Eastern head baseball coach Jim Schmitz benched junior third baseman Jordan Kreke and sophomore catcher Richie Derbak during the second game of last weekend’s series at Tennessee Tech.

Schmitz said the two were putting too much pressure on themselves trying to adapt to higher spots in the batting order.

But the two thrived during Saturday’s doubleheader sweep against Tennessee-Martin at Coaches Stadium.

Eastern won the first game 6-4 and followed up in the second game with an 8-6 win.

Derbak and Kreke went a combined 7-for-12, with four runs scored and 10 RBIs on Saturday.

“I said to them, ‘Just go play,'” Schmitz said. “If you’re 0-for-3, you’re 0-for-3. Can’t be more fitting for those guys to have good games (Saturday). That’s probably the happiest I’m about the whole day.”

Derbak gave Eastern some breathing room in the bottom of the fifth inning during Saturday’s first game with the score tied at 3.

Eastern’s catcher, who missed both midweek games last week because of a blister on the pointer finger of his throwing hand, pulled a single to right field, which scored junior designated hitter Zach Skidmore and Kreke to make it 5-3 in favor of the Panthers.

Kreke went 3-for-3 in Saturday’s first game and drove in Eastern’s final run with a sacrifice fly.

“Me and (Kreke), I think he knows that we’ve both been struggling a little bit out of the five and six slot,” Derbak said. “But that’s why we’re there. You’re going to get a lot of opportunities. He did a great job (on Saturday) just putting the ball in play and driving people in.”

Kreke drove in Eastern’s game-winning run in the second game without even swinging his bat. The Panthers’ third baseman was hit by a pitch in the left abdominal area by UT-Martin senior reliever Calen Sutton with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning and the game tied at 6.

Kreke’s ability to stand and let himself get hit by Sutton’s fastball allowed junior center fielder Brett Nommensen to score the game-winning run. Derbak followed up Kreke’s at-bat with a sacrifice fly to centerfield give the Panthers an 8-6 lead.

Mueller excels in even innings

Freshman pitcher Josh Mueller continued his push to firmly cement his place as Eastern’s No. 1 starter during Saturday’s first game.

The Columbia native struck out nine in six innings of work to regain the team’s strikeout lead with 33, run his record to 3-3 and lower his ERA to 3.13.

Schmitz said Mueller wasn’t as sharp as he would have liked but did a good job attacking the hitters.

“It just shows how good he is,” Schmitz said. “I don’t know what his velocity was – they said he hit 91 or 92 (mph) a couple times. When you’re not sharp and you’re throwing 90, that’s one thing.”

Mueller allowed all of his hits and runs in odd innings. He worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the first by striking out UT-Martin junior third baseman Mark Hartsfield with a fastball. In the third, he allowed two runs but left two runners stranded when he ended the inning with another strikeout. And in the fifth, he gave up a leadoff double, which eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.

In those three innings, he combined to throw 76 pitches – and 48 were strikes.

He struck out the side in the second inning, overpowering the bottom of UT-Martin’s lineup with fastballs on the outside corner.

In the fourth, he struck out the first batter before walking the No. 9 hitter but forced UT-Martin leadoff hitter Kyle Dudley to hit into a double play to end the inning.

He retired all three batters he faced in the sixth inning, the last two coming on strikeouts. In even innings, Mueller threw only 35 pitches, and 22 were strikes.

Strang goes the opposite way

Freshman shortstop Cameron Strang did something Schmitz has wanted his team to do all season long: hit the ball to the opposite field.

Strang, Eastern’s No. 9 hitter, delivered a two-run single to right field to give Eastern a 3-2 lead in Saturday’s first game. Earlier in the first game, Strang doubled down the first base line.

“He’s not able to really turn on (pitches) yet, so we’re working going the other way,” Schmitz said. “He understands his roles. I think he comes in out of high school, being the No. 3 hitter, pulling the ball, being the star. That’s not his role here. It’s to play defense and be a No. 9 guy.”

Strang went a combined 3-for-5 in both games and had three RBIs, a sacrifice bunt and a stolen base.

“(I’m) just keeping my front shoulder in trying to take balls the other way,” Strang said. “I’m starting to feel more comfortable at the plate”

He also had the best defensive play of any on Saturday in the top of the seventh inning in the second game.

UT-Martin cleanup hitter junior left fielder Miles Hartsfield hit a hard groundball up the middle that appeared destined for center field. Strang took one step to his left, dove and came up with the ball. His throw to first baseman Alex Gee one-hopped up the line, but Gee stretched and made the scoop just before Hartsfield touched first base.

Matt Daniels can be reached at 581-7936 or at mwdaniels@eiu.edu.