BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team surrendered four unanswered runs over the final five innings of the game and fell to Marshall, 4-2, on Tuesday afternoon at the Kennedy Center. The loss snaps the Colonels’ four-game winning streak and drops their record to 14-23 on the season.

EKU took an early lead when freshman Bryan Soloman and junior Michael Garcia connected on back-to-back RBI singles in the top of the third, scoring juniors Richie Rodriguez and Jacob Daniel and giving the Colonels a quick 2-0 advantage.

Marshall (15-20) got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, tied it on an RBI single by Kenny Socorro in the bottom of the sixth and then took the lead for good on a two-out, two-run single through the left side of the infield by Steven Ross in the bottom of the seventh that made it 4-2.

The Colonels got a runner aboard in the top of the ninth as senior Bryce Labhart executed a two-out, pinch-hit drag bunt for a single, but the next batter, Rodriguez, grounded into a fielder’s choice at second base to end the game.

Freshman right-hander Blake Bottoms made his first career start on the mound for EKU and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out two batters. The Thundering Herd got two runs off both senior lefty Paul Duncan and sophomore right-hander Anthony Bazzani before senior right-hander Chris Hord threw a perfect 1.1 innings to close out the game. The EKU pitching staff has recorded a 2.36 ERA over the Colonels’ last five games.

Joe Church (2-1) earned the win for Marshall as he held the Colonels scoreless in the decisive seventh inning.

Garcia led EKU at the plate, batting 2-for-3 on the day with an RBI. Ross, Socorro and Victor Gomez all compiled two hits on the day for Marshall.

EKU returns to action this weekend when the Colonels host UT Martin in a three-game conference series at Turkey Hughes Field.