AP Sports Preview: Morehead State at Tennessee Tech

ALGOOD, Tenn. (Interstat) — Morehead State visits Tennessee Tech on Saturday for an Ohio Valley Conference matchup at Bush Stadium at Averitt Express Baseball Complex, with first pitch scheduled for the afternoon. The Eagles (30-22) hold a two-game winning streak over the Golden Eagles (18-36) after sweeping Thursday and Friday contests, and they aim to complete the series sweep.

Morehead State enters on a four-game winning streak, including a 4-3 victory Friday in which right-hander Jacob Vanover tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, striking out one. Vanover has been sharp in his last three outings, allowing one earned run over 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts. The Eagles’ offense is coming off a series win over Western Illinois and has averaged 7.5 runs in their last four games.

Tennessee Tech, losers of 10 of its last 14, looks to rebound behind third baseman Connor Crowson. Crowson went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in Friday’s 4-3 loss, and he has shown power recently with three homers in his last 10 games. However, the Golden Eagles have struggled to generate consistent offense, plating three runs or fewer in five of their last seven outings.

The Eagles took both games this week, winning 7-4 on Thursday and 4-3 on Friday. Morehead State has won four of the last five meetings between the teams. Friday’s Morehead State standouts included Vanover, right fielder Austyn Peak (1-for-4, homer, two RBIs) and pitcher Landon Waugh (2 IP, 0 hits, one earned run, one strikeout). For Tennessee Tech, pitcher Jaxson Pease worked seven innings Friday, allowing nine hits and four earned runs while striking out five.

The weather forecast calls for clear skies and 74 degrees at game time. Interstat’s game simulator projects an 8-4 win for Morehead State, while its ELO system gives Tennessee Tech a 52.7 percent probability of victory.

Morehead State’s recent results include a 7-4 win Thursday at Tennessee Tech, an 8-7 home win over Western Illinois on May 10, and a 10-8 win over Western Illinois on May 8. The Eagles also posted a 5-1 win at Ohio on May 6 and split a three-game series at Arkansas-Little Rock earlier this month.

Tennessee Tech’s recent results include a 4-3 loss to Lindenwood on May 10 and a 10-3 win at Southern Indiana on May 1. The Golden Eagles lost two of three at Lindenwood and dropped three of four at Southern Indiana before this series.

Both teams are vying for positioning in the OVC standings as the regular season winds down.