Eastern Illinois was unable to hold onto their late lead against Little Rock, falling 4-3. With the loss, the Panthers and Trojans will face off on Sunday at noon with the tournament title on the line. EIU drops to 33-20 (18-9 OVC), while the Trojans improve to 35-26 (16-11 OVC).
With a 3-1 lead entering the final six outs, Little Rock stunned the Panthers. The Trojans scored three runs across the 8th and 9th innings to rally past EIU. Solis, who powered the Panthers through the first two games, surrendered three hits in the top of the eighth as Little Rock tied the game at 3-3.
A quick three-up, three-down inning for the Panthers carried Little Rock's momentum into the ninth. Ty Rhoades led off the frame with a single up the middle, and pinch runner Michael O'Brien stole second to move into scoring position. Moments later, Jerdy Lopez delivered a base hit up the middle, bringing home O'Brien for the game-winning run.
Prior to Little Rock's rally, the Panthers opened the game strong through the first seven innings. Mike O'Conor opened the scoring with a solo blast to deep left field, his 16th of the season.
The next time up, Peyton Wilson began with a single, followed by Ethan Rossi's sacrifice bunt. Quade Peters singled through the left side of the infield for an RBI base hit, scoring Wilson.
Eastern Illinois completed three straight scoring innings, with a run in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Brett Stanley smashed a leadoff triple to left center field. Moments later, the veteran O'Conor singled to left field for his second RBI of the contest.
However, the Panther offense was held in check, generating only two hits and zero runs the rest of the game.
On the mound, James Geshel threw the first two innings, allowing an earned run on two hits. In relief, Solis tossed 7.0 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, dropping his record to 4-4 on the year.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 3 Runs, 7 Hits, 1 Error
Little Rock: 4 Runs, 9 Hits, 0 Errors
Mike O'Conor: 2-3, HR, 2 RBIs
Brett Stanley: 1-4, 3B
Quade Peters: 3-3, RBI
Up Next: The Panthers will face Little Rock on Sunday at noon with the tournament title at stake.
