EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Eastern Illinois baseball team (21-18, 9-6 OVC) fell 13-6 in their series opener against Southern Indiana (20-22, 9-7 OVC) in Evansville on Friday. The Panthers led through the first three and a half innings, but were unable to keep up with a hot USI order in the second half of the game.

Brett Stanley led the EIU offense, going 4-6 with a home run, double, and two RBIs. Zak Goodwin and James Love also posted multiple hits with 2-3 outings. Goodwin matched Stanley with two RBIs while Love recorded the only other extra base hit of the evening with an RBI double.

Things started off on the right foot for the Panthers, with Zak Goodwin driving in the game's opening run in the top of the first with a one-out RBI single after Brett Stanley and Mike O'Conor had recorded base hits of their own. However, a 6-4-3 twin killing prevented EIU from adding any more runs in the frame.

The score remained 1-0 following a scoreless second, but after Brett Stanley led off the third with single before stealing second and advancing to third on passed ball, Zak Goodwin delivered his second RBI of the game with a base hit to center field.

Later in the inning, Pierce Bauerle singled with two outs before a James Love double down the line in left allowed Goodwin to score and extend the lead to 3-0.

USI got one run back in the bottom of the third with a Khi Holiday RBI base hit, but EIU immediately responded in the top of the fourth with a Brett Stanley solo home run to left center. It was Stanley's third homer of the season.

However, the Screaming Eagles answered right back in the bottom of the fourth, as a Texas leaguer off the bat of Clayton Slack with runners on second and third allowed two runs to score, cutting the Eastern lead to just one.

Parker Martin then doubled to the gap in left center, which allowed Slack to come all the way around from first to tie the game.

After the Panthers were held scoreless in the top of the fifth, USI surged ahead with a Charlie Marisca RBI on a sacrifice bunt before a Hunter Miller RBI single put the Screaming Eagles ahead 6-4.

Following another scoreless at-bat for EIU, Parker Martin reached on a leadoff base hit in the bottom of the sixth before advancing to second on a Khi Holiday sac bunt and moving to third on a wild pitch. With just one away, a Cole Kitchens groundout allowed Martin to score and extend the USI lead.

After a walk and a pair of hit batters in the top of the seventh loaded the bases with one out for EIU, Tyler Castro showed great plate discipline to bring in a run on an RBI walk. However, Eastern was unable to capitalize further as the next two batters were sat down on strikes.

The missed opportunity proved costly, as USI got the run right back with a Micajah Wall two-out walk followed by an RBI double from Hunter Miller in the bottom of the seventh.

The Screaming Eagles would blow the game wide open in the eighth as they scored five runs on four consecutive hits, including a pair of doubles, to make the score 13-5.  

Brett Stanley added to his big day with an RBI double in the top of the ninth, but it was far too little too late as the Panthers dropped the weekend opener to snap their six-game win streak.

EIU will look to bounce back on Saturday with game two set for 3 p.m.