Whether it’s a midweek game or a conference game, the Panthers continue to strand opportunities.

But it didn’t cost them on Tuesday against Aurora the way it did against Jacksonville State on Saturday.

The Panthers have won 11 of their last 14 games after beating Aurora University 6-4, despite leaving 14 runners on base.

“We have to do a little better about putting teams away,” said Eastern head coach Jim Schmitz. “I have to create more action to take pressure off our guys.”

Eastern led 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning when catcher Ryan Campbell and second baseman Blake Meyer singled around a walk to Casey Spears to load the bases.

Instead of blowing a game against a Division III opponent wide open, the Panthers kept them in the game.

Shortstop Adam Varrassi lined out to third and Jordan Kreke grounded into a double play to end the threat.

“It was unfortunate that we had so many hits but we couldn’t get as many runs as we wanted to,” center fielder Brett Nommenson said. Nommenson had three of the Panthers’ 16 hits and stole his fifth base of the season.

A big part of Eastern’s struggles have come from the middle of the lineup. While the top third of the order went a combined 9-for-13, the 4-5-6 hitters combined to go 3-for-13 in the game, with Campbell picking up two of the hits.

Designated hitter Jason Cobb went 0-for-5 and has now hit just .059 (2-for-34) in his last eight games.

“He comes out early all the time,” Schmitz said. “But he’s struggling.”

On the other side of the field, Aurora head coach Shaun Neitzel was impressed by the results.

“That’s a situation where it very well could have been 9-4, 10-4 ball game,” he said.

The missed opportunities were a problem that cost the Panthers a game Saturday against Jacksonville State.

In that game, Eastern left 12 men on base including nine in the last seven innings of an extra-inning game.

They ended up missing out on a sweep because of it.

The No. 2 hitter, Mark Chagnon, had his fourth four-hit game of the season. All three games have been against non-conference opponents.

Freshman outfielder Brett Nommensen hits a double in the fourth inning during Tuesday’s 6-4 win against Aurora. Nommensen went 3-for-4, with 2 RBI and a run scored. The Panthers play Southern Illinois-Carbondale today at Coaches Stadium at 3. (Carrie Hol

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