Morehead State baseball put up a feisty battle at No. 8 North Carolina State Tuesday afternoon, but a pair of RBI singles in the fifth proved to be the difference maker as MSU fell 7-5 at Dail Park.
The Eagles fell to 3-1 in 2016, while the Wolfpack improved to 3-1.
Morehead State trailed 5-1 after three frames but scored twice in the fourth and twice more in the fifth to knot the game at five. The hosts plated a pair in the bottom of the frame via RBI singles by brothers Chance and Shane Shepard.
Three Eagle relief pitchers -- senior righty Craig Pearcy, junior lefty Cable Wright and sophomore righthander Brent Stoneking -- combined to not allow a run after the fifth.
Junior third baseman Alex Stephens upped his season batting to .529 by going 3-for-3 with two doubles. His two-run two-bagger in the fifth tied the game 5-5. Five others had a hit apiece, and freshman designated hitter Trevor Snyder recorded two RBI.
Five N.C. State batters notched two hits as the Wolfpack finished with 14. Second baseman Xavier LeGrant tallied a team-best three RBI.
Snyder got the Eagles on the board in the first with an RBI ground out before the hosts crossed the plate three times in the second off MSU starting pitcher Patrick McGuff.
Trailing 5-1, Snyder doubled home Stephens in the fourth, and sophomore second baseman Braxton Morris lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Snyder.
Morehead State travels to Emerson, Ga., next weekend for four games at the LakePointe Complex. MSU will open the mini tournament versus Arkansas State at 3 p.m. ET Friday.
