Eastern Illinois season ends at the OVC championship, falling 10-6 to Little Rock. The Trojans will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
EIU finishes the season with a 33-21 (18-9 OVC) record, which is their fourth 30-win season in the past five years. The 33 win mark was tied for the second most wins in program history since 2009.
The Panthers set the tone early jumping out to an early, 6-1 lead through the first half of the game.
Chris Worcester smashed his eighth long ball of the season to deep left field in the bottom of the 1st inning. Worcester finishes his career with 15 home runs. Next time up, Quade Peters continued to shine in the OVC tournament, recording an RBI base hit through the left side of the infield, scoring Zak Goodwin.
Eastern Illinois scored in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings to hold their largest lead of the tournament, 6-1. After a mound visit, chaos ensued. Peyton Wilson reached on a throwing error by Trey Hill after laying down a bunt in front of the plate. With runners in scoring position, Ethan Rossi placed a sac fly in right center, scoring Goodwin.
In the bottom of the 5th, the all-tournament performer, Mike O'Conor, shot a double to left field, scoring Brett Stanley, who reached on a single through the right side of the infield.
EIU plated two more runs in the bottom of the 6th from Stanley's sacrifice bunt and Worcester base hit to right field.
With a commanding 6-1 lead, the Trojans stunned the Panthers, scoring eight runs in the top of the 7th inning. After an hour rain delay, EIU was unable to generate any momentum to complete a late-game comeback.
Bryce Riggs was stellar in his start, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits. Conklin suffered his third loss of the season, allowing six earned runs in 2.1 innings of work.
Offensively, the Panthers collected six hits, with Worcester, O'Conor, and Castro recording two each.
All-Tournament Team
Bryce Riggs: During the tournament, Riggs made two starts, tossing 9.1 innings. He allowed only two runs on seven hits and held opponents to a .200 batting average.
Anthony Solis: Solis was the only Panther arm to appear in all four games, tossing 10.2 combined innings, finishing with a 4.22 ERA.
Quade Peters: Peters was named to the all-tournament team, ending with a .455 batting average and a .538 on-base percentage.
Mike O'Conor: O'Conor led the offense, finishing with a .467 batting average in tournament play. He collected five RBIs, two doubles, and a home run.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 6 Runs, 9 Hits, 0 Errors
Little Rock: 10 Runs, 13 Hits, 3 Errors
Worcester: 2-5, HR, RBI
O'Conor: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Castro: 2-4, RBI
Riggs: 3.1 innings, 3 H, 0 ER
