BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Senior ace Stephen Hefler pitched 6.1 innings before allowing a run and freshman Bryan Soloman batted 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team built a six-run lead before defeating Tennessee Tech, 7-3, on Sunday afternoon in the finale of this weekend’s series at Bush Stadium.

In salvaging game three, EKU ends a five-game conference losing skid, improves to 15-29 (7-11 OVC) and retains hope for a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at the end of May. The loss drops TTU to 19-22 (8-7 OVC) on the year.

Hefler (5-4) earned the win as he blanked the Golden Eagles through the first 6.1 innings of play before allowing a three-run home run to Devin Rivers with one out in the bottom of the seventh. He finished the seventh, surrendering just seven hits on the day, walking one batter and striking out five batters. The right-hander has now allowed only five runs over his last 22 innings of work.

Nick Price (3-4) picked up the loss for TTU, going just 1.2 innings and allowing three runs on four hits.

Soloman led EKU at the plate, batting 3-for-5 with a run scored, two RBI and his team-leading 13th double of the season to raise his batting average to .320 on the year, while junior Dustin Dunlop took over for sophomore Matt Phipps at second base on Sunday and went 1-for-4 with a team-best three RBI. Rivers, meanwhile, paced the TTU offense, going 2-for-4 and driving in all of the Golden Eagles’ runs with the home run in the seventh.

Unlike yesterday, it was EKU that jumped out to an early lead in game three as Soloman crushed a two-run double in the top of the first, scoring juniors #A.J. Jamison and Jacob Daniel#. Sophomore Austin Grisham then plated Soloman with a base hit up the middle that made it 3-0.

The Colonels expanded on that lead with a two-out, three-run rally in the top of the fifth. With junior Michael Garcia on first and two down in the inning, sophomore Alex Hughes laced a single down the right field line that advanced Garcia second. Dunlop then came through with a two-run double into the gap in right center that plated Hughes all the way from first and made it 5-0. The next batter, freshman Steve Ferraro, added an RBI single to score Dunlop from second and make the score 6-0 before TTU was able to get out of the inning.

The lead was cut in half by Rivers’ home run in the home half of the seventh, but Hefler was able to get out of the inning before handing the reigns over to junior right-hander Matt Harris, who held the Golden Eagles scoreless over the final two innings of the game to secure the win for EKU. Harris has surrendered only one earned run in 18.2 innings of work against OVC competition this season.

The Colonels return to action this week when they host in-state rival Western Kentucky in a midweek showdown at Turkey Hughes Field on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.