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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Panther baseball team was shutout for the fifth time this season, dropping the series finale at SIU Edwardsville, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Simmons Complex. EIU falls to 8-13 (1-2 OVC) on the year.
 
“We had such a tough loss on Friday night so I thought we came back and did really well on Saturday,” said Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz. “In two of the games this weekend, we only scored one run. We have guys who are not hitting right now and that's hurting us.”
 
Three Cougar pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter against the Panthers. Thad Hawkins (1-0) surrendered the lone hit, pitching six scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Brian Lorenz pitched two hitless innings while Dustin Quattrocchi posted his sixth save of the year for the Cougars.
 
Ryan Dineen collected the Panthers lone hit, posting a one-out double in the top of the fourth inning. EIU's hitters combined to strike out seven times in the contest.
 
Joel Greatting hit a two-RBI double up the middle in the bottom of the third inning, giving SIU Edwardsville the only two runs it would need to win the opening Ohio Valley Conference series for both teams. Mitch Matecki also added a 3-for-4 plate performance for the Cougars with a run scored.
 
Troy Barton (3-2) took the loss for EIU, allowing six hits and two runs in six innings of action. He posted three walks and three strikeouts. Darin Worman pitched the final two innings and only allowed one hit.
 
SIU Edwardsville posted six more hits (7-1) than EIU and left three more runners on base (7-4). Neither team committed an error in the contest.
 
“Playing 21 games on the road has been long and hard on everyone,” said Schmitz. “We are excited to be back at home this and have back-to-back OVC series at home starting with Southeast Missouri this weekend.”
 
The Panthers return to action on Tuesday, March 27 in their opener against Saint Louis at 3 p.m. EIU will play eight of its next 10 contests inside Coaches Stadium.