COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois (28-13, 9-6 OVC) win the series at Tennessee Tech (22-19, 6-9) after a game three win by a final score of 14-9.
Logan Eickhoff and
Ryan Ignoffo both hit grand slams for the Panthers in game two on Saturday to lead EIU at the plate.
Kyle Lang picked up his second win of the season after throwing 2.1 innings and only allowing two hits and two runs.
Blake Malatestinic threw the last two innings in the win and struck out four.
Lincoln Riley, Eickhoff,
Dalton Doyle and
Ja'Lil Akbar all had multiple hits for the Panthers.
QUICK STATS
Logan Eickhoff: 3-4, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R
Ryan Ignoffo: 1-5, HR, 4 RBI, R
Dalton Doyle: 2-4, HR, RBI, 3 R, BB
Ja'Lil Akbar: 2-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Kyle Lang: W (2-0), 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, K
Blake Malatestinic: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 4 K
EIU got the scoring underway in the first inning in game two with an RBI single by Eickhoff to score
Lucas DiLuca. The Golden Eagles would get out of the inning leaving two Panthers stranded.
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After a scoreless inning by TTU,
Dalton Doyle and
Grant Lashure singled to start the second. After a sac bunt by Akbar, Riley grounded out to shortstop to score Doyle from third. Ky Hampton would strikeout one in a scoreless bottom of the second.
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Tennessee Tech took the lead after a three run third inning. Ed Johnson started the third with a two-run home run off of Hampton. Jason Hinchman followed Johnson by hitting a solo shot to give TTU the lead.
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EIU wouldn't be down for long in the fourth. With two outs, Akbar,
Lincoln Riley and DiLuca all reached safely to load the bases. Eickhoff stepped up and delivered his first grand slam of the season. Hampton would end the fourth with a double play to keep TTU off the board.
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The Golden Eagles would not go away as they would score four of their own in the fifth. Gabe Lacy and Ryan Guardino both hit two-run home runs in the fifth to put them in the lead by one.
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The Panthers kept the bats going in the sixth as Ignoffo hit the Panthers' second grand slam of the afternoon. Eickhoff, DiLuca, and Akbar all scored as EIU took the three run lead.
Kyle Lang kept the Golden Eagles off the board in the sixth.
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Two more Panthers would hit home runs in the seventh to extend their lead.
Dalton Doyle blasted a solo home run with one out in the seventh off of Jackson Berry. Two batters later Akbar hit his first home run of the season with a two-run shot to left center field. TTU would score two in the bottom of the inning with two back-to-back home runs from Hinchman and Guardino.
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Blake Malatestinic comes in the eighth inning and strikes two out to shut down TTU to enter the ninth. Riley gets one run in in the ninth after an RBI single up the middle. Malatestinic strikes out two in the ninth to secure the win for EIU.
EIU scored 14 runs on 12 hits with zero errors. TTU scored nine runs on 12 hits and no errors. The Panthers will be back next weekend when they host Morehead State at Coaches Stadium for EIU's first tru home game of the year.