April 26, 2006
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
Wednesday's in-state non-conference match-up between the Eastern Illinois Panthers and the Illinois State Redbirds was certainly worth the price of admission at Redbird Field. Spectators watched the two teams use a combined 35 players and play three hours and twenty minutes of baseball before the Panthers (22-17) came out with a 12-9 win over the Redbirds (14-25) to wrap up an eight-game homestand for ISU.
Junior Luke Baughman (3-5) suffered his third-straight loss on the mound, after allowing six runs and seven hits to the Panthers in 3.1 innings of work. Five other Redbird pitchers combined to throw the final 5.2 innings, with Dan Frega, Dan Sorce and Mike Hlavacek all throwing scoreless innings in relief. Jake Wade (3-0) earned the victory for the Panthers in the pre-determined split, giving up just one run on four hits in four innings on the mound for EIU.
Eastern Illinois jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Redbirds answered in the bottom half of the inning with a run of their own. With the bases loaded a one out, Kevin Dubler drew a walk from Wade to bring in Matt Bolt for the first run of the game, and cutting the lead to 2-1.
Eastern Illinois would keep the offense going after the first inning though, scoring a run in the top of the second on a Mark Chagnon sacrifice fly to make the score 3-1. A three-run fourth inning would extend the Panthers' lead to 6-1 until the Redbirds scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the EIU lead in half.
Jesse Griswold drew ISU's second bases-loaded walk of the game to push Bolt across the plate for the second time and bring the score to 6-2. With the bases still loaded and nobody out, Dubler drove in Kris Jenkins from third on a sacrifice fly to bring the Redbirds within three runs at 6-3.
However, the Panthers would answer back with three runs in the top of the sixth inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Ryan Campbell, to extend their lead to 9-3. After a scoreless sixth inning by the Redbirds, EIU added to their cushion with three runs in the top of the seventh inning to balloon the score to 12-3. An RBI double by Campbell and a two-run double by Jason Cobb accounted for the Panthers' runs in the seventh inning, but the nine-run lead would be challenged by the Redbirds in the upcoming innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, Jenkins' single through the middle of the infield scored Bolt from second base to bring the score to 12-4 after seven innings. Sorce then shut down the Panthers in the top of the eighth inning, keeping the lead from widening.
The eighth inning would see the Redbirds pound out five runs on four hits to cut the lead to three at 12-9. Nick Chris led off the inning with his first home run of the season, a shot over the left field wall, to bring the score at the time to 12-5. Mike Stalowy would later score on an error for the second run of the inning and a RBI single from Bolt would push the third run across the plate. After legging out a bunt single earlier in the inning, Blake Schoonover would come home on a passed ball to make the score 12-8 and the final run of the inning would score after Dubler singled to right field for his third RBI of the game.
Unfortunately for the Redbirds, though, the five-run comeback in the eighth inning was not enough to overcome the large deficit and the Panthers held on for a 12-9 victory. Bolt finished 3-for-4 with four runs scored and a RBI to pace the Redbirds, while Dubler chipped in with his three RBI. Campbell was the star for the Panthers, recording a game-high five RBI on three hits while scoring a run. Cobb finished with four RBI to compliment Campbell, while Erik Huber finished with three hits in the game.
The `Birds return to action on Friday, when they resume Missouri Valley Conference play with a three-game weekend set against the Evansville Aces in Evansville, Ind.
