Box Score

OXFORD, Ala. – Sixth seeded Eastern Kentucky lost 12-7 to No. 3 seed Morehead State at the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Tournament on Wednesday at Choccolocco Park.

The Colonels (27-30) drop into the elimination bracket and will play again at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.  EKU will play either Murray State or Austin Peay depending on the outcome of the game between Southeast Missouri State and Murray State.
 
Eastern Kentucky grabbed the early lead with two runs in the second and one in the third.  A ground out by Daniel Harris IV and a single to left from Cornell Nixon brought home the two runs in the second inning.  Tyler Romanik's double in the third inning staked the Colonels to a 3-0 lead.
 
The Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the third and made it 3-2.  Three walks and one hit by a pitch fueled a 6-run fourth inning for Morehead State as the Eagles flipped the script into an 8-3 lead.
 
Daniel McFarland's solo home run and a sacrifice fly from Harris in the top of the sixth inning allowed EKU to close the gap to three runs, 8-5.
 
MSU platted two more runs in the bottom of the seventh.  Eastern got within three one more time, 10-7, when Harris scored on an error and Alex Holderbach drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the eighth.
 
Botsoe finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored.  McFarland was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Nick Howie had two doubles while finishing 3-for-5 with a run scored.

"I thought we got off to a good start today with two runs in the second and another run in the third," Eastern Kentucky University Head Coach Edwin Thompson said.  "But they did a good job.  You have to give them credit, they're a good team.  Botsoe made a great play with two people on in the second inning, and Will Johnson made a great play as well down the line.  We had some great moments they just get over shadowed by the ones we did not make." 
 
Niko Hulsizer led Morehead State (33-23) with a 4-for-5 performance.  He had two doubles, scored two runs and drove in one.