By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – The No. 16 Tennessee Tech baseball team fell for just the third time in Ohio Valley Conference play this season, as Morehead State (32-22, 18-11) walked off in the ninth to defeat the Golden Eagles (45-7, 26-3) by a final score of 8-7.
The home standing Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, gathering a pair of solo home runs to do the damage. Tech quickly answered, however, beginning with a solo blast to right field off the bat of senior Chase Chambers.
Later in the frame, junior second baseman John Ham dented home plate thanks to a wild pitch, tying the game at 2-2. The Golden Eagles took the lead a few pitches later, gathering an RBI single to right center field off the bat of senior Collin Harris.
Tech struck again in the third, with Chambers grounding out to first base for an RBI, driving in senior Brennon Kaleiwahea, who led off the frame with a single to right field. It also advanced junior Kevin Strohschein, who doubled down the left field line earlier in the inning, to third base.
Ham then drove in Strohschein, lifting a line drive to center field for a sacrifice fly ball and 5-2 Tech lead. Nearly immediately after Strohschein crossed the plate, lightning was detected in the Morehead area, prompting a weather delay for the second straight day.
Between the lightning and extended rain, the delay lasted a whopping three hours and 12 minutes, seemingly slowing down the momentum built up by the Tech offense.
Senior Marcus Evey returned to the mound following the delay and held the Eagles to just one more solo home run in his five total innings of work. He scattered five hits and three walks while punching out two batters.
Tech plated a run in the sixth on a sac fly from Harris and another in the seventh thanks to an RBI single down the right field line by Ham. Morehead plated two in the sixth and another two in the eighth, tying the game at 7-7. The Eagles then gathered an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of ninth to take the win on the night.
Chambers led the Golden Eagles with three hits and two RBI on the day, while Ham and Harris each posted drove in a pair. Ham finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored while Harris was 2-for-3.
The rubber match of the series has been moved up to an 11 a.m. CT first pitch Saturday afternoon at Allen Field due to impending inclement weather expected in the Morehead area. Fans are encouraged to check social media and the TTUSports.com website for updates concerning this weekend's schedule
Photo by Tony Marable