Time and again this season, Eastern baseball head coach Jim Schmitz said the No. 2 through 5 hitters will be vital for the team’s success.

These hitters showed their importance to the Panthers’ season this weekend against Ohio Valley Conference Morehead State.

Sophomores, third baseman Zach Borenstein (No. 2) and leftfielder Ben Thoma, (No. 3), and seniors, first baseman Alex Gee (No. 4) and designated hitter Richie Derbak (No. 5), batted an atrocious 1-for-15 during game one of a doubleheader Friday.

Despite a two-run Borenstein homer in the third off of Eagle senior pitcher Michael Bottoms (3-2), the Big Four did not rally the troops as Bottoms pitched a masterful complete game in the 6-2 Eagle victory.

“(Bottoms) just pitched a good game,” Schmitz said. “I was disappointed in our hitters. We weren’t going the other way with some pitches and didn’t do a good job.

However, the Big Four’s production increased the next two games in the series, resulting in 14-0 and 9-5 wins to take the series 2-1.

Game two saw No. 2 through 5 go 8-for-16 for 6 RBIs and eight runs scored. In the fifth inning during the 10-run offensive explosion, the Big Four had four hits and reached base safely all eight times. They had six RBIs. Derbak, fresh off an ankle infection that sidelined him eight games, had four of them.

“It feels great to have run support,” sophomore pitcher Mike Hoekstra, who threw a seven-inning shutout in game two, said. “I know it sucked for (junior pitcher) Mike Recchia, but it’s nice to get some run support and know they are behind me at the plate and on the field the whole day.”

Game three was a bit less hot for the Big Four’s bats but they still batted 6-for-17 with 5 RBIs and five runs scored. The biggest moment of the game came in the seventh as Gee blasted a three-run homer to left-centerfield for a 7-4 Panthers lead.

“We said it at the beginning, you’ve got to be patient with them, and if they don’t carry us and produce, you hope pitching or someone in the bottom of the lineup would do well,” Schmitz said. “Ben Thoma was awful in game 1, just not getting pitches to hit and getting jammed up with 85 mph pitches, but he did a much better job in game two.”

So far this season, No. 2 through 5 have 14 of the team’s 20 homers, 81 of 145 RBIs and is batting .290, .017 more than the team’s average.

Schmitz said it was plain and simple, that if the middle of the lineup produces like it did the last two weekend games, it would be hard to beat the Panthers the rest of the way.

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