Box Score |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Illinois and Belmont played a tight ball game in their series finale, but it was the Panthers who were able to grind out a 7-3 win on Saturday.
Eastern Illinois improved to 8-27 (4-11 OVC) with the win, while Belmont dropped to 16-18 (11-7 OVC).
Joseph Duncan got the EIU offense started early as he led off the game with a solo home run to center field and put the Panthers ahead 1-0 in the first inning. Belmont tied the score at one during the bottom-half of the inning.
The Panthers kept their offense rolling into the second inning as
Josh Turnock worked a four-pitch walk and
Frankie Perrone followed with a single to put the runners on first and second with no outs.
Andrew Curran moved the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt and Duncan brought home Turnock with an RBI groundout to give the Panthers the lead once again at 2-1.
Turnock extended the EIU lead to 3-1 with a lead-off solo home run to begin the fourth inning.
Belmont rallied back to tie the score at three with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Bruins worked the bases loaded against the Panthers and brought home their first run in the inning on an RBI single from Drake Byrd. Ben Kocher brought home the game-tying run on the next play with an RBI fielder's choice.
Logan Beaman got the Panthers started in the top of the fifth with a walk and moved up to third base on a pair of wild pitches. Following a
Matt Albert walk to put runners on the corners,
Hunter Beetley delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to plate Beaman. Perrone roped a ground-rule double later in the inning that bounced over the wall in right-center field and put Eastern Illinois ahead, 5-3.
The Panthers added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI groundout from Govern and another run in the ninth on a
Matt Albert solo home run to take a 7-3 advantage into the final half-inning. The extra run support was more than enough for EIU pitcher
Michael McCormick as he shut down the Belmont offense and sealed the 7-3 decision.
McCormick scattered five hits over five scoreless innings of relief to earn the win on the mound for the Panthers.
Three Panthers – Perrone, Albert and Turnock – all finished the game with multiple hits, led by Perrone's 4-for-5 day at the plate. Albert and Turnock finished the game with three hits each.
EIU baseball will return to action on Tuesday with a non-conference contest at Butler.
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