Box ScoreCAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Eastern Illinois baseball team looked to shake off the tough loss they suffered on Saturday when the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The momentum carried over from the game before for SEMO as the Redhawks would earn a 20-7 victory to cap off the series sweep. The Panthers will host Illinois in a midweek contest in Mattoon, Ill. this Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Eastern Illinois drops to 5-30 (1-14 OVC). SEMO improves to 26-10 and a conference best 16-2 record in the OVC.
For the third-straight game in the series, the Southeast Missouri baseball team would use a four-run first inning to take the lead. With runners on second and third and no outs, the Redhawks' scoring threat would begin. An RBI groundout by Branden Goggetto brought home the first run of the game. Hunter Leeper followed with an RBI base knock of his own. A hit and a Panther error once again put runners at second and third for SEMO, but now with two outs in the inning. Chris Caffrey doubled to left center and drove in two runs to give SEMO a 4-0 lead after one inning played.
SEMO would extend their lead to 7-0 by scoring two runs in the second and another run in the fourth against Eastern Illinois pitching.
The Panthers began to close the gap in the top of the fifth inning.
Jason Scholl roped a double into left center to start the inning for EIU. Scholl scored on the next play on a
Nick Maton single up the middle.
Hunter Morris beat out an infield single, and Maton swipped third on the next play to put runners on the corners with no outs. The base running by Maton worked in favor for the Panthers as SEMO attempted to pickoff Morris at first, but a throwing error plated Maton and moved Morris up to second base. A sacrifice bunt moved Morris up to third and brought up
Joseph Duncan to the plate. Duncan, continuing his hot-hitting in the series, came through with a double to left field to score Morris and cut the SEMO lead to 7-3.
Eastern Illinois added another run to their total in the top of the sixth inning.
Demetre Taylor and Scholl both singled in the inning to put runners on the corners. The Panthers benefitted from a wild pitch on the next play as Taylor was able to score easily and move the score to 7-4.
SEMO responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brian Lees hit a two-run home run over the left center field wall and Boggetto hit an RBI double to right center to extend the Redhawks' lead to 10-4.
The Redhawks began to put the game away with eight runs on five hits in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Eastern Illinois bounced back with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth.
Mitch Gasbarro led off the inning with a single through the left side and moved up to second on a wild pitch. After a groundout sent Gasbarro to third,
Tyler Tesmond walked to put runners on the corners for EIU. A second wild pitch brought in Gasbarro. Later in the inning, a Maton single plated Tesmond and put the score at 18-6.
SEMO answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the eighth inning. Garrett Gandolfo hit a two-run home run to up the score to 20-6.
The Panthers did not go down quietly in the ninth inning, and took advantage of a pair of SEMO errors.
Dane Toppel doubled to lead-off the inning and moved up to third on the play after an error by the SEMO left fielder. An error by the SEMO third baseman brought home Toppel for the Panthers' final run of the game as the Redhawks completed the series sweep winning by a score of 20-7.
Ben Hughes took the loss on the mound for the Panthers allowing six runs in 1.1 innings pitched.
Scholl, Maton, and Toppel were the only Panthers to record multiple hits, totaling two hits apiece.Â
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