Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Eastern Kentucky
Baseball Sweeps Away Eastern Kentucky
4/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 15, 2008
RICHMOND, Ky. - Marshall University first baseman Josh Valle was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in the second game to help power the Thundering Herd to a doubleheader sweep of Eastern Kentucky in Tuesday afternoon's non-conference baseball games at Turkey Hughes Field.
Marshall (16-19-1) posted a 9-3 victory in game one, and followed that with a 4-2 win in the nightcap to start a two-game winning streak. The Herd snapped its five-game losing skid heading into a Conference USA showdown with UCF this weekend, while Eastern Kentucky falls to 15-16-1 on the season.
In game one, Marshall drew first blood when shortstop Adam Yeager scored on a one-out sacrifice fly from center fielder Nate Lape.
The Herd took its lead into the bottom of the fourth before Eastern Kentucky plated a pair of runs on a bases-loaded walk, followed by a sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead.
Marshall responded with a five-run fifth to go ahead for good. Following a lead off walk from left fielder Jeff Rowley, third baseman Brandon Casamassima doubled down the left field line, sending Rowley to third. Rowley came full circle when second baseman Blake Sanders groundout out, sending Casamassima to third on the play. Following a pair of walks to Yeager and Valle to pack the bases, Lape launched his second sacrifice fly to right field brining in Casamassima and sending Yeager to third. Right fielder Kurt Lipton singled to center scoring Yeager, and then advanced to second on an outfield error allowing Valle to come full circle. Lipton moved to third on an infield throwing error and then scored on the play to give Marshall a 6-2 advantage.
The Herd added a run in the sixth when Casamassima drove in catcher Tommy Johnson with a sacrifice fly. Marshall extended its lead further in the seventh inning when designated hitter Tyler Oliver knocked in Lape with a sac-fly. Kevin Shackelford followed that with a pinch-hit single and then scored when Rowley laced an RBI double to center field to bring the score to 9-2.
The Colonels got its third run in the last of the seventh on an RBI triple off the bat of Matt Davis.
Lape and Lipton had two RBIs apiece in the contest, while Yeager stole three bags (for the third time this season), and Lape added two stolen bases of his own.
Right-handed reliever Justin Moore (2-2) picked up the win after entering the game with one out in the fourth. He pitched a solid 2.2 frames allowing no hits, a walk and fanning two.
In game two, Marshall took a 1-0 lead in the first when Johnson singled in Valle with a shot through the left side.
After Eastern Kentucky tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second, the Herd jumped ahead 2-1 when Lipton drilled an RBI double right center field scoring Valle on the play.
The Colonels tied the game in the bottom of the third, Marshall put the game away with two runs in the fifth stanza. Third baseman Matt Helm singled up the middle and moved to third on a bunt single by Yeager. Helm came full circle on a rip up the middle from Valle. After Valle stole second and Lipton earned an intentional walk, to load the bases, Yeager scored on a sacrifice fly from Johnson to give the Herd a 4-2 lead.
Left-hand reliever Ryan Kiel (2-1) came on in the fourth and surrendered just one hit and struck out two in 1.2 innings of work to earn his second win of the season.
Right-hander Arik Sikula pitched a scoreless seventh inning with a walk, a hit and a pair of whiffs to register his fourth save of the season and seal the two-game sweep.
Marshall returns to West Virginia and to conference action Friday, April 18 when it hosts UCF for a three-game series. Friday's contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., with Saturday's game to be played at 1:00 p.m. Sunday's series finale will start at 10:00 a.m. All three games will be played at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va.
