CHARLESTON, Ill. – Southern Illinois scored seven times in the final three innings, including twice with two outs in the ninth and 10th, to overcome a four-run deficit and defeat Eastern Illinois baseball, 8-6, in 10 innings Wednesday afternoon at Coaches Stadium.

Dating back to 2008, the Salukis (19-22) have won 10 straight extra-innings games and the Panthers (11-28) have lost eight consecutive extra-inning affairs.

For the second Wednesday in a row, EIU had the lead with two outs in the top of the ninth inning against an in-state rival. But SIU's Austin Montgomery tied the game with a two-out, two-run double to right center.

Eastern sent the game to extra innings on a Ben Thoma sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth, plating Cam Strang after he led off the inning with a single to extend his career best hitting streak to 12 consecutive games.

Southern took the lead for good on Michael Stalter's two-run homer, his first of the season, to left field with two outs in the 10th. But Zach Borenstein nearly won it for EIU in the bottom half of the frame. With two on and two outs, Borenstein roped a pitch to deep center. Chris Murphy caught it standing on the warning track to end the game.

 

“We came back and tied it up in the ninth,” EIU head coach Jim Schmitz said. “I thought that said a lot about our team. But we came up short. We're going to try and not come up short [this weekend]. We did it at Murray [State Sunday]. We've got another weekend, a big one at home, to play a good Tennessee-Martin team. If we battle like the way we did today, I think we'll be fine.”

Alex Gee was 5-for-5, recording a career-high hit total and posting the first five-hit game of the year by a Panther. All five of Gee's hits were singles, including a key one-out base hit in the bottom of the ninth that moved Strang to third. Borenstein's third-inning double was EIU's lone extra-base hit of the day.

 

Southern, meanwhile, scored all eight of its runs on extra-base hits, highlighted by three home runs. Chris Serritella's team-leading 12th long ball of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth, changed the scope of the game. The blast to center field made cut EIU's lead to 5-4.

 

Mike Recchia took over on the mound after Serritella's homer and left the bases loaded in the eighth by striking out Stalter to end the inning.

 

After Recchia retired Murphy to open the ninth, Blake Pinnon and Serritella both singled. Eastern looked to be in good shape to win the game when Recchia retired SIU cleanup hitter Tyler Bullock on an infield fly. But Montgomery won a full-count battle, splitting the gap in right center and easily tying the game. He was thrown out at third base to end the inning.

 

Following the game, it was the opposite-field single that Recchia surrendered to Pinnon on an 0-and-2 count that was most disheartening to Schmitz.

 

Troy Barton and Brent McNeil put the Panthers in position to win the game, teaming up for seven innings of one-run ball. Barton struck out the first four SIU hitters of the game and did not issue a walk over four innings. He pitched over a two-on, no-out jam in the fourth after hitting the first two SIU batters of the inning with a pitch. Southern's only run against Barton came on an opposite-field homer by Nick Johnson in the second inning.

 

McNeil, meanwhile, worked three scoreless innings of relief. He gave up back-to-back singles in the sixth inning but quickly extinguished the potential rally by getting Johnson to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

 

Bryant George had a chance to earn the win for SIU in relief but was unable to close out the Panthers in the bottom of the ninth. Following the singles by Strang and Gee, Thoma fought off some tough pitches and eventually came through with a fly ball to right field. Strang scored the game-tying run easily after the throw was cutoff.

 

Lee Weld (3-4) did earn the win after bringing the ninth inning to an end and making a nice defensive play in the 10th. Following a leadoff single by Gerik Wallsten and an error by Montgomery at first base, EIU had two runners on with no outs. Matt Kucharski got a bunt down the third baseline, but Weld got to the ball quickly and threw it to third base in time to force out pinch runner Daniel Bracken.

 

Dillon Roark (1-4) retired the first two batters of the 10th but was unable to get either SIU's No. 8 and 9 hitters, who were a combined 0-for-7 entering the inning. Tony Lepore extended the frame with a single and Stalter delivered the game-deciding blast.

 

Three straight singles from Gee, Thoma and Ryan Dineen ignited a three-run rally in the second inning for the Panthers. Dineen picked up an RBI on his infield single after both of his teammates moved up a base on an unusual failed pickoff attempt.

 

When Dineen was unable to get a bunt down on the first pitch of his at-bat, SIU catcher Brian Bajer threw behind Gee at second. Gee broke for third base on the throw and slid in safely. Thoma got a late break when the throw went to third, but was able to avoid the tag with a nice slide to the outfield side of the bag.

 

George Kalousek plated Thoma with a squeeze bunt and Kucharski picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice after an error extended the inning. Kucharski also delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the sixth inning to knock in an insurance run.

 

The Panthers return to action Saturday when they host UT Martin at 1 p.m. for an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader.