LAKE CHARLES, La. – Eastern Illinois (13-4) wins the third game of their three game series against McNeese State (11-10) by a final score of 7-6. EIU was trailing 6-3 in the top of the seventh when
Lincoln Riley hit a three RBI triple to tie the game.
Lucas DiLuca had the go ahead RBI to put the Panthers up one. Starting pitcher
Blake Malatestinic went 2.2 innings and gave up five earned runs on eight hits. DiLuca added three more hits to his total this week, and extended his hitting streak to 14.
QUICK STATS:
Lucas DiLuca: 3-6, 2 RBI
Lincoln Riley: 1-5, 3B, 3 RBI, BB
Logan Eickhoff: 2-5, RBI, R, BB
Dalton Doyle: 2-3, 2B, R, 2 BB
Jesse Wainscott: W (1-1), 2.2 IP, 0 R, H, 2 K
Zane Robbins: S (5), 1.0 IP, H, K
Malatestinic and Chance Stone for McNeese State both had solid innings on the mound through the first inning. Each pitcher allowed only one hit and left runners on base to leave the score tied after one.
Panthers would have two runners on in the second with
Chris Worcester (single) and Doyle (walk), but failed to convert any runs out of it. The Cowboys would get on the board though with an RBI scoring double play by Nate Collins. Malatestinic would get out of the inning while stranding one at second.
Ignoffo would answer the run scored by McNeese State as he hit an RBI single to score Eickhoff. It wouldn't take long for the Cowboys to regain the lead as they would go on to score four runs in the third. Malatestinic would give up a fielder's choice RBI, and a two-run homerun before his exit.
Tyler Conklin would then go on the mound and give up an RBI double to Braden Duhon to make the score 5-1.
Panthers would threaten in the fourth as they had bases loaded, but the Cowboys would end the inning without surrendering any runs. McNeese State would add one more run in the fourth inning to make it 6-1 after a wild pitch by Conklin.
Eastern Illinois would start to battle back in the top of the sixth as DiLuca would hit an infield single to score
Ben Gallaher, and Eickhoff would hit into a groundout at third but still managed to score
Bryce Hayman from third to move the score to 6-3.
The seventh inning saw the Panthers' bats come alive as they would take the lead in the top half of the inning.
Nathan Aide started the inning off with a walk and was followed by a single from Worcester and a bunt single from Doyle. After a strikeout and a fielder's choice to get Aide out at home, Riley would step in an hit a triple to center field to clear the bases and tie the game. Shortly after, DiLuca picked up his third single of the game to score Riley from third to get the go-ahead RBI and erase a four run deficit.
Wainscott would close out the bottom of the eighth without any base runners, and Robbins would earn his fifth save of the season after going three-up three down. Catcher
Grant Lashure was able to throw out a runner at second to clear the bases, and lead the way for a pop-up to left field to close the game.
EIU would post seven runs on 13 hits and had two errors. McNeese State would have six runs on 15 hits and one error. The Panthers will be back on Tuesday as they have their first home game of the season against Bellarmine in Rantoul, Ill. at 5:00 p.m. at the Rantoul Family Sports Complex.
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