HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Freshman Breck Norment hit his first career home run as part of a four-run sixth inning but it wasn't enough as the Eastern Kentucky baseball team fell to Marshall 8-4 on Tuesday afternoon at University Heights field. Eastern drops to 16-20-1 with the loss while the Thundering Herd improves to 17-21.

Marshall took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Jeff Rowley two-run home run off EKU starter Jim Clancy.

The Thundering Herd put the game away in the third, putting five runs on the board. The Herd loaded the bases with one out and Brandon Casamassima then drove a two-run single through the right side of the infield to give Marshall a 4-0 lead. Tommy Johnson followed one out later with another two-run single and Blake Sanders knocked in the final run of the inning with an RBI single.

Eastern finally got on the board in the sixth, trimming an 8-0 deficit in half.. Senior Tony Wells doubled with two outs and nobody on and sophomore Matt Davis followed with an RBI single. Norment then came up as a pinch hitter and slammed a two-run shot to left to cut the Marshall lead to 8-3. Junior Clint Seymour drove in the fourth run of the inning with an RBI single.

Tyler Gatrell (1-0) picked up the victory despite allowing four runs in 3.0 innings of relief work. Clancy (2-1) took the loss, the first of his career. Freshman Chris Hord pitched well in relief for Eastern, allowing just one run in 5.0 innings of work.