TALLAHASSEE, Fl. -Â Eastern Illinois (2-0, 0-0 OVC) wins their opening weekend series at Florida A&M (0-2, 0-0 SWAC) after taking game two of a three game series by a final score of 4-3.
Ryan Ignoffo earns the save on the mound after throwing the final three frames and striking out four Rattlers.
Nicholas Rucker was the only Panther with multiple hits in the ballgame after going two for three with a double and a RBI. The Panthers last won an opening weekend series in 2021 when they took two of three games from Nicholls State.
QUICK STATS
Nicholas Rucker: 2-3, RBI, 2B, BB
Lincoln Riley: 1-4, RBI, R, BB
Tyler Conklin: W (1-0), 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4, H 3 K
Ryan Ignoffo: S (1), 3.0 IP, ER, 1 H, 4 K
Eastern Illinois took advantage of early mistakes in the first inning by the Rattlers after
Lincoln Riley and Ignoffo were both walked. After
Cole Gober grounded out to advance the runners, Riley and Ignoffo would score on a pass ball and a throwing error by the catcher. Eastern Illinois batters would be walked seven times on Saturday afternoon.
Through three innings of work, Conklin had struck out three batters and had not allowed a hit. Florida A&M would only produce two base runners within the first three innings.
Between innings four and six, both teams had produced a total of two hits each.
Ben Gallaher earned his first hit of the season in the fourth inning while Rucker would pick up his double in the fifth inning. EIU would leave nine runners stranded in the contest compared to A&M's six.
The seventh inning saw the bats come alive for both teams.
Lucas DiLuca and Gober would both single in the top of the inning which allowed Rucker to deliver the RBI single into left field and give EIU the 3-0 advantage.
Florida A&M did not go away as they would claw back into the game with a two-run home run by Janmikell Bastardo which would end Conklin's afternoon. Ignoffo would take over for Conklin in the seventh inning.
Riley would deliver the biggest RBI on the game in the eighth after hitting a single to left center field to score Eickhoff and put EIU up two. Ignoffo would give up a solo home run in the eighth to Jared Weber (third of the series) to bring the Rattlers within one run.
After a scoreless top of the ninth by the Panthers, Ignoffo would shut the door on a walk-off opportunity with three straight strikeouts to give EIU their second victory of the season.
FAMU's Weber had two hits and a RBI in the game while Bastardo collected the other two RBI. The losing pitcher was Grant Harrison (0-1) who threw three innings allowing six walks and two runs.
The Panthers had four runs on seven hits with two earns while the Rattlers scored three runs on five hits with one error. Game three will start at 12:00 p.m. CT tomorrow afternoon. Results will be updated throughout the game.
