Eastern Illinois University lost to SIUE in a close baseball game on May 8, as two late solo home runs gave the Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Panthers at Frost Field at Coaches Stadium.
The matchup was significant because both teams were tied for the Ohio Valley Conference lead before the weekend. Eastern Illinois took an early advantage, scoring first when Quade Peters hit a sacrifice fly that brought Zak Goodwin home in the second inning. Mike O’Conor extended the Panthers’ lead to 2-0 with a solo home run in the fourth inning.
However, SIUE’s pitching staff held Eastern Illinois scoreless for the rest of the game. Joseph Martin earned his fourth win of the season in relief for SIUE, and Easton Harris recorded his eleventh save. The Cougars started their comeback with an RBI single from Chase Bloomer in the sixth inning, reducing EIU’s lead to one run. Bloomer had two hits overall and led SIUE’s offense.
Mack Mitchell and Bloomer each hit solo home runs for SIUE in the seventh and eighth innings, giving their team a decisive edge. James Geshel took his third loss of the season while pitching in relief for Eastern Illinois. The Panthers managed only five hits during the game, including O’Conor’s homer and a single by Peters later on.
After this result, Eastern Illinois dropped to a record of 28-16 overall and 15-7 within conference play. SIUE improved its record to 28-21 overall and now leads conference standings at 16-6.
