Game One | Game Two | Photo Gallery (By Sandy King)
 
The Eastern Illinois baseball team played host to UT Martin in a doubleheader to open their conference series on Friday. The two teams would split the doubleheader with UT Martin taking the first game and EIU taking the second.
 
Game One: UT Martin 9, EIU 4
 
The Skyhawks were able to get on the board in the top of the third inning when Ethan Whitley hit a solo homerun to center field.
 
The Panthers would answer back in the bottom of the third inning when Tyler Tesmond drove in Trey Sweeney with a sacrifice fly.
 
UT Martin would rally in the top of the sixth inning, jumping out to a 4-1 lead.
 
Jimmy Govern would hit one of his two homeruns in the game during the bottom of the sixth to cut the UT Martin lead to two runs.
 
Blake Davis would hit a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning to extend the Skyhawks lead to 8-2.
 
Govern would hit his second homerun of the game belting a solo homerun to left field for the Panthers third run of the game. The Panthers were able to score one in the bottom of the ninth but came up short to the Skyhawks.
 
Michael YaSenka got the start on the mound for the Panthers in the first game of the doubleheader.  YaSenka tossed 6.2 innings with nine strikeouts. YaSenka suffered the loss on the mound, dropping to 3-5 on the season.
 
Game Two: EIU 16, UT Martin 5
 
The Skyhawks kicked off the second game of the doubleheader with a two-run first inning.
 
The Panthers would grab the lead in the bottom of the first with a five run inning. Hunter Morris drove in the first run for the Panthers drawing a bases-loaded walk. Ryan Knernschield would follow-up with a two-run single to left center. Dane Toppel kept the rally alive with a one run single through the left side. The Panthers would score their fifth run of the inning when Tesmond would score on a throwing error by Davis.
 
The Panthers kept the offensive pressure in the bottom of the second inning adding three runs. Govern drove in the first run for the Panthers with a sacrifice fly to right field. Morris would hit his eighth homerun of the season belting a two-run homer to left center.
 
The Skyhawks were able to score one run in the top of the third inning to cut the score to 8-3.
 
Billy Edwards would give UT Martin their fourth run of the game in the top of the fourth with a solo homerun to center.
 
Pena would kickoff the bottom of the fourth inning with a leadoff homerun to centerfield. The Panthers would rally to score four runs in the bottom of the fourth.
 
The Panthers would score three in the bottom of the sixth to take a 15-5 lead.
 
EIU would score their 16th run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Keith Kerrigan sacrifice fly.
 
Blake Malatestinic earned his first start of the season for the Panthers in game two of the doubleheader. Malatestinic tossed 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts. Malatestinic picked up his second win of the season.