BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

MURRAY, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team fell at the hands of Murray State, 18-5, on Sunday afternoon in the final game of this weekend’s series at Reagan Field. With the loss, the Colonels even their record at 22-22 (8-10 OVC) on the year while the Thoroughbreds improve to 24-21 (11-5 OVC) and maintain their grip on first place in the conference.

Junior right-hander Stephen Hefler (3-4) picked up the loss, going 4.2 innings and allowing eight runs, only one of which was earned. Six of the runs poured across with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and a throwing error earlier in the frame meant Hefler should have already been out of the inning.

Right-hander Alex Love (6-0) preserved his perfect record for the spring, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing four runs on nine hits.

Murray State only outhit EKU 15-11 on the afternoon; however, the Colonels left nine men on base while the Thoroughbreds made much more efficient use of their baserunners.

Junior Bryce Labhart batted 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Colonels while freshman Matt Phipps went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a team-best two RBI.

Wes Cunningham continued his hot hitting against the Colonels as he drove in a game-high six runs. Colton Moore and Kyle Tiernan, meanwhile, both had three RBI apiece for the Thoroughbreds.

The game was pitcher’s duel between Hefler and Love through four and a half innings.

The Colonels pushed across a run in the top of the first as junior Ryan Faidley lifted a sacrifice fly to right that scored sophomore Richie Rodriguez.

Murray State tied it up in the bottom of the third when Tiernan laced a base hit through the left side that plated Cory Hodskins.

The game remained tied at 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth when the Thoroughbreds’ two-out hit parade started, putting Murray State up 9-1.

EKU cut the deficit to five with three runs in the sixth. Phipps scored the first two with a two-run triple to left that plated sophomores Michael Garcia and Jacob Daniel. Labhart then made it 9-4 with a base hit to second base that scored Phipps.

Murray State, however, scored nine in the bottom of the inning to effectively put the game out of reach.

The Colonels return to action with midweek games at Dayton on Tuesday and then against Xavier on Wednesday. They will decide their postseason fate against Jacksonville State this weekend in the final OVC weekend of the regular season.