Box Score I Play-by-Play

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Sophomore Bryan Soloman’s two-out, two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning made the difference as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team came from behind to defeat host Southeast Missouri, 9-6, on Friday afternoon in game two of this weekend’s Ohio Valley Conference series at Capaha Field.

EKU has now won seven straight games and, with the series win over SEMO, the Colonels improve to 14-15 (6-2 OVC) on the season. SEMO, meanwhile, drops to 8-24 (1-7 OVC) with the loss.

The Colonel bullpen was lights out over the final 5.1 innings of the game. After junior left-hander Shane Grimm surrendered five runs in the bottom of the fourth and was chased, sophomore right-hander Brent Cobb (2-0) came on and completely shut down the Redhawks over the next 3.1 innings, allowing no runs on no hits while striking out six batters to earn his second win of the season. Sophomore right-hander Blake Bottoms then struck out two batters in the bottom of the eighth before senior right-hander Matt Fyffe came on to pick up the four-out save, his second in as many days.

The EKU pitching staff struck out a season-high 14 batters in the win.

Left-hander Ryan Kendall (0-3) got the loss for SEMO, going 6.2 innings and allowing seven runs on 10 hits while striking out two batters.

EKU pounced on Kendall early, as senior Richie Rodriguez led off the game with a double and scored on a base hit by junior Austin Grisham. Senior Jacob Daniel then ripped a two-run home run to left-center as the Colonels grabbed a quick 3-0 lead.

After SEMO pushed across a run off an RBI single by Kenton Parmley in the bottom of the third, senior #A.J. Jamison# responded with an RBI base hit of his own in the top of the fourth to push the Colonels’ lead back to three runs, 4-1. EKU had a chance to add to its lead in that inning, but Kendall induced a double play out of Rodriguez with the bases loaded and one out to escape the jam.

SEMO capitalized on that big play, as the Redhawks plated five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, 6-4. Derek Gibson delivered a two-out, two-run single to give SEMO that lead, before Cobb came on and struck out Michael Patman to end the frame.

With Cobb stifling SEMO from the mound, EKU began its comeback in the top of the fifth as Soloman scored Daniel with a base hit through the right side, cutting the lead to 6-5.

Then, in the top of the seventh, Soloman delivered again, this time connecting on a two-out, two-run home run off the scoreboard in left field that gave the Colonels a lead, 7-6, that they would not relinquish.

Rodriguez added to that lead in the top of the eighth. After SEMO reliever Dylan Lynn walked sophomore Sean Hagen, EKU’s nine-hole hitter, with two outs, Rodriguez made him pay by ripping the first pitch he saw over the wall in left field to make the score 9-6.

After going hitless one day earlier, Rodriguez finished the day 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored to pace the EKU offense. Soloman, meanwhile, led the Colonels with three RBI in the game.

Jason Blum led SEMO at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

EKU will go for the series sweep over SEMO tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.