Game One: BOX (PDF)  |  BOX (HTML)
Game Two: BOX (PDF)  |  BOX (HTML)

Photo Gallery by Sandy King

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Panther baseball team split a two-game Ohio Valley Conference series with Austin Peay on Saturday, April 8 at Coaches Stadium. EIU improves to 12-16 (4-4 OVC) on the year.
 
“Our motto heading into the weekend was 'finding a way to win a tough game'”, said Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz. “I was really impressed how the guys bounced back after the tough loss in game one. The team could have put its head down after the miscue in the outfield, but they didn't.
 
“We played two really great games against arguably the best team in the conference.”
 
GAME ONE: APSU 8, EIU 7 (17 innings)
In a game that took five hours and forty minutes over the course of two days, Austin Peay broke open a 7-7 tie in the top of the 17^th inning on a two-out RBI single by Cody Hudson to make the score 8-7. The contest was started on Friday, April 6 at 3 p.m. before being halted shortly after 7 p.m. due to darkness in the 13^th inning.
 
Brant Valach hit his first career homerun in the bottom of the second inning, driving in three runs to give EIU an early 3-0 advantage. Austin Peay responded in the top of the next frame by tying the contest at three on four hits and one EIU error.
 
Another home run, this time a two-run shot by T.J. McManus, put the Panthers up 5-3 in the bottom of the third. The Governors again fought back and tied the game at five by scoring one run in each the fourth and fifth innings.
 
The Panthers pushed its advantage to 7-5 by scoring a single run in the bottom of the fifth and seventh inning's before Austin Peay knotted the game at seven in the ninth.
 
The Governors posted five more hits (17-12) than EIU and committed one more error (3-2). Austin Peay also stranded one more base runner (16-15).
 
Troy Barton (4-3) took the loss, throwing the final five innings of the contest. He threw a career-high eight strikeouts and only surrendered one hit. Mike Hoekstra started the game and went six innings with seven strikeouts while allowing five runs (two earned) and 10 hits.
 
A total of four Panther pitchers saw action in the extra-inning affair. All told, the staff combined to throw 20 strikeouts on the day to only five walks.
 
Valach led the team at the plate, going 3-for-8 with three RBI and a run scored. Nick Priessman added four hits and McManus scored a team-high two runs.
 
Zane Leffew (2-1) picked up the win, walking three and allowing two hits in 2.1 innings. Andy Cox pitched the final inning and recorded his first save of the year. Offensively, Hudson led the team with three RBI and two hits while Reed Harper went 4-for-8 at the plate with two runs and an RBI.
 
GAME TWO: EIU 2, APSU 1 (9 innings)
With two outs and runners on first and second base in the bottom of the ninth, George Kalousek pinch hit for Nathan Sopena and drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single to give the Panthers a 2-1 win in the second extra-inning contest of the weekend. Due to the OVC halted and suspended game policy, the game was intended to be a seven-inning affair.
 
Priessman gave the Panthers a 1-0 advantage in the third inning with two-out RBI single up the middle to score Caleb Howell. Austin Peay tied the game in the top of the sixth inning with an Austin Atwell two-out RBI single.
 
EIU posted one more hit (7-6) than the Governors but committed one more miscue (1-0). Austin Peay left two more runners on base (10-8) in the loss.
 
Luke Bushur (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, only surrendering one hit in the final 2.2 innings. Christian Slazinik started the game and went six innings with four strikeouts.
 
Priessman led the team at the plate as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Valach also added two hits in the win.
 
Casey Delgado (4-3) took the loss for Austin Peay, walking four and allowing two runs in 8.2 innings of action. Both Harper and P.J. Torres posted two hits for the Governors.
 
The Panthers return to action at in-state rival Illinois at 6:05 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10. EIU won both meetings between the two squads a year ago.