RICHMOND, Ky. – Senior Chris O'Dell hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning as the Eastern Kentucky baseball team erupted for 13 runs in its final two at-bats to salvage the finale of a three-game series against Murray State, 16-13, Saturday at Turkey Hughes Field. Eastern improved to 17-14 overall and 7-4 in the OVC with the victory while the Thoroughbreds fell to 10-26 and 3-9.
O'Dell's eighth home run of the season was part of an eight-run eighth and gave Eastern a 14-13 lead. Junior Charlie Yarbrough had smashed a towering three-run shot to left, his 13th, two batters earlier to bring the Colonels within a run.
Murray looked as if would coast to the series sweep, striking for six runs in the fifth to take an 8-2 lead as they sent 11 men to the plate in the inning and knocked EKU starter Eric Hash from the game.
The 'Breds pushed the lead to 10-3 in the seventh on an RBI single from Brett Mullins and a perfectly executed safety squeeze by Justin Yount scoring Tyler Owen.
Eastern scored five in the seventh to close within two at 10-8. Junior Shawn Flora led off with a double and then came around to score on a RBI single from senior Brett Bolger. Then with runners on second and third and one out, junior Tyler Nix drove in Bolger with a single to left and O'Dell followed with another run-scoring single to left. Freshman Matt Davis provided the final runs of the inning with a two-out two-run single to right.
Murray looked as if they would hold off the Eastern rally, scoring two more runs in the eighth to push the lead to 13-8 before the bullpen faltered in the bottom of the inning.
Junior Michael Mulholland, who pitched 3.2 innings in relief of Hash to pick up the victory, gave way to freshman David Owens after walking Chaz Ebert to start the ninth. Owens squashed the rally, snagging a Lincoln Kent liner and doubling off Ebert at First and then retiring Tyler Pittman on a fly to right to pick up his first career save.
Eastern returns to action on Wednesday, April 19, traveling to take on Miami (OH) at 6 p.m.
