The Eastern baseball team got back on track by winning two of three against Austin Peay (15-12, 3-3 Ohio Valley Conference) last weekend at Coaches Stadium.

Friday saw the Panthers (6-20, 2-4 OVC) with strong pitching performance in a doubleheader from junior pitchers Mike Recchia (3-2) and Mike Hoekstra (2-1) in 2-0 and 4-3 wins, respectively.

Recchia threw 7 1/3 innings of no-run ball, giving up one hit with seven strikeouts and five walks. Hoekstra had six innings of one-run ball with five punch outs and no walks.

In both games, junior reliever Dillion Roark earned the save. Game one had Roark come in for junior closer Matt Miller after he gave up two singles to Governors’ senior designated hitter Matt Kole and senior catcher Trey Lucas had singles for first and second and one outs.

Roark got freshman first baseman John Hogan fly to shallow left field.

Austin Peay senior pinch-hitter Daniel Baggett hit an apparent homer to left field, but it hooked foul. Roark then struck out Baggett on a slider.

“I was definitely thanking the wind on that one,” Roark said. “I left a slider up in the zone and he did what he was supposed to do and hit it hard. Thankfully, the wind was blowing.”

Game two saw Eastern get ahead 4-2 into the seventh with RBIs from sophomore left fielder Ben Thoma (2) and freshman third baseman Zach Borenstein (1) and an Austin Peay error.

The final inning saw Hoekstra get two runners on base. Roark was called in and pick off Governors left fielder Cody Hudson at second.

“(Junior shortstop) Cam Strang told me during the (infield) meeting that if we are going to do a pick off play right off the bat, they were going to bunt (Hudson) over,” Roarke said. “We planned that ahead.”

There was a bunt, a Borenstein error and a senior rightfielder Adam Browett intentional walk to load the bases. Governors senior centerfielder Jared DeLong hit the ball to Eastern freshman centerfielder Daniel Rowe that scored a run. Rowe then threw senior pinch runner Chris Lewellyn out at the plate to preserve the 4-3 win.

The final game saw junior ace Josh Mueller make his first start since March 5.

Mueller gave up five runs in four plus innings of action.

However, the Panthers bullpen blew up and allowed 13 runs as Austin Peay scored seven in the seventh for a 18-6 Governors win.

“Literally, we were coming into this weekend a little fragile losing all three to EKU,” Schmitz said. “I think coming out of this with two wins and playing good baseball (Friday) is good. (Saturday) was only one bad seventh inning.”

Eastern will play Illinois College at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Coaches Stadium.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7944 or rtbajek@eiu.edu.

Sophomore third baseman Zach Borenstein fields a groundball Friday afternoon during the weekend series against Austin Peay at Coaches Stadium. Borenstein had two hits, four runs and one RBI. (Audrey Sawyer/The Daily Eastern News)

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