TAMPA, Fla. -- Eastern Illinois baseball pounded out 15 hits and scored a combined seven times in the fifth and sixth innings to defeat South Florida, 9-5, Friday evening in the opener of the Panthers' annual spring break trip.
Brett Nommensen doubled twice and posted a three-hit effort, as one of five EIU players to collect multiple hits. Jordan Kreke delivered a key two-out, two-run double in the fifth inning, putting the Panthers (7-4) ahead for good.
Josh Mueller (2-0) battled after a rough first inning and went six innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits. Josh Wilson worked 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief, and Richie Derbak recorded the final two outs in the ninth to close out the win over the Big East Conference opponent.
Derbak also singled in his first two at-bats, extending his career-best hitting streak to nine games.
The Panthers scored four times in the fifth and thrice more an inning later. Nommensen and Kreke both registered run-scoring doubles in the fifth, and Jordan Tokarz knocked in a run with a two-bagger in the sixth. The bottom third of the lineup ignited both rallies, Curt Restko singling and coming around to score in each frame.
Restko led off the fifth with a base hit to left and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Gerik Wallsten. Nommensen followed with a double to right, tying the game at 3-3. After Tokarz was hit by a pitch, Zach Skidmore plated Nommensen with single up the middle. Kreke knocked in both of his classmates with his 39th career two-bagger, splitting the gap in right center.
Zach Borenstein opened the sixth with an opposite-field single and Restko followed with an infield hit. Eastern had runners on the corners when Wallsten executed another sac bunt, this time reaching safely on the second error of the inning by the USF first baseman.
After Nommensen flied out to left, Tokarz revived the rally with a double down the left field line. Wallsten was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice ground ball to second base, but Tokarz was able to score on a dropped third strike with Jake Samuels at the plate.
Wilson only allowed one of the seven batters he faced to reach. The one-out walk he issued in the seventh was erased by a line-drive double play to Tokarz at second.
Mueller walked the first two batters he faced. A throwing error on a subsequent sacrifice bunt set USF (7-6) up for a big inning. But Mueller got the next two batters to hit ground balls to second, slowing the home team's early momentum. A two-out single plated another run before the sophomore brought the inning to a close.
Mueller pitched over a one-out double in the second and got USF's No. 6 hitter to ground into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play the following frame.
Nommensen led off the game with a double to right and scored on an opposite-field single by Samuels.
Derbak opened the second with a base hit, took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a sac bunt by Borenstein. Restko executed a squeeze bunt to complete the small-ball production of another run.
Tokarz reached safely four times and also laid down a sacrifice bunt in his five plate appearances.
The Panthers have won four of their last six games.
Eastern takes on Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m. (CDT) Saturday on day two of the Bulls Baseball Classic.
More Info: Contact Ben Turner. Asst. SID
