CHARLESTON, Ill. – Four Panther pitchers limited SIU Edwardsville to two runs over 16 innings, as Eastern Illinois baseball swept a doubleheader, 10-0 and 4-2, Saturday afternoon at Coaches Stadium.

The Panthers (31-9) posted their 30th victory with the game one win. Eastern will look to close its season-long, 10-game homestand at 7-3 with a win Sunday.

 

Josh Mueller (7-0) and Mike Recchia (7-1) both recorded their seventh wins of the season. Mueller worked seven innings of five-hit ball in game one, striking out seven. Recchia pitched five innings of two-run ball in game two. Brian Morrell retired all six batters he faced en route to closing out game one. Richie Derbak picked up his sixth save of the season with two innings of scoreless relief in the nightcap.

 

Mueller struck out six of the first eight batters he faced, recording all three outs in the second inning via the strikeout. The shutout victory in game one was EIU's first in a nine-inning contest since May 2006.

Ryan Lindquist and Derbak both had three hits in game one, Lindquist finishing only a home run shy of the cycle. Alex Gee collected four RBIs, tying his career high.

 

In the nightcap, Zach Skidmore led the way with three hits. Zach Borenstein reached base safely in each of his three plate appearances and scored twice.

Jordan Kreke extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 consecutive games with a single in his first at-bat of the day, but the streak came to an end with an 0-for-3 showing in game two. He did collect an RBI with a ground out in his first at-bat of the nightcap.

The Panthers played flawless defense on the windy afternoon, turning three double plays in game two. Kreke handled 16 defensive chances cleanly and finished with nine defensive assists in the series opener. He also made a pair of highlight-reel caliber plays to rob SIUE batters of hits. Jordan Tokarz also made a great defensive play behind second base to begin the third inning of game two.

 

“We found a way to win both games,” EIU head coach Jim Schmitz said. “In game one, we got the lead and kept extending it. Game two was a tight one. A timely hit by Skidmore [in game two] helped us out and cushioned the lead, driving in Borenstein. It's a sign of a good team, so maybe we are chipping back and getting a little bit more of that edge. Defensively, though, boy, it says a lot. It was a tight game and we got great plays from Skidmore, Tokarz, Kreke and Lindquist. So it's more than just a hitting team.”

 

Spencer Patton (3-5) pitched well for SIUE (9-28) in game two, going the distance and giving up only three earned runs on five hits. However, both walks he issued to Borenstein led to runs and a first-inning wild pitch allowed another run to score.

 

Eastern scored twice in bottom of the first inning of game two to answer the Cougars' only runs of the day in the top half of the frame. Borenstein led off with a walk, Skidmore singled and Gee drew another walk to load the bases. The wild pitch allowed Borenstein to score and Kreke's ground ball to the right side plated the tying run.

 

The Panthers caught a break an inning later when SIUE center fielder Brent Rynearson dropped a Lindquist fly ball, which turned out to be a two-base error. Borenstein plated his teammate with a two-out, opposite-field single.

 

In the top of the third, Lindquist erased a base runner with a strong throw to first base after running down a line drive in right center.

 

Skidmore doubled home Borenstein in the fifth after a strong right-to-left gust of wind blew the slicing fly ball from left center to the line. It dropped in from Chilos Norris III, allowing Borenstein to score from first base.

 

Recchia only registered two strikeouts in his five innings, but both Ks ended an inning with a runner in scoring position.

 

The Panthers broke open game one with consecutive four-run innings in the sixth and seventh. Derbak ignited both rallies with singles. Lindquist tripled him home in the sixth and doubled an inning later. Curt Restko picked up an RBI in both innings, putting runners aboard for the top of the order.

 

Skidmore knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Tokarz did likewise with a bases-loaded fielder's choice in the seventh. Gee capped the scoring in both innings with two-out, run-scoring singles.

 

Kreke and Derbak also created EIU's first run of the day with consecutive hits to open the bottom of the second. Kreke singled sharply to left and took third on Derbak's double past the third base bag. Lindquist plated Kreke with a sac fly to center.

 

SIU Edwardsville nearly tied game one in the top of the fifth. With Christian Rohlfing on second base and two outs, Mitch Matecki singled down the left field line. Rohlfing slipped rounding third base and was thrown out at the plate on a relay from Restko to Skidmore to Ben Thoma.

Sunday's series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Eastern is not scheduled to play at home again until the final weekend of the regular season, May 15-16.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID