RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky baseball team pounded out 17 hits and sophomore right hander Chris Grider scattered seven hits over 7.0 innings of work, leading the Colonels to a 13-6 victory over Morehead State and their first three-game sweep of the Eagles since 1992 on Sunday afternoon at Turkey Hughes Field. EKU improves to 12-8-1 overall and 3-0 in the OVC with the victory, while Morehead State falls to 4-18 and 0-3.

Juniors Tyler Barnett, Joe Oliver and Clint Seymour led the EKU offensive attack as each registered three hits. Barnett also knocked in three runs with Oliver and Seymour driving home two apiece. Grider (3-1) picked up his team-best third victory of the season, allowing five runs over his season-high 7.0 innings of work.

Morehead State took the early lead against Grider with three runs in the second. The Eagles loaded the bases with none out and then took a 2-0 lead on consecutive RBI groundouts from Marc Midden and Dustin Miles. Trent Hanna drove home the third run with an RBI single but Grider retired Drew Lee on groundout to first to escape further trouble.

The Colonels answered right back in the bottom of the second, as sophomore Matt Davis reached on a hit by pitch to lead off the inning, moved to third on a Seymour single and then came around to score one out later on an RBI double from sophomore Frank Krailler. Morehead State starter Tyler Bess retired sophomore Aaron Barrows for the second out, but then walked senior Shawn Flora to bring up Barnett who sliced one through the left side of the infield to tie the score at three.

Eastern took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth. Krailler walked to lead off the inning and Barrows then bunted it back to Bess who threw into center field trying to get Krailler at second. The errant throw moved Krailler to third and Barrows to second and Flora followed with a sacrifice fly to center which scored Krailler and gave EKU a 4-3 lead. Barnett then doubled to bring home Barrows and Oliver drove in the final run of the inning with another RBI single.

Seymour and Flora each knocked in a run in the fifth to make it 8-3 before the Colonels put the game away in the sixth highlighted by a solo home run from Oliver, his first of the season. Grider cruised along after the second, allowing just one hit over the next four frames before giving up two runs in his final inning work.

The Colonels hit the road for the first time this season on Wednesday, March 28, traveling to take on Miami (Ohio). First pitch is set for 6 p.m.