Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After Eastern Illinois won an extra inning thriller in game two of the series the day before, the deciding game of the series between the Panthers and No. 12 Arkansas came down to the final inning. The Razorbacks defeated the Panthers with a bases loaded walk to win the series finale 3-2 in Fayetteville, Ark. EIU drops to 1-10 on the season, as No. 12 Arkansas improves to 10-2 overall. The Panthers will travel to Saint Louis on Tuesday, March 8, to face the Billikens.

For the second day in a row EIU jumped out front with a first inning lead. Dane Toppel got the inning started with a leadoff double down the left field line.  Toppel scored on the next play as Cale Hennemann singled down the right field line to put EIU ahead 1-0.

The Panthers added another run in the third inning which was started by a Joseph Duncan bunt single. Duncan moved up to second following an Arkansas error and moved up another 90 feet with a Toppel sacrifice bunt. Hennemann grounded out, but brought home Duncan for his second RBI of the game.

The Razorbacks earned a run back in the bottom half of the third inning. With two outs, three-straight batters reached base by ways of a walk, error, and hit by pitch. Clark Eagan put No. 12 Arkansas on the board with an RBI walk to mark the score at 2-1, still in favor of EIU.

The EIU pitching staff of Cole Berry, Brendon Allen, and Michael McCormick cruised through the first six innings giving up the lone run, but ran into trouble again in the seventh with McCormick on the mound.

In the bottom of the seventh the Razorbacks started the inning with runners on second and third following a walk and a double by Tucker Pennell. McCormick got the next Arkansas batter to ground out, but Jake Arledge tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly. McCormick induced another ground out to work out of the jam only allowing the one run.

The Arkansas pitching staff shut down the EIU offense in the eighth and ninth innings allowing just one base runner over the two-inning stretch.

Pennell started the bottom of the ninth for the home team with a leadoff single up the middle. Darien Simms came on as a pinch runner for Pennell. Arkansas worked three-straight walks with the final one to Cullen Gassaway brought home Simms for the winning run, giving No. 12 Arkansas a 3-2 victory.

Jason Euler (1-1) suffered his first loss of the year in one inning of relief. James Teague (2-1) picked up his second win of the year for No. 12 Arkansas going two innings of scoreless relief.

The Panthers recorded four hits in the game, as Toppel, Hennemann, Duncan, and Demetre Taylor record a hit each. Hennemann recorded both RBI for EIU.