MOREHEAD, Ky. – Behind a two-hit, one-run performance by freshman pitcher Stacye Toups, Eastern Kentucky won the first game of an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader against Morehead State by a score of 2-1 on Tuesday. The Eagles (17-5, 3-3 OVC) used a late inning rally to win the second game 5-4. In an attempt to earn the sweep, the Colonels (16-9, 6-2 OVC) had the go ahead run at second base in the seventh inning of game two, but couldn’t get the runners home.
In game one, Morehead State got on the board first with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning by Brandy Bucher. That home run was the only hit Toups allowed in the first six innings of the game. The freshman would allow two hits total in six-plus innings of work. She walked four and struck out a career-best seven batters.
EKU answered in the top half of the fifth. Chanze Patterson reached on a bunt single and then advanced to second on a bad throw. The next two batters were hit by pitches to load the bases. After the next two batters were retired, Erin Luther and Katie Rolf each drove in a run with back-to-back singles through the right side to give the Colonels a 2-1 lead.
Eastern Kentucky carried that one-run edge into the bottom of the seventh inning. After the first two batters reached base, Kalyn Fox came on in relief of Toups. Fox walked the first batter she faced to load the bases with no outs. The junior induced the next batter into a 1-2-3 double play to keep the Colonels in front. Fox took care of a pop-up herself to end the game and record the save.
Eastern finished with 10 hits. Patterson went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Luther and Rolf each went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Toups moved to 6-3 on the season and Fox earned her first collegiate save.
Morehead State’s Alex Gjevre dropped to 7-3 on the season. She struck out six batters and walked one.
The Eagles scored first in game two as well. In the bottom of the first, Morehead went up 1-0 on an RBI ground out by Bucher. A bad throw allowed Kari Quinn to score after stealing third base for a 2-0 Eagle advantage.
The Colonels cut the deficit in half in the fifth on Pam Webber’s RBI single through the left side. Eastern took the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth. Rolf drove in Michelle Lerner and Amber Lenz with a single to right center.
With two outs and two on in the bottom of the sixth, Allie Honkofsky gave the lead back to Morehead State with a three-run shot over the right-center field fence.
Cassi Gibson singled to lead off the seventh inning and the tying run was aboard for EKU. With one out, a walk by Lenz put the go ahead run on base and moved the tying run to second. Gibson tried to score on a single by Foxley but was thrown out at the plate. The Colonels still had runners at second and third with two outs, but Shyenne Hussey struck out to end the game.
Luther and Rolf went 2-for-3 for Eastern Kentucky. Jenn Bledsoe (2-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in five and a third innings of relief work. Honkofsky finished 2-for-3 with 3 RBI for Morehead State. She was the only Eagle with more than one hit. Sarah Funston (4-1) only pitched two-thirds of an inning but she picked up the win.
The Colonels will return home to host Samford University beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday. Game one will start at 1 p.m. Sunday’s series finale will also get started at 1 p.m.
