MUNCIE, Ind. -- Eastern Illinois men's tennis dropped a 6-1 road decision to Ball State on Saturday (Feb. 8), as the Panthers move to 1-2 on the early season.

After losing the important doubles point, Eastern managed to avoid the shutout with a singles win by senior Kevin Bauman.

In doubles, the team of sophomore Ryan Henderson and freshman Mortiz Kandt combined for an 8-4 No. 2 victory, while Kandt would push his No. 1 Cardinal opponent to the limit before falling in a three set tiebreaker at the top of the lineup.

"I thought we did some very good things in doubles and we had opportunities in every match today," said EIU men's coach Eric Stark. "I thought Rui (Silva) was excellent today in doubles, as he showed the most aggressive net play I've seen from him, while Henderson and Silva played excellent doubles pro-set.

Bauman improved his career mark to 23-22 behind his 7-6, 6-4 straight set win over his respective No. 5 singles opponent.

"In singles, we tended to play inconsistently," Stark added. "We had opportunities but just didn't capitalize. We have got to do a better job overall as a team with making the right decisions in the right situations.

"I loved what I saw from Kevin (Bauman)," continued Stark. "Despite hurting and a bit fatigued, he finished strong in a very physical match. Down 4-0 in the second, he changed some things up and you could see it in his eyes that he was going to come back.

"I'm hoping the team responds to that kind of effort and we can use this as a stepping stone for the rest of the season. I can't wait to see how they respond in tomorrow's match," Stark said.

Eastern returns to the court Sunday (Feb. 9), with a 10:45 a.m. contest at Saint Francis (Ill.).

EIU Men at BSU Men
Feb. 8, 2014 at Muncie, Ind.
(Muncie YMCA)

Ball State 6, Eastern Illinois 1

Singles
1. Ray Leonard (BSU) def. Moritz Kandt (EIU) - 6-7, 6-4, 10-7
2. Patrick Elliott (BSU) def. Ryan Henderson (EIU) - 6-4, 6-4
3. Austin Smith (BSU) def. Rui Silva (EIU) - 6-0, 6-2
4. Lucas Andersen (BSU) def. Robert Skolik (EIU) - 6-4, 6-0
5. Kevin Bauman (EIU) def. Patrick Downs (BSU) - 7-6, 6-4
6. Andrew Stutz (BSU) def. Grant Thompson (EIU) - 6-0, 6-1

Doubles
1. Leonard/Elliott (BSU)) def. Skolik/Bauman (EIU) - 8-5
2. Henderson/Silva (EIU) def. Andersen/Smith (BSU) - 8-4
3. Stutz/Downs (BSU) def. Kandt/David Constantinescu (EIU) - 8-7

Match Notes:
Eastern Illinois 1-2
Ball State 4-1

Order of finish:  Doubles (1,2,3*) ... Singles (6,4,3*,2,1,5)

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID