of Anderson with two on and one out). Anthrop escaped the seventh then combined with Boothe to hold the Golden Eagles hitless over the final two innings.

The Colonels return home to Turkey Hughes Field next week, where they will take on Wright State (March 29) and Marshall (March 30) in a pair of non-conference mid-week games before hosting UT Martin (April 2-3).