By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – On a night when the hits were nearly equal, it was the efficiency with runners on base that proved the difference as the Tennessee Tech baseball team fell to Eastern Illinois in the opening contest of their three-game, Ohio Valley Conference series, 12-6.
The Panthers (27-12, 8-5) jumped out to an early 8-0 advantage, scoring four runs in each of the second and third frames. The Golden Eagles (21-18, 5-8) dented the dish for the first time in the bottom of the third, with left fielder Jason Hinchman blasting a lead-off home run to right field.
It marked the 18th round-tripper of the year, and more importantly, the 62nd of his illustrious career. With the dinger, the senior slugger tied former Golden Eagle greats Zach Stephens and Kevin Strohschein for the OVC's all-time career home run record.
EIU answered in the fourth, gathering a lead-off shot of its own to make it a 9-1 ball game. Tech managed another run in the fourth, with first baseman Golston Gillespie drawing a bases-loaded walk. The Panthers held the purple and gold to just the one run, however, making it nine stranded base runners for the home team through the opening four frames.
In the fifth, shortstop Ed Johnson plated another Tech run with an RBI groundout with the bases loaded. Again, the Panthers limited the damage, stranding two more Golden Eagles.
Eastern Illinois extended the lead with a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh, making it a 12-3 contest. Tech designated hitter John Dyer popped a moon shot to left-center field to lead off the bottom of the seventh, his seventh jack of the season.
The Golden Eagles mounted a short rally in the ninth, with Jackson Green pinch-hitting and promptly ripping a double off the outstretched glove of the EIU third baseman Dalton Doyle. Also pinch-hitting, Luke Jones took his turn at the dish and crushed a two-run tank to right field for his fourth pump of the season.
It marked Tech's final runs of the game, as the Golden Eagles would leave one more runner on base for a total of 13 on the night.
Southpaw Daniel Holley tossed one and one-third frames of scoreless and hitless ball to finish the game, punching out one Panther batter. Dyer, catcher Will Long, and second baseman Nick Spardone each recorded a pair of hits on the night to lead the offense. Five different Tech hitters recorded an RBI while five scored at least one run.
The series will wrap up Saturday, with doubleheader action slated to start at 1:00 p.m. CT. Game two is currently expected to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. The finale was originally scheduled to occur on Sunday, but with inclement weather including rain and thunderstorms expected in the area, the decision was made to move the game to Saturday for the double-dip.
File photo by Emily Armstrong
