FORT PIERCE, Fla.– Eastern University Baseball scored five times in the top of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie, and held on to claim a 9-4 win in the secodn game and salvage a split in the season-opening doubleheader against Houghton College. Eastern fell 4-2 in the opener.

Eastern scored three times in the fourth to grab a 3-0 lead in game-two. The Highlanders grabbed a run back in the bottom of the inning. Eastern added another run on a bases-loaded double-play in the fifth before Houghton tied the game in the bottom of the fifth.

Zach Belannsek hit a one-out double in the sixth, but the Eagles could not advance him and the game remained tied.

Grant Fisher, who had retired the final batter of the fifth, struck out the lead-off man in the sixth before giving way to Tommy Strazza.  The senior reliever struck out a pair of Highlanders to set up the Eastern seventh.

The Eagles loaded the bases with walks, the second of which was an intentional pass delivered to Timmy Gorton. Liam Clarke and Tyler Stanley each picked up RBI's with a pair of walks before Belansek popped out for the second out of the inning. Robbie Schreck delivered a pinch-hit walk to drive in Eastern's seventh run of the game, and Craig Stanley drove in yet another run when he was hit by a pitch. Brad Clemens, who led off the inning, delivered the only hit of the frame to drive in Tyler Stanley. The Eagles scored their nine runs with only five hits.

"The hitting was a little slow going," Head Coach Jed Morris said, "but we saw some quality at bats from several guys. The process will turn into base hits and ultimately more runs."

Strazza, who started game one at second base, struck out two more hitters in a perfect seventh inning to pick up the win.

"[We]Saw some promising things from our pitching staff today," Morris continued. "It's early, so guys were on short leashes, but minus a couple innings our execution was really good for this time of year." Jacob Breyer pitched three scoreless innings to start game two. Four Eastern pitchers surrendered only two earned runs in the opener.

Andrew Behnam went two innings to start, he did not give up a hit, but the Eagles trailed 3-0 heading into the third inning. A pair of errors cost Colyn Hoffer a run in the third inning. Matt Bunjo and Steve Sattanino did not allow a run over the final three innings, but the Eastern offense was only able to scratch out a single run in the fifth in the 4-2 loss.

Eastern will be back on the field tomorrow in Fort Pierce against Massachusetts Maritime Academy at noon.