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Box Score vs. No. 23 North Carolina
Box Score vs. Long Beach State

LAKEWOOD, Calif. – Eastern Kentucky saw its opponents pull away late in each game on the first day of the Long Beach State Invitational.  EKU lost to No. 23 North Carolina 8-3 and fell to host Long Beach State 10-7.

Eastern trailed nationally ranked North Carolina 1-0 heading into the fourth inning.  Shannon McQueen tied the score with a two-out single through the right side.  Moments later, with the bases loaded Larkyn Wood drew a walk to give EKU a 2-1 lead.  The Colonels stretched their lead to 3-1 with Wood’s sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth.

However, UNC (15-5) rallied in the bottom of the sixth.  After North Carolina tied the score, Jenna Kelly hit a three-run home run.  Three batters later, Kelli Wheeler hit a two-run home run to cap the seven-run inning.

Wood finished 0-for-1 at the plate, but drove in two of EKU’s three runs.  Diane Gallagher and Katie Tackett each finished with two hits.

Against Long Beach State (8-15), Eastern tied the game 3-3 in the top of the third with an RBI single by Raquel Howes and another by Tackett.  McQueen’s two-run double in the top of the fifth tied the score again, 5-5.  However, LBSU scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull away. 

McQueen went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  Howes and Tackett each finished with two hits and two driven in.

The Colonels (6-7) will play two games at the Long Beach Invitational on Friday.  Eastern will take on UNLV at 2:30 p.m. ET before facing No. 17 UCLA at 7:30 p.m. ET.