HAMMOND, La. – Brett Nommensen and Jordan Tokarz both homered for the second game in a row, Tokarz connecting for a grand slam, but it was not enough in game two of the season-opening series at Southern Louisiana, which Eastern Illinois baseball dropped 8-6 Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers (1-1) led 6-2 after Tokarz's slam in the fourth inning. But SELU (1-1) responded with a five-spot in the bottom half of the frame, taking the lead for good.

Nommensen hit an opposite-field solo shot to leadoff the third inning. He was also hit by a pitch twice and walked in front of Tokarz's slam in the fourth. Dating back to last season, he has now homered in three straight games and hit safely in 14 consecutive contests.

 

Tokarz is now riding an eight-game hitting streak dating back to last season. He joined Zach Skidmore as active Panthers with a grand slam at EIU on their résumés.

Eastern brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth, but could not capitalize. Brandon Efferson (1-0) went the distance for the Lions, striking out nine. He surrendered only three singles after Tokarz's slam.

Eastern starter Tyler Kehrer (0-1) gave up seven runs on seven hits over 3 1/3 innings. Matt Miller took over with one down in the fourth and worked 3 1/3 innings of relief. He allowed one run to score in the fifth after a wild pitch, but a leadoff homer in the seventh by the SELU cleanup hitter accounted for the only run he was charged with. Mike Martin finished off the game, retiring three of the four Lions he faced in the eighth.

 

Southeastern Louisiana's five-run fourth inning featured only one extra-base hit, a two-run double from the Lions' leadoff man. Kehrer worked his way into a jam by issuing a walk, giving up a single and hitting a batter vs. the 7-8-9 portion of the SELU order. The go-ahead run scored on a two-out wild pitch after Miller had gotten the cleanup hitter to pop out.

 

“We kind of gave the game away with the five runs in the fourth after the slam,” EIU head coach Jim Schmitz said. “We knew it would be more intense today after we won the opener yesterday, and there was a lot of energy. There were no [fielding] errors – but a walk, base hit, hitter batter and then we threw to the wrong base. Those were just some fundamental and mental errors, things that can be difficult to work on when you're inside (practicing in the field house).

 

“But the bottom line is we need the starting pitchers to be what they can be. Normally it's the other way around; pitching is ahead of hitting this time of year. Their pitcher threw like 120 pitches and went nine innings. He shut us down after that rally and got tougher and tougher.”

 

Eastern scored its first run of the game in the second inning thanks to a leadoff double from Jordan Kreke and Richie Derbak's subsequent single to center.

 

Ryan Lindquist began the two-out rally in the fourth with a double to right center. Curt Restko reached on a fielding error by the SELU third baseman and took second on a passed ball. With first base now open, the final two pitches thrown to Nommensen were intentional balls. Tokarz made the Lions pay for pitching around his classmate.

 

Efferson struck out Kreke with runners on the corners and two outs in the seventh. The singles he gave up to Jake Samuels and Skidmore in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, both came with two outs.

The rubber game of the series is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID