MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.– In the team's final game of spring break, Eastern University Baseball led early, but the Houghton University Highlanders took advantage of some control issues by a tired Eastern University p[itching staff to rally to a 14-8 win at the Ripken Experience. Eastern had 14-7 edge in hits in the game, but the patient Highlanders had 14 hitters reach base without putting the ball in play.

After the Eagles failed to convert a two-out double from Luke Meehan in the first, the Highlanders grabbed a 1-0 lead with a lead-off home in the bottom of the first.

The Eagles used extra-base power to get on the board in the third. Joe Paradise led off with a double and scored to draw the Eagles level on sacrifice fly from Thomas Koslusky. The Eagles restarted the rally with a two-out infield single and stolen base from Robert Del Buono. He scored easily on a double to the right field corner from Meehan.

Eastern tacked on three more runs in the fourth. After Brian Lang singled to lead off the inning, Trevor Harris came on to run. He stole second and third and scored on a throwing error on his second swiping attempt. JJ Matos singled and moved to third on a Leyton Bamesburger double. The duo came in to score on a ground ball and a sacrifice fly. 

Down 5-1, the Highlanders answered with six runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth. That rally started with a walk and a chopper to third. With four singles, Houghton did not get a big hit in the inning, but the Eastern pitchers did not retire any of the first nine hitters they faced. After a line drive to left, the Eagles escaped further damage when a Blake Weinstein pick-off move turned into to an inning-ending double-play with outs at second and home.

Houghton (4-4) added four runs in the fifth and three in the seventh to go up 14-6

IN the top of the seventh, The Eagles had a chance for a big inning with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, but they managed only a single run when Paradise got hit by pitch with two outs.

Del Buono scored on a David Sharp two-out double to right-center in the eight. With only one out remaining in the game, Del Buono picked up his fourth hit of the game with a sharply hit ball to center to drive in Trent MacDougall in the ninth. It is the second-straight four-hit day for the sophomore shortstop.

The Eagles (5-5) will drive north today and will play a single game at Neumann on Tuesday.