Eastern Illinois moves past SEMO to advance to the next round on Friday in the OVC tournament. EIU improves to 32-19 (18-9 OVC), while the RedHawks fall to 39-17 (18-9 OVC). Bryce Riggs and Mike O'Conor led the Panthers to their fourth straight win over Southeast Missouri.
Deciding Factor
SEMO opened the scoring in the top of the third inning on a two-out RBI single from Dakota Joggerst. However, EIU answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run frame that proved to be the difference.
Ethan Rossi sparked the inning with a leadoff single to short before Quade Peters executed the small ball perfectly, laying down a bunt to the pitcher, Andrew Carroll, to move Rossi into scoring position. Tyler Castro then tied the game with an RBI single into right-center field, collecting his 26th RBI of the season.
Following a mound visit, Brett Stanley drew a walk and later moved into scoring position on a groundout by James Love.
OVC First Team selection Mike O'Conor broke the tie with the eventual game-winning hit, ripping a two-run double into right-center field to score Castro and Stanley.
SEMO threatened in the 7th inning with a leadoff home run by Andrew Ramirez, but Anthony Solis was called upon out of the bullpen and held on to the one-run victory.
Pitching Duel
Both pitching staffs held strong, but Riggs and Solis came out on top for the Panthers.
Riggs allowed the early run but was dominant in the last three innings of his outing to earn his 8th win of the season. In 6.0 innings of work, he allowed only two earned runs on four hits and threw 113 pitches.
Solis was stellar out of the bullpen, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings, earning his first save of the season.
For the RedHawks, Carroll threw the most pitches of his D1 career at 113. With the loss, Carroll moves to 7-4 after allowing three earned runs on five hits.
Panthers Offense
The Panthers totaled five hits offensively, with O'Conor leading the way with two. Chris Worcester, Rossi, and Castro each added a hit for the Panthers.
EIU also drew four walks in the contest, with Zak Goodwin, Peyton Wilson, Stanley, and Castro each recording one.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors
SEMO: 2 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors
Mike O'Conor: 2-4, 2 RBIs, 2B
Tyler Castro: 1-2, RBI, BB
Bryce Riggs: 6.0 innings, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 SO
Up Next: The Panthers will play on Friday at 11:00 a.m. against the winner of SIUE/Little Rock.
