Box Score |
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois baseball knocked seven home runs compared to Illinois-Springfield's three and earned an 18-11 victory over the Prairie Stars on Tuesday at Coaches Stadium.
The seven home runs marks the most in the game this season for the Panthers as
Joseph Duncan and
Jimmy Govern hit two home runs each, while
Matt Albert,
Nicholas McCormick and
Frankie Perrone belted one each. Eastern Illinois came up just three home runs shy of tying the school record of 10 that was set back during the 2003 season.
Eastern Illinois improved to 7-25 after the win, while Illinois-Springfield fell to 19-13.
UIS started the first inning with runners on the corners and just one out in the inning. A wild pitch brought home the first run of the game for the Prairie Stars. Trey Hannam followed the wild pitch with an RBI double and gave UIS a 2-0 advantage.
Duncan cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first with a lead-off solo home run. McCormick tied the game at two in the second with a solo home run of his own.
Michael Rothmund gave the Prairie Stars the lead once again as he led off the third inning with a solo shot over the wall in left-center field. UIS followed the home run with a pair of walks and a base hit to load the bases against the Panthers. Drew Harper brought home another run after getting hit by a pitch. Chris Mathieu put UIS ahead, 5-2, on an RBI fielder's choice.
Govern cut the deficit to two at 5-3 with a solo home run in the bottom-half of the third inning.
After UIS extended their lead to 7-3 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, Eastern Illinois answered back in the bottom of the frame. Perrone belted a solo home run to start the inning for the Panthers.
Andrew Curran got hit by a pitch to keep the inning going for EIU. Duncan followed the Curran hit-by-pitch with his second home run of the game to cut the UIS lead to 7-6.
After the EIU defense held UIS scoreless in the top of the fifth, the Panthers carried their momentum into the bottom of the inning. The Panthers belted a home run for the fifth-straight inning as Albert got the inning going with a lead-off solo shot over the wall in left. McCormick reached base on a UIS error and Perrone followed with a walk to put runners at first and second for EIU. After a groundout moved the runners up to second and third, Curran produced a sacrifice fly to plate McCormick and gave the Panthers their first lead of the game at 8-7.
Rothmund tied the score at eight as he homered for the second time in the game to lead off the sixth for UIS. UIS took advantage of a pair of walks and moved the runners up to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. A passed ball put the Prairie Stars ahead once again by a score of 9-8. UIS added an insurance run later in the inning on an RBI double from Harper.
Eastern Illinois broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. After a pair of Panthers got hit by a pitch,
Ryan Knernschield cut the UIS lead to one with an RBI single. Eastern Illinois worked the bases loaded against the UIS pitching staff and overtook the lead, 13-10, on a grand slam off the bat of Govern.
Illinois-Springfield added a run to their total in the top of the eighth on a solo home run from Ben Schanding, but the Panthers answered back with their second-straight five-run inning.
Dougie Parks started the frame with a hit-by-pitch and advanced to third on a double by Albert. McCormick drove in the first run of the inning on an RBI sacrifice fly. Following a walk from Curran, Duncan drew a bases-loaded walk to plate another run. Govern cleared the bases once again with a three-run single as the EIU pitching staff held the UIS offense scoreless in the ninth and gave the Panthers the 18-11 decision.
Govern led the EIU offense as he finished the game 3-for-6 at the dish and a career-high eight RBIs. The eight RBIs marked the first time a Panthers drove in six or more runs in a game since Brant Valach drove in seven runs during the 2015 season.
Duncan, Albert, Knernschield and
Logan Beaman finished the game with two hits each.
Michael Starcevich earned the win on the mound for the Panthers as he allowed just one run in two innings pitched.
The Panthers will look to carry their momentum into their OVC series at Belmont this weekend. The series at Belmont will begin on Thursday.
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