Game One Box Score |
Game Two Box Score
CHARLESTON, Ill. – After Morehead State picked up the win, 23-7, in the opening game of a twin bill at Coaches Stadium on Friday afternoon, Eastern Illinois flipped the script, large in part to solid pitching and timely hitting and earned a 5-1 victory in the night cap to even the series. The two teams are expected to complete their series tomorrow at Coaches Stadium at 1 p.m., weather permitting.
After the split, Eastern Illinois moves to 8-37 (3-20 OVC), with Morehead State moving to 27-21 (13-10 OVC).
Game One: Morehead State 23, Eastern Illinois 7
The Morehead State offense came alive in the later innings in the first game of the doubleheader at Coaches Stadium on Friday. Morehead State scored 17 runs in the final three innings to take game one over Eastern Illinois by a score of 23-7.
With runners on the corners, Morehead State scored their first run in an unusual way. A balk called against Eastern Illinois allowed the Morehead State runners to move up an extra 90 feet and brought home the first run of the game. Morehead State scored another run later in the inning on a Tyler Niemann single to give the Eagles a 2-0 advantage.
The Panthers cut into the Morehead State lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Mitch Gassbarro doubled into left center and came around to score easily on the
Demetre Taylor triple down the left field line to put the score at 2-1.
Morehead State would extend their lead with three runs in the second inning and another run in the fifth inning.
The Eagles offense began to pull away in the top of the seventh inning with six runs.
The Panthers answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. After
Hunter Morris drew a walk,
Nick Maton doubled to left center to put runners on second and third.
Dane Toppel plated Morris with a sacrifice fly.
Tyler Tesmond came on as a pinch hitter and the move worked out in the Panthers' favor. Tesmond squared up a double to left field and brought home Maton to put the score at 12-3.
After Morehead State got two runs back in the top of the eighth, the Panthers once again answered with a pair of runs of their own in the bottom half of the eighth inning.
Frankie Perrone was hit by a pitch and
Zack Forney worked a walk to put runners on first and second for Morris. Morris came through with a two-run double to left center.
Morehead State once again had a big inning, scoring nine runs in the top of the ninth.
The Panthers would not go down without a fight in the bottom of the ninth inning as Perrone hit a two-run shot over the wall in left center, but Morehead State would get the next batter out to end the game at 23-7.
Brendon Allen took the loss for the Panthers allowing nine runs over six innings of work.
Tesmond, Gasbarro, Perrone, Morris, and Maton all finished with two hits each for Eastern Illinois.
Game Two: Eastern Illinois 5, Morehead State 1
Game two of the twin bill had a different story than the first game. The Panthers received solid pitching outings from
Matt Wivinis and
Andy Fisher and controlled the Morehead State high scoring offense only allowing one run, as Eastern Illinois evened the series with a 5-1 win in game two of the doubleheader.
Jason Scholl put Eastern Illinois on the board first in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run to lead off the frame.
The Panthers extended their lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a single by Perrone and a walk to Scholl the Panthers had runners on first and second. A wild pitch allowed the pair to move up an extra base. Eastern Illinois would take advantage of the runners in scoring position as Tesmond plated Perrone on a sacrifice fly and increased the lead to 2-0.
After being held scorless for the first six innings, the Morehead State offense would finally get to the EIU starter Wivinis in the top of the seventh. With a runner on second base, Jesus Carrera singled through the right side of the EIU defense and gave Morehead State their first run of the game. Fisher came on in relief and ended the Morehead State threat.
Back-to-back doubles by
Joseph Duncan and Toppel gave the Panthers their first run of the inning in the bottom of the seventh. Taylor would add another run for Eastern Illinois with an RBI single that found a hole in the right side of the Morehead State infield and extended the EIU lead to 4-1.
The Panthers would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Scholl got the inning started with a walk and moved into scoring position on a
Matt Dunavant sacrifice bunt. Maton singled up the middle to plate Scholl and moved the score to 5-1.
Fisher worked a scoreless ninth inning and gave the Panthers a 5-1 win in game two of the doubleheader.
Wivinis was virtually untouchable as he earned the win for Eastern Illinois. Wivinis allowed just one run in 6.2 innings of work. Fisher tossed 2.1 innings of one-hit baseball to pick up his third save of the season.
Gasbarro and Taylor led the offense going 2-for-4 each.
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