JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Alex Gee homered for the fourth time in the last three games and Mike Recchia and Troy Barton teamed up for eight shutout frames after a rough first inning, leading Eastern Illinois baseball to a 10-3 victory at Jacksonville State Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series.

The Panthers (14-31, 9-11 OVC) scored six times in the third inning to take the lead for good. It was EIU's second biggest scoring output in an inning this season. Zach Borenstein, Gerik Wallsten and Gee each delivered a run-scoring hit in the frame. Those three players finished the series with a combined 18 RBIs.

 

Eastern was the lone road team to win around the OVC Sunday. The victory moved EIU into fifth place in the conference standings with two weekends remaining before the conference tournament. The top six teams in the final standing qualify for the OVC Tournament.

Recchia (5-5) gave up only four hits in his seven innings while striking out nine, matching his season high. Barton closed out the game with a pair of scoreless innings.

Gee's his fourth home run of the series came with Richie Derbak aboard with two outs in the first inning. Gee also delivered run-scoring singles in the third and eighth innings to finish the series 6-for-13 with nine RBIs.

 

“[Gee] has really worked hard,” EIU head coach Jim Schmitz said. “He struggled early in the year but he kept working. He's not just playing out his senior year, which makes for a really neat story. Sometimes when the team isn't having a great year, you just want to graduate and move on, but not him. He was hitting everything, no matter where they were trying to pitch him.”

 

The Panthers out hit JSU 40-28 in the series. Cam Strang and Shawn Ferguson both had three hits Sunday. Derbak and Strang each finished the series with seven hits.

 

“Trying to get these guys up for today was tough,” Schmitz said. “Just the tone of the dugout and pregame was impressive because the first loss Saturday was hardest of the whole season (blowing a 10-5 lead). We just gave it away. And that seventh inning, we still can't even figure out what happened. But we responded – even in game two yesterday, making it 7-5 after going down 6-0.

 

“I thought we responded so well. We made some great plays and played really well down here. Losing two-of-three is not what we came down here to do but the way we've been swinging the bats lately is real encouraging. It was not a lucky win today.”

 

Recchia was unable to retire any of the first four JSU batters of the game. But after giving up back-to-back run-scoring singles, he got Jake Sharrock to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. The Gamecocks (23-21, 10-7 OVC) took the lead on the twin killing but it also cleared the bases. From that point on, Recchia allowed only five hitters to reach base the rest of his outing.

 

Recchia set down JSU in order in the second, third and fifth innings. He struck out the side in the fourth inning, fanning Matt McLaughlin with the bases loaded and two outs. It was the third of four occasions in which he struck out the final batter of an inning.

 

Barton gave up a pair of singles but struck out three in his two innings of relief.

 

Ferguson singled twice in the six-run third inning, igniting the rally with a leadoff base hit. While Borenstein's two-run single after a sacrifice bunt by Derbak gave EIU the lead back, the key play of the frame proved to be a throwing error by JSU catcher Andrew Edge.

 

With Gee and Strang aboard, Ryan Dineen laid down a bunt along the third base line. Edge got to the ball but threw wildly down the right field line, allowing both runners to score and Dineen to take third. The play also led to a pitching change, as Jordan Beistline replaced starter Aaron Elias (0-1).

 

After a strikeout, Wallsten singled home Dineen to cap the scoring in the six-run inning and put EIU in front 8-3.

 

The Panthers tacked on insurance runs after sacrifice bunts in the fifth and eighth innings. Strang led off the fifth with a single, Dineen bunted him into scoring position and Wallsten delivered another run-scoring base hit up the middle.

 

Matt Kucharski reached on an error to open the eighth. Derbak bunted him into scoring position and Gee came through with a two-out single up the middle.

The Panthers return to action Wednesday for a 6 p.m. midweek nonconference game at Illinois State.