TTU opens series with extra inning loss to EKU
The Tennessee Tech baseball team went into extra innings for the second straight game Friday afternoon, but it was Eastern Kentucky that ultimately prevailed as the Colonels claimed a 6-5 Ohio Valley Conference win in 11 innings
| Final (11) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
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0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
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0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 1 |
RICHMOND, Ky. --- The Tennessee Tech baseball team went into extra innings for the second straight game Friday afternoon, but it was Eastern Kentucky that ultimately prevailed as the Colonels claimed a 6-5 Ohio Valley Conference win in 11 innings.
Both teams got some clutch pitching from their bullpens down the stretch as each was held scoreless in the eighth, ninth and tenth innings, but the Colonels strung together three straight hits in the bottom of the 11th to claim the victory.
Shaun Ball, who recorded two hits in the game, saved his biggest hit for last as he drove in Demetrius Moorer in the bottom of the 11th with an RBI-single.
TTU starter Tristan Archer and EKU starter Matt Harris each gave up five runs while striking out two through six innings of work before each teams went to its bullpen.
Tech (19-29, 9-13 OVC) called upon Garrett Baugh, who stymied an EKU rally in the seventh and proceeded to throw three shutout innings, before giving up the winning run in the bottom of the 11th. Baugh (2-3) allowed just one earned run on five hits, while striking out two in four innings.
EKU (27-20, 15-7 OVC) used three different pitchers out of the pen, including Anthony Bazzani (1-1) who earned the win for the Colonels as he threw three shutout innings while giving up just two walks. Brent Cobb and Chase Greene each threw a shutout inning for the Colonels, as well.
The Golden Eagles struck first as they built a quick 3-0 lead after the top of the fourth inning. Michael Morris and Zach Stephens got the scoring going in the third as they each tallied an RBI, while Chad Hayes notched an RBI-double in the fourth to increase TTU's lead to three.
The Colonels answered back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth off the bat of Bryan Soloman and eventually knotted up the score at three with after a Tech throwing error in the sixth.
TTU reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh after a two-run single from Morris, but the Colonels rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull even with the Golden Eagles at five.
Morris paced the Tech offense with three hits and three RBIs, while Hayes tallied two hits. Five EKU players tallied two hits, as well.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
