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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois (27-12, 8-5 OVC) take game one of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Tennessee Tech (21-18, 5-8 OVC) by a final score of 12-6. Chris Worcester and Dalton Doyle both post three hits in the win. Logan Eickhoff, Nicholas Rucker, and Doyle all hit home runs including two two-run blasts from Rucker and Doyle. Starting pitcher Trevor Nicholson went 3.0 innings while allowing six hits, two runs, and posted five strikeouts. Mac Hickman picks up the win for EIU to move him to 4-0 on the year. Hayden Birdsong also posted four strikeouts in three innings of work for the Panthers. Eastern now has their most wins in a season since the 2012 season.

QUICK STATS
Dalton Doyle: 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R
Chris Worcester: 3-4: RBI, R, HBP
Logan Eickhoff: 2-5, HR, 3BI, 2 R, BB
Trevor Nicholson: ND, 3.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K
Mac Hickman: W (4-0), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Hayden Birdsong: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Both teams held tough in the first inning on defense. In the top of the inning, the Panthers had two runners on with two hits from Lincoln Riley and Ryan Ignoffo, but the Golden Eagles got out of the inning with no damage. Tennessee Tech then loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but Nicholson got out of the inning with two strikeouts.
 
EIU got the scoring going in the top of the second with their first of two four run innings. After Rucker was hit-by-pitch and a walk by Grant Lashure, Doyle doubled down the line to score one. Riley followed that up with a single up the middle to score two. Eickhoff ended the inning with a single to score Lucas DiLuca to go up 4-0.
 
The Panthers scored another four runs in the third off of two two-run home runs by Rucker and Doyle. EIU scored four runs on three hits in the third. TTU got on the board off of Nicholson in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run by Jason Hinchman.
 
Eickhoff hit a solo home run to lead-off the fourth inning off of Matthew Meadows. In the bottom of the fourth with bases loaded, Mac Hickman entered the game on the mound for the Panthers. After a double play and a intentional walk, Golston Gillespie brought home a run with an RBI walk. Hickman would get a strikeout to end the inning.
 
Tennessee Tech would add another run in the fifth inning after Ed Johnson grounded out to third base to bring home John Dyer. EIU would hold their lead at 9-3 heading into the sixth.
 
Eickhoff and Nathan Aide would be the runners on the corners in the sixth for EIU when Worcester hit a single to center field to score another run and extend their lead. Hayden Birdsong would enter the game in the sixth and strikeout three straight Golden Eagles to end the inning.
 
The Panthers added two more runs in the seventh inning. Eickhoff stepped up the bat with the bases loaded and hit into a fielder's choice to score Lashure. Doyle would then score on the fielder's choice off an error by the second baseman to put EIU up 12-3. Dyer would hit a lead-off homerun in the seventh to cut the lead to 12-4.
 
EIU would have the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, but the TTU defense held tough to put a zero on the board. Birdsong finished the eighth with three straight fly outs to keep the Panthers up eight.
 
Jason DeCicco entered the game in the ninth for the Panthers on the mound. Tennessee Tech would start the inning with a two-run home run off of DeCicco by Luke Jones. EIU ended the game without any more runs.
 
The Panthers scored 12 runs on 14 hits with zero errors. TTU would score six runs on 13 hits and had one error. Game one of a double header will start tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Both games with be streamed on ESPN+ and will have LiveStats.