Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Morehead State
HERD FALLS 14-11 IN KENTUCKY SHOOTOUT
4/3/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Morehead, KY-The Thundering Herd baseball team fell 14-11 in a shootout to Morehead State Tuesday at Allen Field. Game one of the two game series saw Marshall and the Eagles combine for nine home runs as the wind blew in excess of 15 miles per hour toward the outfield throughout the game.
The loss moves Marshall to 11-13 (1-8 C-USA) on the season, while Morehead State improved to 17-13 (5-4 OVC).
Reynaldo Pastrana led the way offensively for the Herd in his first multi-home run effort of the season. The catcher racked up three hits, two of which were homers, three RBIs, two runs, and a walk in Tuesday's matchup. Shortstop Geordon Blanton hit the first home run of his Marshall career in what was the first return to his home state of Kentucky since joining the Herd. Blanton ended the game with a hit, two RBIs, two runs, and a walk. Second baseman Peter Hutzal added to his home run total after hitting two in one game in the Herd's previous series. Hutzal finished with two runs, two hits, and three RBIs.
Marshall's starting pitcher Jacob Bradley picked up the loss in the first start of his season. The sophomore pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing six hits, seven runs (seven earned), and walking two with no strikeouts.
Morehead State's starting pitcher Kyle Cantu moved to 2-0 on the season. Cantu pitched two innings allowing two hits, no runs, and striking out one with no walks before getting the hook with a 7-0 lead early in the game.
The Eagles jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead thanks to two separate two-run homers in the top of the first. Morehead added three more runs in the second to make the lead seven runs.
The Herd got on the board in the third inning off the bat of Blanton, whose home run also scored Kody Matthews. Another homer by Pastrana shortly after scored Will Ray and cut the lead to 7-4.
Morehead State answered with another run in the bottom of the third to make the score 8-4.
A wild pitch by the Eagles allowed Hutzal to score from third after taking the bases on a hit by pitch to make the score 8-5.
The Eagle's bats got hot once more in the bottom of the fifth as they put up five more runs for a 13-5 lead.
Marshall wouldn't go away though, as Tucker Linder hit a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning before Hutzal hit a three-run bomb to score Blanton and Andrew Zban and cut the lead to 13-9.
Two more runs in the seventh, one Pastrana's second homer of the night, and the other an RBI single by Matthews that scored Linder made it a winnable game for the Herd.
The rally fell short though as Morehead put up one more run in the bottom of the eighth, which would be the final run of the game for a 14-11 loss for Marshall.
Marshall finished the day with 11 runs off of 10 hits and no errors. The Eagles had 14 runs off 15 hits with no errors.
Up next the Herd is back in Huntington Wednesday for another shot at Morehead at 3 p.m. before traveling to Middle Tennessee Friday for a three game C-USA series.
