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Schmitz & Dineen postgame video comments
JACKSON, Tenn. -- Ryan Dineen and Ben Thoma delivered back-to-back run-scoring hits in both the seventh and 10th innings, as Eastern Illinois baseball scored nine unanswered runs to rally for a 10-5 victory against Southeast Missouri State in 10 innings Wednesday afternoon to advance in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The Panthers (18-33) advance to play either Tennessee Tech or Jacksonville State Thursday. The opponent will be determined by the outcome of the Murray State-Eastern Kentucky game, which was postponed until Thursday at 9 a.m. due to a malfunction with the lighting system at Pringles Park. If EIU plays Tech, first pitch would be at 7:30 p.m. If EIU plays JSU, first pitch would be at 4 p.m. Southeast (30-24) will play in Thursday's loser bracket elimination game at 12:30 p.m.
Dineen, Thoma and Matt Kucharski – the 6-7-8 portion of the lineup – teamed up to record nine RBIs, finishing the game a combined 8-for-18. Dineen squeezed home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning. Pinch runner Daniel Bracken scored the go-ahead run when EIU head coach Jim Schmitz called for the suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded and one out.
“To be honest, this is our first comeback [this season],” Schmitz said. “We've done everything but come back from a decent deficit. That's what we talked about last night. If Recchia and Hoekstra didn't pitch well, maybe it would have been seven or eight to nothing. Ben Thoma got a couple big hits and Ryan had the really nice bunt that helped break it open.”
Schmitz called for the squeeze even with a lefthanded hitter (Dineen) at the plate and a righthander pitcher (Shae Simmons) on the mound.
“You don't do it with a lefty. Ryan's a really good bunter, probably our best bunter on the team. So it was just one of those deals where Simmons wasn't really looking at third. I watched him in the wind up and he wasn't looking over. Great bunt on a low pitch, which is kind of hard to do. In the tournament you try to do things to get things going and that really opened it up for us.”
Thoma and Kucharski followed with two-run hits, Thoma doubling home a pair and Kucharski plating Thoma and Dineen with a single through the left side.
Mike Recchia (6-5) worked 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn his 16th career win. He escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the seventh by getting Louie Haseltine to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Cam Strang and Dineen teamed up on the impressive twin killing.
“That was just awesome,” Dineen said of the double play. “Right before [EIU pitching coach] Skylar [Meade] came out to the huddle and tells Cam that the ball is coming for a 6-4-3 double play. And right after he gets done, [Recchia] throws the pitch for the 6-4-3 double play.”
The Panthers trailed 5-1 with two outs in the top of the seventh. But Strang drew a walk to load the bases and Dineen followed with a base hit to right field. Zach Borenstein scored the second run of the play after a throwing error by Haseltine, which also allowed Dineen to take second. Thoma followed with a game-tying, two-run single.
The victory was EIU's first of the season when trailing after the sixth inning. Eastern also snapped an eight-game losing streak in extra-inning games dating back to 2008.
Richie Derbak singled and drew three walks, including a leadoff base on balls to open the 10th. Borenstein was 2-for-3 and walked three times, scoring twice.
All four SEMO pitchers that took the mound issued at least one walk. Eastern starter Mike Hoekstra, meanwhile, did not walk a batter for his fifth consecutive start, running his streak of consecutive innings pitched without a walk to 27 1/3. He gave up five runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. Brent McNeil recorded his ninth pickoff of the season to end the sixth inning after allowing an inherited base runner to score for the first time this year.
After tying the game with four two-out runs in the top of the seventh, the Redhawks appeared destined to retake the lead in the bottom of the frame.
The threat began when Kucharski made an incredible diving catch in center field with his back to home plate on a drive off the bat of Michael Adamson. The fashion in which he caught the ball shielded the umpires from seeing the ball in his glove. The first base umpire ruled it no catch and Adamson continued circling the bases, eventually being held at third base. After an argument from Schmitz, the play stood as a triple.
Recchia took over on the mound with Adamson at third and one out. He hit Jim Klocke with a pitch and walked Casey Jones to load the bases. But he was able to get Haseltine to hit a grounder to Strang near the second base bag. Eastern's shortstop handled an in-between hop cleanly and Dineen turned it at second base to end the threat.
Simmons (3-3) walked Derbak and Borenstein consecutively to open the 10th inning. Alex Gee was asked to sacrifice bunt and pushed the ball to Brett Russell at first base. Russell's throw across the diamond pulled Jones off the bag at third base and Bracken slid in safely. After Strang lined out, the SEMO infield retreated to double play depth. Dineen got the bunt down to easily plate Bracken and also reached safely without a throw to first. Thoma followed with a rocket into the left field corner to chase Simmons. Kucharski greeted Trent Wise with a two-run single through the left side.
The Panthers scored their first run of the game on a two-out double by Kucharski in the sixth after an error extended the inning. Thoma scored from first base on Kucharski's drive over Blake Slattery's head in center field. Slattery nearly made the catch. Southeast's corner outfielders did rob Dineen and Curt Restko of potential doubles with great diving catches in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively.
Hoekstra cruised through his first two innings before giving up three runs in the third inning. Kenton Parmley and Adamson delivered back-to-back run-scoring doubles.
Josh Mueller is expected to start on the mound for EIU Thursday.
