CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois baseball team (15-32, 9-14 OVC) lost their game two against Morehead State (30-20, 14-9) on Saturday afternoon. Despite outhitting the Eagles, the Panther fell by a score of 18-10 after surrendering six total home runs.
The Morehead State offense exploded out of the gates with nine runs in the first two innings, including a pair of Roman Kuntz three-run homers.
After the Eagles tacked on another run in the third, the Panthers got into the scoring column with a
Cole Gober three-run homer in the bottom of the third.
The teams traded one run each in the fourth inning before Morehead extended their lead back to 10 with RBIs from Hayden Robbins and Cole Becker in the top of the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Lucas Loos recorded his 20th home run of the season with a solo shot to left field. It marked the eighth time in the last ten games that Loos had homered at least once.
The Eagles stretched their lead to 17-5 in the sixth with a Ryley Preece three-run homer, before
Michael O'Conor responded in the seventh with a two-run homer to left center.
The Panthers inched a little closer in the eighth with sacrifice fly balls from
Lucas Loos and
Cole Gober that made the score 17-9 entering the final frame.
The teams scored one more run apiece in the ninth, with EIU's final run being a
Trenton Pallas solo homer. It was Pallas' third home run since last weekend.Â
Once the dust settled, both offenses had combined for 33 hits and 10 home runs, with the Panthers outhitting the Eagles 17 to 16.
Casey Perrenoud (3-3) was handed the loss while Joe Rotkis (2-1) picked up the win.
Five Panthers recorded multiple hits, including
Trenton Pallas who went 3-5 with an RBI.
Cole Gober led the team in runs batted in with four, while
Lucas Loos and
Michael O'Conor both drove in a pair.
The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. Join us prior to the game to celebrate Senior Day, as 13 EIU seniors will be recognized for their commitment and contributions to the Eastern Illinois program.Â
