Herd comes up short against Eagles

STATESBORO, Ga. – The Marshall University baseball team held a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, but Georgia Southern used a three-run hit in the sixth and added an insurance run in the eighth to defeat the Thundering Herd, 4-3, on Saturday at J.I. Clements Stadium.

Josh Valle and Victor Gomez each went 2-for-4 at the plate, with Gomez collecting a double.  Isaac Ballou and Chris Norton each tallied RBI singles, while Eric Semeniuk scored a pair of runs as Marshall now sits at 4-5 on the season.

Georgia Southern (5-6) received two-hit games from Arthur Owens and A.J. Wirnsberger in the victory.

The Herd got on the scoreboard early against Eagles starter Matt Murray (1-0). Ballou led off the game with a walk and moved to second on an erroneous pickoff attempt.  Valle laced a single to right field scoring Ballou as he easily raced home to score the first run of the game.

The Herd kept swinging the bats in the bottom of the second, adding a run on three hits in the frame. Semeniuk scored the second run for the Herd on a two-out RBI base hit from Ballou to right field.

Shane Farrell cruised through the first 5 innings on the mound for the Herd until he finally fell into trouble in the sixth.  A leadoff walk to Kyle Blackburn started the frame before Wirnsberger connected for a two-run homer to left center to even the score, 2-2. The righty finished the afternoon with six strikeouts and four walks, while giving up just two earned runs on three hits.

The Eagles added another run in the sixth off reliever Arik Sikula (1-2). With runners on the corners, pinch hitter Steve Cochrane lined a single into the right-center field gap off the glove of diving centerfielder Ballou to take the one run edge.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Eagles added an insurance run which proved to be the difference in the game when Owens slapped a two-out RBI single to put the Eagles up 4-2.

The Herd wouldn't go quietly in the ninth against the Eagles closer Dexter Bobo. 

Semeniuk began the rally with a walk.  After Bobo retired the next two batters, pinch hitter Chris Norton lined a base hit up the middle to plate Semeniuk and cut the deficit to a single run, 4-3.  Bobo was able to retire the final out and earn his second save of the season for the Eagles.

   Murray labored through 6.1 innings allowing eight hits but held the Herd to just two runs, only one earned, to pick up his first victory of the season.