Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Alex Holderbach hit his sixth home run in the last four games and Nick Howie drove in three runs as Eastern Kentucky beat Jacksonville State, 9-6, on Sunday to win the Ohio Valley Conference series.
 
The two teams split the first two games of the series with Eastern winning the opener 11-7 on Friday and JSU taking the second game, 6-1, on Saturday. 
 
EKU has won eight of its past nine games, and has won five of its seven OVC series this season.  The Colonels are 24-21 overall and 14-7 in the OVC, the team's most conference wins since finishing the 2013 season 16-13.  With the win, Eastern stays in a tie for second place in the OVC standings.
 
Holderbach staked the Colonels to a 1-0 lead in the first when he drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right center for his 15th home run of the season and his sixth long ball in the last four games.
 
Will Johnson hit a solo home run in the fourth to make it a 3-1 game.  Daniel McFarland's solo home run over the wall in right field in the top of the seventh gave the visitors a 6-1 advantage.
 
After the Gamecocks (23-17, 12-9 OVC) cut the margin to 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh on a ground out and a sacrifice fly, Howie answered in the top of the eighth for the Colonels.  With two outs and one on, the sophomore lifted a fly ball over the fence in left field to push Eastern Kentucky out in front 8-3.  Those runs would prove to be imperative later in the game.  Daniel Harris IV had a run scoring single later in the inning.
 
Jacksonville State plated three unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth to make it a three-run game, 9-6.  Jayden White represented the tying run when he stepped to the plate, but Aaron Ochsenbein got him swinging on a 2-2 pitch to end the game.
 
Holderbach finished 2-for-5 with a walk, a run and one RBI.  The junior catcher entered the weekend leading the nation in RBIs and now has 65 this season. 
 
Howie was 2-for-3 with a run and three RBIs.  McFarland had a 2-for-3 day with two runs scored and one driven in.  Johnson had two hits in six at bats, scored once and drove in two runs.
 
Bryan Quillens (2-1) started for Eastern Kentucky and allowed just one run on four hits in five and two-thirds innings.  Ochsenbein pitched the final three and one-third innings to pick up his eighth save of the season.  He allowed two earned runs on four hits and struck out five.
 
Eastern Kentucky will play at Northern Kentucky on Tuesday at 3 p.m.