Box Score By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
An unearned run in the 10^th inning proved costly for the Murray State Aggies as they left 12 runners on base, including two in the final frame, with Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa posting an 8-7 conference victory Friday night at The Ranch.

The Aggies slip 13-9 overall and 1-3 in league action while Tonkawa remain unbeaten in conference at 4-0 and 17-6 on the year. The two clubs will close out the series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. twinbill at The Ranch in Tishomingo as well.

Coach Sam Bjorling's club plated two runs in the initial stanza and held that lead for nearly six full frames. All the damage in the opening inning came with two outs as Wilbert Espinal singled and Andrew Tinsley doubled before each rode home on a Brennan Morgan line single to left.

Espinal ignited another two-run burst in the third frame, leading off with a double. It was two-out hitting though that turned the trick as Ethan Rone belted a RBI single and Trevin Pettigrew drove home another with a triple.

The Aggies carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before the visitors cashed in five hits and two walks for six runs to claim the lead briefly at 7-4.

Murray State answered right back in its half of the frame, capitalizing on a Maverick error, two walks and a wild pitch before eventually getting a game-tying RBI double from Ty Chaddrick.

That's how things stayed until the 10^th when Tonkawa got a one-out double and then scored on an Aggie error with two away off closer Nathan Darden.

Gage Gilchrist drew a walk and Austin Haley was hit by a pitch with one gone in the bottom of the frame before two strikeouts ended the contest.

Brody Roe, Kyle Holzer and Kaleb Melvin all saw action on the mound ahead of Darden as the foursome struck out a whopping 14 batters while scattering eight hits but also walked 10.

Chaddrick tallied three of the 10 Murray State hits in the contest and drove in a run. Espinal contributed two hits with Haley, Tinsley, Morgan, Rone and Pettigrew all posting one.