MATTOON – The ninth inning was looking good for the Eastern baseball team Wednesday at Grimes Field against the University of Illinois, but things went south in a hurry.

Junior pitcher Dillon Roark (1-3) gave up the game-tying run in the ninth and game-winning run for the Illini in the 10th for a 6-5 loss.

Roark declined comment after the game.

In the ninth, Roark retired red-shirt freshman pinch hitter Thomas Shelton and hit sophomore shortstop Josh Parr with a pitch. Parr stole second on a wild pitch, but Roark struck out Illini sophomore center fielder Willie Argo. Sophomore pinch hitter Daniel Parker slapped an RBI single to blow Roark’s second straight game.

Parker is a .143 hitter.

“It was a terrible pitch call on a terrible hitter on the change up that tied the game,” Schmitz said. “We are just losing more game in more ways.

Roark gave up a leadoff double to Illini senior Mike Giller. Roark then threw a wild pitch to advance Giller to third. Illini senior right fielder Craig Lutes had a sacrifice fly for the 6-5 Illinois lead.

The bottom of the 10th rally started with two outs. Junior right fielder Shawn Ferguson got on first on a wild pitch strikeout from Illini sophomore pitcher Corey Kimes (2-1). Sophomore catcher Gerik Wallsten had a single for runners on the corners.

Schmitz subbed freshman pinch runner Daniel Rowe for Wallsten. Junior center fielder Matt Kucharski, however, stuck out swinging to end the game.

The first inning got started with Argo slapping a triple down the first base line that rolled to the right field wall before junior right fielder Shawn Ferguson got the ball in.

After junior pitcher Mike Recchia stuck out freshman second baseman Christian Cummings looking, he threw a wild pitch allowing Argo to make it 1-0 Illinois.

The bottom half saw Illini freshman pitcher Matt Milroy retiring the two first Eastern hitters. But senior first baseman Alex Gee got walked, senior designated hitter Richie Derbak singled and junior shortstop Cam Strang loaded the bases on Illini freshman third baseman Brandon Hohl’s error.

That set the stage for freshman second baseman Ryan Dineen. Dineen blooped to shallow center and it dropped for a three RBI single for a 3-1 Eastern lead.

In the third inning, the Illini batters torched Eastern junior pitcher Matt Miller. Argo and junior designated hitter Casey McMurray had consecutive doubles with McMurray’s past diving senior left fielder Curt Restko to score Argo.

Illini senior catcher Aaron Johnson slapped an RBI single to tie the game at 3. Miller was chased from the game Lutes singled home a run for the 4-3 Illini edge.

Junior pitcher Brent McNeil finished the third and threw scoreless fourth and fifth innings.

Eastern at first did not get anything going against senior pitcher Kevin Mason and junior pitcher John Anderson, being retired in order in the third and fifth innings.

However, the Panthers’ bats woke up in the sixth inning on Anderson. After Derbak and Strang got out, Dineen bunted for an infield single. Next, an errant Anderson pitch hit Ferguson and sophomore catcher Gerik Wallsten hit an RBI single to even the score 4-4. Kucharksi stranded runners on the corner as he popped out to end the rally.

The Panthers got the lead in the seventh, as sophomore third baseman Zach Borenstein hit a home run in deep center. Borenstein’s blast was his team-leading seventh and put Eastern up 5-4.

The Eastern defense came through after the homer as Ferguson made a spectacular diving catch in center on a Lutes deep fly ball in the eighth.

“It’s disappointing,” Schmitz said of the loss. “We came back, they get the lead and we came back and got it. We really lost it on one pitch called on a guy who can’t hit a fast ball and we throw him a change up.It wasn’t mechanical, but just a bad pitch.”

The Panthers (9-26, 4-8 OVC) will continue their season with a doubleheader against Murray State (19-17, 6-3 OVC) scheduled to begin 1 p.m. Friday at Murray, Ky.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7944

or rtbajek@eiu.edu

Junior Mike Recchia pitches against the University of Illinois Champaign Wednesday evening at Grimes Field in Mattoon. The Panthers travel to Murray State this weekend. (Audrey Sawyer / The Daily Eastern News)

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