CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois (6-24, 3-8) plated a pair of late-inning runs in a close contest to take down Southeast Missouri baseball, 5-4. The Redhawks fall to 16-13, 7-7 with the loss.
Justin Murphy (3-3) gave up three first-inning runs but settled in nicely, allowing only two base runners through six innings. He allowed the tying a go-ahead runs in the eighth and ultimately suffered the tough luck loss. He worked seven and a third innings, allowed all five runs on five hits.
Panther starter Michael McCormick pitched five complete innings, allowed all four SEMO runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits. He struck out four and held the Redhawks hitless through the first three innings of the game.
Freshman Alex Stevenson (3-2) pitched four innings in relief and became the winning pitcher of record when EIU took the lead in the eighth. He worked around two runners-on situations to allow no runs in his four innings.
The Redhawks combined for 10 total hits.
Chris Osborne,
Dan Holst,
Danny Wright, and
Kyle Bottger all had two knocks while
Tristen Gagan and Holst each drove in two runs.
The Panthers found their first lead of the series early in game two. With two on and one out, Dougie Parks drove in both runs with a double to left to go ahead 2-0. Parks came around to score on a Nicholas McCormick single to center to make it 3-0 in EIU's favor.
Southeast's first hit of the game was a double laced to the wall in right by Osborne to leadoff the fourth. He scored on a double in the opposite direction off the bat of Holst for the first Redhawk run. Holst moved up to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Gagan sacrifice fly to right, cutting the Panther lead to one, 3-2.
A two-out error opened the door for the Redhawks to capture a lead in the top of the fifth.
Clayton Evans reached when the shortstop failed to field a ball cleanly. Osborne followed with a single shot into center. Holst tied the game with a single to right. Gagan stepped in and knocked a double just fair past the third baseman to plate Osborne and put SEMO on top 4-3.
The bottom of the eighth began with a throwing error by Murphy and a hit batsman.
Carlos Vega came in and gave up a wild pitch and a two-RBI single that put the Panthers on top 5-4.
The Panthers scattered six hits in the contest with six different hitters combining for the total. Logan Beaman and Parks each had a pair of RBI.
The rubber game will be played Sunday in Charleston at 1 p.m.
