The Golden Eagles baseball team split a fall ball doubleheader with OSU Mansfield by winning the first game 5-4 in eight innings on Sunday afternoon at TCC's Fondriest Field. The second game did not go as well as the first because the Eagles lacked the starting pitching necessary to hold the visitors at bay.

The Mavericks got on the board first in the second game when they plated a run in the top of the third inning, but the Navy and Gold scored two of their own in the home half of the inning to jump on top 2-1. Both teams added a run in the fifth before OSU got two more in the top of the sixth and shephered that a 4-3 lead into the last of the seventh inning. The Golden Eagles tied things up in the bottom of the final inning of regulation when two runners reach base with two outs and Kade Rainsberg swatted a deep single to right-center field to knot the game at 4-4.

OSU was held scoreless in the top of the eighth inning setting up a great ending on a sun soacked afternoon. With one out, Ethan Rhoden drew a free pass and advanced to second base on a bunt by Justin Crowl. Braden Russell worked the Mavs pitcher to a 2-2 count before he crushed a line drive down the third baseline as Rhoden raced home with the deciding run.

In the final game of the two-game set, the visitors quickly jumped on KSU pitching for three runs in the top of the first inning and took a 5-0 lead after two innings and never looked back as they won 16-1.

The Eagles will wrap up their fall schedule when they visit Edison State University next Sunday to play a doubleheader starting at 12:30 p.m.

Braden Russell gets the game winner in the bottom of the seventh inning versus OSU Mansfield.