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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Following an hour rain delay in the top of the eighth inning, the Panther baseball team rallied back to get within two against No. 21/30 Southern Miss but the Golden Eagles added a late run to pull out the 6-3 victory on Friday night at Pete Taylor Park.
 
Jacob Reese hit a one-out, two-RBI double in the eighth inning to get the Panthers on the scoreboard and start the late-inning rally. Following a ground out by Derek Page on the following play, Nick Priessman cut the Panther deficit to two (5-3) with an RBI single to left field.
 
Southern Miss (4-1) added one run in the bottom of the frame before Daniel Wineski got the final three Eastern Illinois (1-4) batters to ground out to end Panther upset bid in the ninth inning.
 
The Golden Eagles got on the scoreboard early, scoring four runs on four hits and one Panther error to take a 4-0 advantage in the second inning. Southern Miss took a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning on the Panthers second error of the contest.
 
Both squads posted six hits on the night while EIU had two more miscues (2-0) than Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles left four more runners on base (6-2).
 
Reese led the Panthers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and run. Priessman added two hits and an RBI.
 
Matt Borens (0-1) took the loss for EIU, striking out four batters while allowing five runs (three earned) in six innings of action. Andrew Pierce (2-0) posted the win for Southern Miss as the senior right-handed pitcher pitched 7.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Wineski recorded his first save of the year for the Golden Eagles. 
 
“Matt Borens and Luke Bushur were outstanding tonight and were exciting to watch,” said Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz. “I like how we battled back in the game, but three defensive mistakes hurt us in the end.
 
“The way we handled pressure today was good, however, at some point we are going to have to make those plays in the field so we don't have to overcome a large deficit.”
 
The Panthers return to action on Saturday afternoon at noon against Alcorn State. EIU concludes tournament play on Sunday at 11 a.m. against Missouri State.