GAME ONE: BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY
GAME TWO: BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

MURRAY, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team fell in both games of a doubleheader to OVC foe Murray State on Saturday afternoon at Reagan Field. The Colonels mustered just three hits in an 8-1 game one loss and then mounted a fourth-inning comeback in game two before losing, 9-6.

With the losses, EKU drops to 22-21 (8-9 OVC) on the year while Murray State improves to 23-21 (10-5 OVC). The Thoroughbreds moved into first place in the conference with the game two win.

Junior lefty Paul Duncan (4-3) picked up the loss in game one, going 5.1 innings and allowing six earned runs on 14 hits. Junior right-hander Macon Smith pitched the final 2.2 innings of the game and held the Thoroughbreds to no runs on one hit; however, it was too little too late as the Colonel offense, already in a seven-run hole, could not get anything going.

Sophomores Richie Rodriguez and Jacob Daniel were the only Colonels to record hits in the game. Rodriguez collected two hits and scored EKU’s only run.

Chris Craycraft (6-3) was the man responsible for the mastery over the Colonels. The right-hander went all nine innings and surrendered just one run on three hits while striking out eight batters.

Colton Moore led the Thoroughbreds with three hits while Wes Cunningham and Jason Laws both drove in team-best two runs.

Murray State scored five runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back. Rodriguez tripled to lead off the fourth and then scored on a wild pitch, but that was all the Colonels could put together in the first game.

Sophomore southpaw Greg Terry (3-3) received the loss in game two, working 3.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on 12 hits.

Senior Anthony Ottrando and junior Ryan Faidley both drove in a pair of runs for the Colonels while Rodriguez scored a team-high two runs.

Matt McGaha (4-1) earned the win, pitching the final four innings of the game for Murray State and allowing four runs (none of them earned) on four hits.

Cunningham batted 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored to lead the Thoroughbreds.

After Murray State plated three runs in the first and four in the second to take an early 7-0 lead, EKU got one run back in the third and then exploded four five in the fourth to make it a one-run game. Sophomore #A.J. Jamison# walked to start the fourth-inning rally, went to second on a balk, to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior Bryce Labhart and then scored on a base hit by sophomore Dustin Dunlop. After a sacrifice fly by junior Jayson Langfels scored Dunlop, Ottrando ripped a triple down the right field line that plated Rodriguez and Langfels. Faidley then capped the rally with an RBI single that scored Ottrando and made it 7-6.

The Colonels, however, would not score again as Murray State would push one run across in the fourth and another in the sixth to hold on and win, 9-6.

EKU will attempt to avoid the sweep tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. EST. Junior right-hander Stephen Hefler will start on the hill for the Colonels.