THIBODAUX, La. - Eastern Illinois baseball (2-1) took the final game of the series against Nicholls State (1-2), 3-2. Panthers' shortstop
Trey Sweeney hit the go-ahead home run over the right-field wall to give the Panthers the lead.
Foster Anshutz entered the game and gave the Colonels nothing as he recorded his first save of the season. Panthers will next face Arkansas Little-Rock in a three-game series starting on Friday, Feb. 26, at 3 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- Trevor Nicholson recorded seven strikeouts in six innings pitched.Â
- Hayden Birdsong pitched in his first game as a Panther.
- Birdsong recorded one strikeout in his one inning pitched.
- Nick Laxner recorded his first win as a member of the Panthers after pitching two scoreless innings.Â
- Foster Anshutz recorded his first save of the season after pitching one inning and allowing no hits.
- Grant Emme hit two doubles in five at-bats.
- Trey Sweeney hit his first home run of the season and first RBI of the season.
- Christian Pena managed two hits in five at-bats and recorded an RBI.
- Logan Eickhoff recorded two hits in four at-bats.
- Ryan Knernschield recorded his second RBI of the season.
- Dalton Doyle and Ben Snapp both recorded a hit in today's game.
GAME THREE
The Panthers couldn't get much of a rally going in the early going despite a rope to right-center from Emme that put him at second base with one out. Nicholls State responded with a double of their own, which turned into an early 1-0 lead following a Panther error.
Emme returned to the batter's box in the third inning and pulled the ball down the left-field line to sit him at second base with one out once again. Pena exited the on-deck circle to single past the shortstop and bring Emme home to tie the game 1-1.Â
Nicholson was having a solid outing on the mound, as he had allowed no earned runs up to the fifth inning. A double and single allowed the Colonels to put another on the board to regain the lead 2-1. Nicholson pitched one more inning and finished his day with seven strikeouts, allowed four hits, and one earned run.
In the eighth inning, the Panthers started with Eickhoff up to bat, who was then beaned to put a runner on first. Emme and Sweeney were unable to get anything going, which brought up the experience bat of Pena. Pena, once again, hit a shot past the shortstop and put runners on first and second. Knernschield came up clutch, knocking another base hit down the right-field line to tie the game up 2-2.
In the tenth, Eickhoff started the Panthers with a single but was caught stealing after a fly-out from Emme. This brought up Sweeney, who had struggled to put the bat on the ball in the series. Sweeney sat at a two and two count, waited for his pitch, and sent one over the right-field wall to put the Panthers dugout in a frenzy. Sweeney had given the Panthers the 3-2 lead with the series in the glove of Anshutz.
Anshutz entered the game and pitched to soft contact to record his first save of the season.
Nick Laxner recorded his first win as a member of the Panthers, and the team went home with their first series win of the season.Â
