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MARION, Ill. – Eastern Illinois baseball (34-18, 13-11 OVC) won game one of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship against No. 8 Southern Indiana by a final score of 5-4. EIU trailed until the seventh inning before taking their first lead.
 
Cole Gober got the offense started for the Panthers after a slow start to the ballgame at Mtn. Dew Park. Gober had a solo home run as one of his three hits and two RBI. Logan Eickhoff also had three hits for Eastern.
 
Closer Zane Robbins (W, 4-1) picks up his fourth win of the season in relief after throwing the final 2.1 innings for the Panthers. Ryan Ignoffo also pitched in relief allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts in two innings of work.

QUICK STATS
Cole Gober: 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Logan Eickhoff: 3-4, R
Zane Robbin: W (4-1), 2.1 IP, H, 0 R, 3 K
Ryan Ignoffo: 2.0 IP, 3 H, R, 3 K
 
Starting pitcher Ky Matthews-Hampton got off to a fast start on the mound with a one, two, three first inning. USI struck first in the second with an RBI single by Caleb Niehaus.
 
Gober picked up his first of three hits in the ballgame in the second but was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. Hampton made quick work again in the third by retiring three straight USI batters.
 
The Screaming Eagles extended their lead to three runs in the top of the fourth after Niehaus picked up two more RBI with a single into center field. Ryan Ignoffo would take over for Hampton on the mound with two outs in the fifth and get a strikeout to end the inning.
 
Eastern Illinois broke their scoring drought in the fifth inning with Gober's solo home run to left field to cut the lead to 3-1. USI's Blake Ciuffetelli got Grant Lashure to ground into a double play to end the inning.
 
Southern Indiana regained a three run lead in the sixth with a Tucker Ebest RBI single into right field off of Ignoffo. The Panthers would get out of the inning with two runners on.

The seventh inning saw the Panthers take control for the first time in the game after scoring four runs. Ignoffoo led off by reaching safely on an error. Kolten Poorman then hit a single to put two runners on for Gober who then had an RBI single to cut the lead to two.

Eickhoff continued the inning with a single to load the bases where Lashure was hit by pitch to bring home another run. Chris Worcester then hit a sac fly into right field to tie the game at 4-4. Lincoln Riley would give EIU the lead after reaching on an error and scoring the fifth run for EIU.

Robbins closed out the game with a double play and a strikeout in the eighth. USI managed two runners in the ninth, but their rally fell short after Robbins struck out one and got Niehaus to ground out to Lucas DiLuca to end the game.

EIU scored five runs on eight hits with one error in their opening round game. The Panthers will be back in action later today at 4:00 p.m. CT where they will take on No. 4 seeded Southeast Missouri. For more information go to eiupanthers.com.