Boxscore: PDF | HTML >>> Tourney Stats >>> Tourney Central
TAMPA, Fla. -- Brett Nommensen and Richie Derbak both posted three-hit efforts, and Mike Recchia pitched six innings of two-run ball to lead Eastern Illinois baseball to an 8-6 victory against No. 15 Oklahoma Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the Bulls Baseball Classic hosted by South Florida.
By beating South Florida (Friday), Bethune-Cookman (Saturday) and the Sooners (17-4) in three straight days, the Panthers (9-4) won the four-team tournament as the only team to go 3-0.
“The whole weekend was a challenge with three good opponents,” EIU head coach Jim Schmitz said. “We played in three different kinds of games and won them all. And that's a sign of a good team. Two of the games [South Florida and Oklahoma] we swung the bats well. Against Bethune-Cookman, it was more of a run here and a run there. But we also got really good starting pitching again. So it was a complete package with what we needed to do to post big wins today and Friday. One of the goals this year is to find different ways to win.”
The victory was EIU's first against a nationally-ranked opponent since the 2007 spring break trip when the Panthers won at the College of Charleston.
Nommensen hit his second leadoff home run of the week, opening EIU's three-run first with his team-leading fifth long ball of the season. The Panthers scored seven times in the first three innings to take an early lead.
Derbak continued his hot hitting with three singles and two RBIs. The junior has hit safely in each of the 11 games that he has batted this season, a career-best hitting streak.
Recchia (3-0) gave up only four hits and two runs (one earned) over six-plus innings, putting together another quality start. Mike Martin got EIU out of a jam in the top of the seventh, stranding runners on second and third base. He recorded three outs against the top third of the OU lineup after the first two batters of the inning reached safely against Recchia.
Jordan Kreke closed out the game on the mound for his first career save. He gave up a three-run homer to the first batter he faced, but bounced back and retired each of the next five hitters. He posted a 1-2-3 inning against the 2-3-4 portion of the OU lineup in the ninth.
The Panthers pounded out 16 hits, 10 coming against OU starter Garrett Richards (1-1). Jordan Tokarz, Zach Skidmore, Curt Restko and Kreke each finished with two hits.
“The top of the order was very explosive,” Schmitz said. “Nommensen hit that leadoff home run after a bad top of the first. That sets the tone and that's what we have here. Nommy was on fire all weekend. Derbak had a big hit (two-run single) yesterday. We were just scoring in a lot of innings; I was happiest about that. The top of the order has been doing it all year, but there were plenty of guys getting two-out hits to keep rallies going.”
Eastern committed a pair of errors in the top of the first inning, allowing OU to score an unearned run. However, Nommensen immediately tied the game with an opposite-field homer. Tokarz followed with a base hit and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Jake Samuels. Kreke and Derbak then came through with key singles, posting consecutive two-out, run-scoring hits.
An inning later, Nommensen and Tokarz connected for back-to-back doubles with two outs, extending the EIU lead.
The Panthers chased Richards with four straight hits to begin the third inning. Kreke and Derbak singled in front of a run-scoring double by Zach Borenstein. Derbak scored on a passed ball and Restko singled home Borenstein.
Skidmore led off the sixth with a base hit and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to right field off the bat of Derbak.
Recchia struck out four in his six-plus innings. He fanned the final batter of the frame in the first, third and fifth.
Oklahoma strung together four straight hits in the eighth inning on its way to a four-run frame. Elliott Blair hit the three-run homer, his first long ball of the season.
Nommensen and Derbak both posted eight hits over the three-game tournament. Four of Nommensen's hits went for extra bases and Derbak led EIU with four RBIs. Restko was also a very productive 6-for-11 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
Eastern continues its spring break trip with a 9 a.m. (CDT) game Tuesday against Indiana in Lakeland, Fla. Brian Morrell is expected to start on the mound for EIU.
More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID
