Eastern Illinois University won against Morehead State in game two of their series, as Bryce Riggs delivered a strong pitching performance on March 28. With this win, Eastern Illinois improved its record to 15-9 overall and remained undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play at 5-0, while Morehead State fell to 11-16.
The significance of the match centers on Riggs’s near no-hitter. He pitched eight perfect innings before allowing an infield single in the ninth inning. Riggs finished with 8.1 innings pitched, throwing 109 pitches, allowing only two hits and two runs, and recording eight strikeouts.
Blaine Nunnally was brought from the bullpen to finish the game for Eastern Illinois. Nunnally struck out two batters and allowed one hit over less than an inning of work. On the opposing side, Luke Hayes made his first career start for Morehead State and pitched 3.1 innings with one hit allowed but gave up five walks.
Landon Waugh took the loss for Morehead State after pitching 2.2 innings during which he allowed seven runs—only one earned—due to several defensive errors that contributed to a six-run sixth inning by Eastern Illinois. The Panthers capitalized on back-to-back singles followed by errors that opened up their lead.
Joey Hagen drove in James Love for the game’s first run with an RBI single in the fifth inning after both teams had slow offensive starts through four scoreless frames. The sixth inning saw multiple runs scored due to a combination of singles and fielding mistakes by Morehead State.
Statistically, Eastern Illinois finished with seven runs on nine hits and one error; Morehead State had two runs on three hits with two errors. Brett Stanley extended his hitting streak to twenty-one games during this matchup.
Looking ahead, Eastern Illinois will attempt a series sweep when they face Morehead State again Sunday at 1:00 PM Central Time.
