RICHMOND, Ky. (Interstat) — The Morehead State Eagles broke open a tight game with a five-run seventh inning and pulled away for a 12-6 victory over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night at Turkey Hughes Field.

The Eagles, who entered the game having allowed 58 runs in a brutal three-game sweep by SIU Edwardsville over the weekend, found a different formula against their in-state rival. Morehead State (11-13) pounded out 12 hits and capitalized on four Eastern Kentucky errors to secure the win, while five Eagles relievers combined for five shutout innings to seal the game.

The contest was far from the lopsided final score early on. Eastern Kentucky (7-18) struck first in the bottom of the opening inning, scoring three runs off Morehead State starter McGill. Ronan Alvarez and Tait Cauthron delivered RBI hits, and Logan Phillips added a run-scoring fielder’s choice for a 3-0 lead.

Morehead State chipped away with single runs in the second and third innings, the latter coming unearned on a Colonels error, to narrow the gap to 4-3. The game’s pivotal shift came in the top of the fifth inning against Eastern Kentucky reliever Bingham. With two on and one out, Nick Kearns lined a two-run single to give the Eagles their first lead at 5-4. Ian McCubbin followed by launching a two-run homer to deep right field, his first of the season, to extend the advantage to 7-4.

Eastern Kentucky’s Khaleel Pratt answered in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run, his fourth of the year, to cut the deficit to 7-5. An unearned run in the sixth brought the Colonels within a single run at 7-6, setting the stage for the decisive seventh.

The Eagles sent 10 men to the plate in the seventh, scoring five runs on four hits, two walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch, and a critical throwing error by Colonels pitcher Collins. Kyle Krupp delivered the biggest blow, a two-run single up the middle that scored two. The inning was prolonged when Ryley Correa struck out but reached on a wild pitch, allowing another run to score.

From there, the Morehead State bullpen slammed the door. After Landon Waugh provided two scoreless innings of middle relief, Sam Smith, Cody Luttrell, Alex Miller, and Josh Furtado each tossed a perfect inning from the sixth through the ninth. The quintet allowed just one hit—a single that resulted in a runner being thrown out—and one walk while striking out five.

Krupp led the Eagles offensively, going 2-for-4 with two walks, two RBIs, three stolen bases, and three runs scored. McCubbin finished 2-for-5 with his two-run homer. Kearns drove in two and scored three times.

For Eastern Kentucky, Jack Briese started and allowed one earned run over three innings, striking out three. Jack Bell pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts in relief. Pratt’s solo shot provided one of the Colonels’ six hits.

The win improved Morehead State to 11-13 on the season, while Eastern Kentucky fell to 7-18. The game defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had simulated a 5-4 Eagles victory and given Morehead State a 53.9% probability to win.

Morehead State travels to face Eastern Illinois for a three-game series starting Friday. Eastern Kentucky heads to Nashville for a three-game set at Lipscomb beginning the same day.