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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Jordan Tokarz collected four RBIs and scored four times and Brian Morrell pitched seven innings of scoreless relief in Eastern Illinois baseball's 19-2 blowout win against Jacksonville State Saturday afternoon at Coaches Stadium.
There was a two-hour rain delay between the second and third innings. Game two of the scheduled doubleheader was pushed back until Sunday. The two teams will play a pair of seven-inning games, with the first pitch slated for noon.
The 19 runs represent a season high for the Panthers (18-16, 9-4 OVC). Eastern scored eight times in the second inning, the team's biggest rally of the season.
The loss ended a five-game winning streak for Jacksonville State (18-17, 9-4 OVC).
Jordan Kreke and Brett Nommensen both recorded three RBIs and Curt Restko scored three times.
After knocking in a run with a sacrifice fly in his first at-bat, Kreke reached safely in each of his next five plate appearances. The junior collected at least one RBI for the ninth time in the last 10 games.
Ryan Lindquist drew three of EIU's 12 walks in the win, including a pair in the eight-run second inning. He also registered an RBI and scored twice, but his biggest play of the day came in the field. In the top of the first inning, Lindquist robbed Bert Smith of extra bases with a great diving catch in right center. He also took a hit away from Matt McLaughlin in the ninth.
“I think the key again, like we did against Illinois (Tuesday), (JSU Starter Jason) Zylstra's got good movement on his ball. So don't swing at that pitch. Swing at your pitch and get a good pitch to hit,” EIU head coach
Jim Schmitz said. “And that had a lot to do with all the walks, passed balls and wild pitches, which in turn really got us started. A big hit (a three-run double in the second) by Nommy though. And then
Brian Morrell, seven innings, wow.”
Tokarz reached base in five of his six at-bats. A two-run homer in the fourth inning, his second of the season, highlighted his big day.
Richie Derbak walked and scored twice and also delivered a sacrifice fly, but was held hitless, ending his hitting streak at eight games.
Eastern starter
Josh Mueller allowed a pair of unearned runs in the second inning and struck out three in his two innings pitched. With EIU holding a 12-2 lead when the game resumed in the third, Schmitz chose to replace the freshman with Morrell (2-1) after the rain delay. Morrell responded with seven solid innings, surrendering just three hits while striking out three. Two of those three hits came in the ninth inning.
Every Panther in the starting lineup scored at least one run.
Eastern capitalized on three errors by the JSU shortstop in the first two innings, including a pair of miscues in the opening frame. The first error allowed Nommensen to score the game's first run after the junior opened the inning with a base hit. Restko scored on a subsequent wild pitch. Kreke's sac fly and the second error led to two more runs.
Zylstra (0-1) issued consecutive walks to set up EIU's eight-run second inning. Reskto greeted reliever John David Smelser, the projected starter in game three of the series, with a bunt single to load the bases. Tokarz picked up an RBI the easy way with a base on balls and Derbak followed with a sac fly to left.
Kreke kept the rally rolling with a base hit to right and scored on the final error of the game. Consecutive walks to Cameron Strang and Lindquist then loaded the bases for Nommensen, who cleared the bases with a double to left.
After the rain delay,
Tristan Facer knocked in a run in the third inning with a two-out single.
Tokarz hit his long ball to left center with two down in the fourth. Derbak followed with a base on balls and scored on a triple from Kreke.
Eastern's subs keyed a three-run eighth.
Neil Wright drew a leadoff walk and scored on a sacrifice fly from
Bart Thyer.
Sean Estand plated the final run of the game with a base hit to center.
The 19 runs represent the most by an EIU team since scoring 23 times in March 2005 win against Chicago State and the most in an Ohio Valley Conference game since also scoring 19 times in a May 2003 win at Tennessee-Martin.
Mike Recchia and
Tyler Kehrer are scheduled to be EIU's starting pitchers in both ends of Sunday's doubleheader.
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Ben Turner, Asst. SID
