Box Score |
CHARLESTON, Ill. – After Eastern Illinois gave up their lead during the middle innings of game two against Southeast Missouri on Saturday, the Panthers scored twice in the bottom of the eighth and earned a 5-4 comeback win against the Redhawks to even the series at 1-1.
Eastern Illinois (6-24, 3-8 OVC) and Southeast Missouri (16-13, 7-7 OVC) will play the rubber game to decide a series winner on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Coaches Stadium.
The Panthers started the game out hot striking first in the bottom of the first inning. Back-to-back singles by
Joseph Duncan and
Jimmy Govern put a pair of runners on for the Panthers to get things started. SEMO's pitcher Justin Murphy made a nice play on a bunt by
Logan Beaman and threw Duncan out at third on the attempt. Eastern Illinois kept rolling however as
Dougie Parks doubled to left field to score both Govern and Beaman. After a groundout and a wild pitch, Parks moved up to third base and came around to score on a
Nicholas McCormick RBI single to put the Panthers ahead, 3-0.
EIU starter
Michael McCormick held the Redhawks hitless throughout the first three innings, but ran into some trouble in the fourth. Chris Osborne and Dan Holst knocked back-to-back doubles to give SEMO their first run of the game. After a wild pitch, Holst came around to score on a Tristen Gagan sacrifice fly and cut the EIU lead to 3-2.
SEMO kept applying the pressure against the Panthers in the fifth inning as the Redhawks rallied with two outs. An EIU error kept the inning alive for the Redhawks as Osborne and Holsts hit back-to-back singles, with Holst's base hit scoring a runner on the play. Gagan plated Osborne with an RBI double and gave SEMO a 4-3 advantage.
The Redhawks appeared as if they would break the game open in the top of the eighth as SEMO had the bases loaded with no outs, but
Alex Stevenson got the next three batters out to keep the score at 4-3. The Panthers carried their momentum from the top of the inning into the bottom-half as Duncan started a rally reaching base on a SEMO error. Govern got hit by the next pitch to put a pair of runners on for the Panthers. A wild pitch moved Duncan and Govern up to second and third ahead of Beaman. Beaman came through with a clutch two-run single to right field and gave the Panthers the lead once again at 5-4. Stevenson shut down the Redhawks in the ninth and gave EIU the 5-4 win.
Six Panthers – Duncan, Govern, Beaman, Parks,
Nicholas McCormick and
Justin Smith – all recorded one hit each for Eastern Illinois.
Stevenson picked up his team-high third win of the season as the freshman scattered four hits over four scoreless frames.
