RICHMOND, Ky. – Senior Shawn Flora went 2-for-3 with two RBI, leading the Eastern Kentucky baseball team to a 9-0 victory and a sweep of a doubleheader from Kentucky State on Wednesday afternoon at Turkey Hughes Field. Sophomore Matt Davis tallied two hits and three RBI to lead Eastern to a 12-6 win in the first game. EKU improves to 5-1 with the victories while the Thorobreds fall to 0-2.
Eastern took a quick 1-0 lead in game two with a run in the first as Flora walked with one out and eventually came around to score on a Davis sacrifice fly. Flora was in the middle of the action again in the second, knocking in one of two Colonels runs with one-out RBI single.
EKU put the game out of reach with four in the fourth as sophomore Aaron Barrows led off the inning with an infield single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from junior Tyler Barnett and then came around to score on another Flora RBI single. Flora would eventually come around to score on a Tony Wells RBI groundout.
Junior Joe Oliver followed with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch before Davis knocked him in to give Eastern a 6-0 lead. Sophomore Dylan McMaine accounted for the final run of the inning, hitting a booming triple to the left-center field gap.
Junior McKenzie Willoughby picked up his first victory of the season with a perfect inning of work, striking out two. Junior Alex Napier also pitched well allowing just two hits in 5.0 scoreless innings.
It looked as if game one would also be an Eastern rout, as the Colonels put up four runs in the bottom of the first. Barnett walked to lead off, stole second and then came home one out later on a Wells RBI single. Oliver then followed with a single to bring up Davis who brought them both home with a single to left. Sophomore Frank Krailler capped the inning with an RBI single to right.
The Thorobreds answered back with three in the third, the big hit coming off the bat of Daniel Clark who cut the Colonel lead to a 4-3 with a one-out two-run single. KSU would tie it a four with a run in the fourth on another RBI single from Clark, driving in Leon McKissick.
Eastern responded in bottom of the fourth though, putting up four runs. The Colonels loaded the bases with none out and then took a lead it would not relinquish as Barrows singled home Davis and then moved to second on a KSU throwing error which also allowed Krailler to score. Freshman Zach Monroe then came home on a wild pitch to make it 7-4 and Barnett drove in the final run of the inning with an RBI groundout.
Kentucky State would not go away as the Thorobreds came away with two runs in the fifth on a two-run double from Sean Montgomery. But Eastern would not let KSU get any closer, picking up a run in the fifth on a Barrows RBI double and three more in the sixth.
Freshman Chris Hord picked up his first career victory with 2.1 innings of work. Sophomore Eric Hash notched the save with two scoreless innings.
Eastern returns to action on Friday, March 2 against Akron at Turkey Hughes Field. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
