NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — The Lipscomb Bisons, fresh off a series win on the road, return to ASUN Conference play Friday when they host the struggling Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Ken Dugan Field.

First pitch is scheduled for Friday afternoon under clear skies with a game-time temperature of 82 degrees.

The Bisons (11-11, 3-3 ASUN) evened their overall record with a 4-1 victory at Belmont on Tuesday, highlighted by five shutout innings from reliever Cody Underwood. Underwood, a key player to watch for Lipscomb, has allowed just one earned run over his last 8 2/3 innings of work across three appearances.

They will face an Eastern Kentucky (7-18, 2-4) team looking to halt a four-game skid. The Colonels fell 12-6 to Morehead State on Tuesday despite a solid three-inning relief outing from Jack Briese, who allowed one earned run on two hits. Briese, a Colonels player to watch, has been a bright spot recently, posting a 1.80 ERA over his last five innings pitched.

The series opener begins a crucial three-game set for both teams in the conference standings. According to Interstat’s game simulator, Lipscomb is projected to win 5-3.

The Colonels have lost 10 of their last 12 games and have been outscored 57-13 in their last four road contests. Outfielder Khaleel Pratt, who homered in Tuesday’s loss, provides a power threat.

Lipscomb has found more consistency, winning three of its last four games, including a weekend series at Austin Peay. The Bisons’ bullpen, featuring Underwood, Mack Mabrey and Kaleb Kantola, combined for nine scoreless frames in the midweek win.

Following this series, Lipscomb will travel to face Bellarmine next weekend, while Eastern Kentucky returns home to host Austin Peay.