Box Score  |  Game 2 Live Stats (Saturday)

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull away from Eastern Illinois and take a 7-1 victory in the Ohio Valley Conference baseball series opener on Friday at Earle Combs Stadium.

The Colonels held a slim 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.  Daniel McFarland scored on a throwing error to plate the first run of the big inning.  Alex Holderbach made it 5-1 with an RBI triple that just missed going over the wall in straight-away center field.  Nick Howie followed with a single up the middle to plate Holderbach.  Tyler Romanik capped it with a run scoring single to left to push the advantage to 7-1.
 
Eastern Kentucky starter Logan Teague (4-4) didn't need the extra runs.  The junior right-hander allowed just one run on five hits over nine innings.  He walked three and struck out five.  It is the first complete game by an EKU pitcher since 2013.
 
"I thought Logan Teague was the story tonight," EKU Head Coach Edwin Thompson said.  "That was absolutely a special performance, a complete game against a good team.  I thought our defense really did a good job behind him.  Holderbach caught a great game and coach Revelette had a great game plan going in." 
 
Holderbach finished 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Cornell Nixon was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.  Howie drove in two and scored once while finishing 1-for-3 at the plate.
 
The Colonels (19-20, 10-6 OVC) scored six runs on nine hits against Eastern Illinois starter Tyler Jones.  Jones came into the game with a 4-2 record and a 2.21 ERA.  He was chased after six and two-thirds innings on Friday.
 
Chris Botsoe's home run to start the second inning gave the home team a 3-0 lead.  It was his fourth of the season.  The Panthers (13-23, 4-12 OVC) got on the board in the top of the third inning when Joseph Duncan's double to left center scored Tyler Tesmond.
 
"We found a way late in the game to separate ourselves, but it was a 3-1 game for a long time, and we just had that one inning," said Thompson.  "We made the plays on the defensive end and we had the offensive when we needed to score.  We'll have a chance to win a series tomorrow but we have to continue to play good baseball."
 
Dougie Parks was the only EIU player to record multiple hits off Teague, finishing 2-for-4.
 
The two teams will continue their series on Saturday at 6 p.m.