BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

JACKSON, Tenn. – The No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky University baseball team fell to the No. 4 seed Tennessee Tech, 6-5, on Wednesday afternoon in the opening game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at Pringles Park.

EKU (21-35) trailed 6-3 heading into the ninth inning, before sophomore Austin Grisham delivered a two-out, two-run single up the middle that scored junior Michael Garcia and senior Bryce Labhart and pulled the Colonels to within one. Junior Jacob Daniel, however, then grounded into a game-ending fielder’s choice, leaving the game-tying run stranded at first base.

Senior right-hander Stephen Hefler (7-5), a recently-announced first-team All-OVC starting pitcher, did not deliver the type of quality outing he had delivered so frequently during the regular season, going just 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on five hits and four walks. Junior right-hander Matt Fyffe spelled Hefler with two outs in the second and pitched extremely well for 5.2 innings, surrendering just two runs on two hits while striking out eight batters.

Right-hander Tristan Archer (7-4) earned the win for TTU (25-27), pitching 7.1 solid innings, allowing three runs on nine hits while fanning six batters. Right-hander Cullen Park picked up the save, throwing the final 1.2 innings of the game and allowing two runs on two hits.

EKU outhit TTU, 11-8, and did not commit an error in the game; however, Hefler and Fyffe combined to allow eight walks, while Archer and Park issued just one.

Freshman Bryan Soloman, the OVC Freshman of the Year, led EKU at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Labahart continued his hot postseason hitting (he went 4-for-5 in the 2010 OVC Tournament) by batting 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Frankie Beech paced the TTU offense, batting 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

After Hefler escaped a base-loaded jam unscathed in the bottom of the first, junior #A.J Jamison# put EKU ahead in the top of the second with a two-run home run to left – only his second home run of the season – that scored Soloman and made it 2-0.

Hefler was unable to escape another jam in the bottom of the second, though, as Ben Burgess delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded that capped a four-run inning for the Golden Eagles and made the score 4-2.

With Fyffe dealing on the mound after the second inning, however, EKU was able to claw back in the game as Labhart scored on a throwing error by TTU shortstop Chad Hayes, pulling the Colonels to within one, 4-3. EKU nearly tied it in the bottom of the sixth as Soloman led off the inning with a double and nearly scored on a base hit by freshman Steve Ferraro, but TTU third baseman Devin Rivers made a diving stop and was able to throw Ferraro out at first to end the inning and save a run.

TTU finally got to Fyffe in the seventh as the Golden Eagles pushed across two runs to take a 6-3 lead. EKU did not rally until the top of the ninth as Garcia crushed a one-out stand-up double into left center, Labhart walked, both advanced on a groundout by junior Richie Rodriguez and both scored on Grisham’s clutch base hit.

EKU will play an elimination game on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. EST against the loser of Wednesday’s No. 3 Jacksonville State/No. 6 UT Martin matchup,