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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Cam Strang posted his first career five-hit effort and Curt Restko recorded a personal-best five RBIs, leading Eastern Illinois baseball to its ninth straight win with a 16-5 victory against Chicago State Wednesday afternoon at Coaches Stadium.
The Panthers (19-5) have also won 13 of their last 14 games. However, on this day EIU did not hit a home run for the first time during its win streak.
Eastern did score in seven of the eight innings. The Panthers registered all five of their runs in the second inning with two outs, scoring 10 times over a three-inning span early in the game.
Brett Nommensen was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. He also drew a walk. The senior has reached base safely in each of his last nine plate appearances.
Mike Martin (3-0) picked up his third victory of the season with four innings of two-run ball. Matt Miller worked two innings of one-hit relief, and Jordan Kreke closed out the game with two innings of scoreless relief.
Strang and Restko each scored three times. Strang recorded four singles, a double and a sacrifice fly. Restko was 4-for-5 with two doubles, two singles and a sacrifice fly. Eastern pounded out 22 hits as team.
“It was a good showing offensively,” EIU head coach
Jim Schmitz said. “Obviously getting the big inning early was key, scoring five runs with two outs. It's something we've done well, scoring with two outs many, many times. They didn't have much pitching, but sometimes we face guys like that and don't have good innings. We can do more than just hit home runs. We didn't have many bad swings today and have just been swinging the bats real well.
“I can't say enough about the bench guys contributing in these midweek wins. Yesterday it was
[Ryan] Lindquist and
[Ben] Thoma. Today it was Strang playing and getting five hits. We're telling guys, 'we're going to play a lot of people.' We need that so they can help us out. Cam might have a pinch hit this weekend. We have a lot of weapons, that's a key thing.”
Strang began the two-out rally in the second inning with a single through the left side, the first of six consecutive hits – the last four going for extra bases. Restko also singled, plating Strang after he had stolen second base.
Gerik Wallsten followed with a run-scoring double to left.
Nommensen kept the rally going with an opposite-field double, trading places with Wallsten.
Jordan Tokarz then tripled over the right fielder's head.
Zach Borenstein followed with a double into the gap in right center.
Strang and Restko recorded back-to-back doubles in the third inning. After Wallsten was hit by a pitch, Nommensen plated Restko with a single to right center.
Richie Derbak ignited the fourth-inning rally with a double down the right field line. After the first of three walks on the day to Lindquist, Strang picked up an RBI with a sac fly to left center. Restko and Wallsten followed with consecutive singles. Tokarz plated Restko with another sac fly.
Restko picked up three more RBIs with a sac fly in the fifth and two-run double in the seventh.
Brad Schweigert registered his first collegiate hit in the eighth and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Lindquist. Strang followed with his fifth hit of the game, plating Borenstein.
Nommensen scored EIU's first run of the game after leading off the bottom of the first with a line-drive single up the middle. He took second on a passed ball, third on a fly ball to right off the bat of Tokarz and trotted home on a ground out by Borenstein.
The five-hit and five-RBI showings by Strang and Restko were both the fourth of the season by a Panther.
Eastern continues it five-game homestand this weekend with an Ohio Valley Conference series against Murray State. Saturday's doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
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Ben Turner, Asst. SID
