Game 1 Box (HTML) | Game 1 Box (PDF)
Game 2 Box (HTML) | Game 2 Box (PDF)
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Michael Bottoms pitched Morehead State past Eastern Illinois in Saturday's first game before the Eagles were blanked in game two as the two squads split the double header.
Game One Recap
A dominating performance on the mound from senior
Michael Bottoms propelled Morehead State to a 6-2 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Eastern Illinois in the first game of Saturday double header. Bottoms went the distance allowing just two runs in the outing as MSU leveled its OVC record at 2-2. The win snapped a 17-game losing streak to EIU.
Daniel Pugh put the Eagles up early, taking Mike Recchia deep in the first inning. #J.D. Ashbrook#, who was hit in the head by Recchia’s first pitch of the game, scored on Pugh’s fourth homer of the season.
Bottoms allowed his only blemish of the game when Zach Borenstein homered to right center, driving in Daniel Rowe. Bottoms dominated the rest of the way, scattering 6 hits and striking out five in his third career complete game and first since the 2008 season. It was the second straight victory for Bottoms, who is now 3-2 on the season.
MSU would regain the lead in the fourth, plating three runs in the inning with two outs already recorded.
Travis Redmon drew a bases loaded walk to plate
Michael Fear and Ashbrook followed with a single to center field that scored
Taylor Davis and
Luke Bainer to make it 5-2 Eagles after 3.5 innings.
That was more than enough run support for Bottoms who stymied the Eagles down the stretch, allowing only two runners to reach second base in the final six innings.
MSU added an insurance run in the eighth when
Andrew Deeds drove in
Cameron Flynn with a sacrifice fly.
Ashbrook and Pugh each collected a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs to lead MSU, Flynn also tallied two hits.
Game Two Recap
Morehead State’s bats went silent in Saturday’s second game as they were held to just three hits and Eastern Illinois used a 10 run fifth inning to pull away and win 14-0. It was the first time the Eagles have been shutout this season.
EIU got a run in both the first and second innings and scored two more in the fourth before exploding for 10 in the fifth, The Eagle pitchers simply could not find an out as the Panthers hit numerous seeing eye and bloop singles to keep the big inning going.
EIU starter Mike Hoeksrta made sure there was no chance of an MSU comeback finishing the complete game three-hitter with three straight innings where he faced the minimum.
Jeff Arnold was handed the loss, his first of the season, after allowing seven runs in four-plus innings of work.
The loss dropped MSU’s record to 18-16 and 2-3 in the OVC, while EIU improves to 8-21 and 3-5 in the OVC.
The two clubs will conclude this weekend’s three game series on Sunday. First pitch is at 2:00 pm eastern.
