Box Score | Play-By-Play

RICHMOND, Ky. – Junior Shaun Ball laced an RBI single through the drawn-in infield in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team to a thrilling 6-5 win over Tennessee Tech Friday afternoon. The Colonels (27-20, 15-7 OVC) never led until Ball’s winning hit.

Eastern Kentucky faced deficits of 3-0 and 5-3 before battling back to force extra innings. Sophomore Bryan Soloman got the Colonels on the board in the fourth with a towering fly ball that just cleared the fence in left field for a two-run home run.

EKU knotted the score at 3-all in the sixth. Junior Austin Grisham and senior Jacob Daniel executed a double steal to advance to third and second, respectively. A Tennessee Tech fielding error on the play allowed Grisham to hustle home for the tying run.

Tennessee Tech (19-29, 9-13) chased Colonel starting pitcher Matt Harris in the seventh with back-to-back singles. TTU’s Michael Morris came through with a two-run single against reliever Brent Cobb to push the Golden Eagles back in front, 5-3.

The Colonels quickly responded with the tying runs in the bottom of the frame. Three straight singles, capped by sophomore Sean Hagen’s grounder through the right side, scored EKU’s fourth run. Senior Richie Rodriguez followed with a sacrifice fly to level the score at 5-all.

After three straight innings without a run, Eastern Kentucky finished the game in the bottom of the 11th. Senior Michael Garcia started the frame with an infield single to third base. Fellow senior Dustin Dunlop moved Garcia to third with a double over the third base bag. Ball then swung at the first pitch he saw and drove it through the infield for his seventh RBI of the season.

This marked EKU's fifth walk-off win of the season.

Both bullpens were very effective in Friday’s contest. Three Eastern Kentucky relievers went five innings and allowed just one hit. Junior Anthony Bazzani (1-1) earned the win by pitching the final three frames without giving up a hit.

Tennessee Tech’s Garrett Baugh (2-3) took the tough loss. He went four-plus innings, allowing five hits and the winning run.

These two teams will be back in action tomorrow, May 12 with first pitch set for 2 p.m. Eastern Kentucky will be celebrating Senior Day prior to the start of the game.