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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois baseball picked up their seventh win in a row after a earning an 8-7 comeback win over Indiana State on Tuesday at Coaches Stadium. The Panthers are now 14-27 on the year, while Indiana State dropped to 18-20 overall.
Indiana State broke the scoring column first with a run in the top of the opening inning, but the Panthers responded right back to tie the game in the bottom-half of the frame.
Joseph Duncan doubled into the gap in right-center field to open up the inning and moved up to third on a groundout.
Logan Beaman brought home Duncan soon after with an RBI groundout of his own to tie the game at one.
Indiana State regained the lead in the top of the third on a Dane Giesler lead-off solo home run. Kyle Moore followed the Giesler with a two-out triple and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Sycamores a 3-1 advantage.
Eastern Illinois had another answer for Indiana State in the bottom of the third.
Ryan Knernschield and Duncan recorded back-to-back singles to start the inning for the Panthers.
Jimmy Govern drove in Knernschield with an RBI double to pull the Panthers within one. Beaman followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to tie the score at three as Govern moved up to third on the play. Govern trotted home on a two-run blast off the bat of
Dougie Parks as the Panthers overtook the lead at 5-3.
The Sycamores responded in the next half-inning to tie the score at five. After Giesler was hit by a pitch with two away in the inning, Tony Rosselli tied the game with a two-run home run to left.
Frankie Perrone gave the Panthers a 6-5 advantage as the redshirt junior outfielder tripled and scampered home on a passed ball in the bottom of the fourth inning.
After a quiet fifth and sixth inning from both squads, Indiana State got things going again in the top of the seventh. The Sycamores opened up the frame with four-straight singles to overtake the lead at 7-6.
The EIU comeback began in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Andrew Curran led off the inning getting hit by a pitch and moved up to third following a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. Duncan brought home Curran as the game-tying run with an RBI double into the gap in left-center field. Govern bounced a ball through the left-side of the Indiana State infield and brought home the game-winning run in Duncan.
Alex Stevenson closed the door on the Sycamores in the ninth as the freshman shut down Indiana State in order in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Devin Rose earned his second win of the season in four innings of relief. Rose allowed just two runs while on the bump.
Duncan finished the day with a four-hit game to lead the EIU offense. Govern and Knernschield added two hits each for the Panthers in the win.
The Panthers will wrap up their six-game home stand with a non-conference contest against Saint Louis on Wednesday. Tomorrow's game has been moved up an hour and will now start at 2 p.m.
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