Murray, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky baseball team returned to Ohio Valley Conference action on Saturday, but found the going rough as Murray State (17-14, 6-2 OVC) swept the doubleheader with a pair of victories.
The Colonels (9-14, 3-4 OVC) led 4-2 after six innings in the opener but watched the bullpen surrender 15 runs over the next two innings en route to a 17-6 defeat.
Game two saw EKU take a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, courtesy of a two-run double by freshman Lucas Waters. The Thoroughbreds' Billy Fares (4-3) held Eastern scoreless for the remaining five innings to help his team take a 3-2 victory.
Sophomore Tony Wells registered a hit in both contests to push his hit streak to 16 games. Junior Brett Bolger, the OVC's leading hitter, also hit safely in both games to bring his streak to 14 games.
Freshman Shane Zegarac (1-3) took the loss in game two, despite striking out a career-high 10 batters in his first collegiate complete game.
The two teams will meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday for the final game of the series.
Murray State 17, EKU 6The 'Breds built a 2-0 lead off starter McKenzie Willoughby after four innings, but soon found themselves in a 3-2 hold heading into the seventh.
A leadoff walk by junior Chris O'Dell and a single by Wells set the table for the Colonels in the fifth. Senior Adam Visnic moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, then freshman Joe Oliver came through with a two-run single to center to tie the game at 2-all.
EKU went ahead 4-2 in the sixth by capitalizing on three Murray State errors. Brett Bolger scored the team's first run of the inning, after singling to right and swiping second base, before Wells made it a 4-2 contest with a RBI double.
Willoughby left the game after the fifth inning having allowed four hits and two runs (one unearned), with five strikeouts.
After holding the 'Breds scoreless in the sixth, senior Eric Anthrop (0-1) ran into trouble in the seventh. Murray State racked up four hits off Anthrop, then registered four more off senior Andy Polzin en route to a nine-run inning.
Sophomore Casey took the mound in the bottom of the eighth, but didn't find anymore success than Eastern's previous two hurlers, as Murray State touched Howard for five hits and six runs in the frame. Dustin Hennigar provided the biggest blow in the form of a two-run homer to right.
A RBI double by senior Derrick Bussell helped the Colonels to a two-run ninth, but EKU was unable to overcome Murray State's scoring outburst. The Thoroughbreds racked up 18 hits in the win, led by three a piece from Chaz Ebert and Hennigar. Ebert added four RBI to help Craig Kraus (5-1) pick up the win.
Brett Bolger led the EKU offense with three hits, while Wells and Waters chipped in two a piece. Oliver led the team with two runs batted in.
Murray State 3, EKU 2Fares retired the final seven batters he faced in order in the second game, to help the 'Breds overcome Zegarac's 10-strikeout performance.
Eastern stranded two runners in the top of the fifth but did not have a single base runner over the final two frames. Zegarac went the distance for EKU, striking out 10 hitters in just 6.0 innings of work. His 10 strikeouts are the most by a Colonel pitcher this season.
Waters' two-run double broke a scoreless game in the top of the second and gave Eastern an early 2-0 lead. O'Dell opened the inning by reaching on a throwing error, then Wells followed with a single up the middle to put two runners on. Fares retired the next two Colonels, but Waters came through with the two-out double to put Eastern ahead.
Murray answered with a two-run double of its own in the bottom of the third, courtesy of Alex Stewart, to even the contest at 2-all.
Zegarac blanked the 'Breds in the fourth, but a leadoff double by Chaz Ebert set the stage for Murray's go-ahead run. Ebert moved up to third off a sac bunt, then scored moments later off a double by Clint Griggs.
Fares made the lead hold up and struck out seven to pick up his fourth win of the year. Bussell accounted for two of Eastern's six hits in the game, while stealing his 14th base of the season, and was the only Colonel to post multiple hits.
