Breds Drop Series Finale

Sunday, May 6

Murray, Ky.

1 p.m.

Murray State

21-28, 7-14

Eastern Illinois

22-23, 12-8

Eastern Illinois

Murray State

Photo by: Samantha Mohr

5/6/2012 4:01:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

BOX SCORE

Murray State rallied to pull within one run in the middle of the game, but it was Eastern Illinois who pulled away in the late innings to hand the Breds a 12-7 defeat Sunday afternoon at Reagan Field.

The top of the Panthers lineup got going in the first inning with Caleb Howell singling to right field and Cameron Berra drew a walk. After a sacrifice bunt, T.J. McManus drove in a run with a groundout to first and Jacob Reese followed with an RBI single through the right side.

EIU (22-23, 12-8 OVC) added a pair of runs in the second as a pair of base hits and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position, and Berra took advantage with a two-run single to center field.

The Breds (21-28, 7-14 OVC) got on the scoreboard in the third inning as Mike Kozlowski singled up the middle and Brandon Eggenschwiler beat out a bunt single. After a sacrifice bunt from Rick Linton and a walk to Noah Zipko, Luke Daugherty reached on a fielder's choice to plate Kozlowski.

MSU scratched across another run in the fourth as Zipko and Daugherty hit back-to-back singles up the middle and Corey Bays drove in Zipko with a fielder's choice.

Jacob Rhodes brought the Breds to within one run in the fifth with a solo home run to left center. It was his fifth of the season and second this weekend.

EIU took advantage of an error to score a run in the sixth. With two on and one out, a possible inning-ending double play resulted in an error, loading the bases. Brant Valach plated the run with a sacrifice bunt to the right side of the infield.

The Panthers extended the lead in the seventh as a leadoff single came around to score on a sacrifice fly to left from McManus.

EIU put the game away in the eighth as they got four hits with two outs to score four runs. They got RBI singles from Nathan Sopena and Berra, before Ryan Dineen delivered a two-run triple to right center.

The Breds put together one last rally in the ninth inning as Ty Stetson blooped a double to left and Colton Speed followed with a single to left. Rhodes walked to load the bases and Kozlowski followed with a two-run double to right field. Eggenschwiler continued the inning with a two-run single up the middle, but the Breds would get no closer.

Cameron Finch (4-3) took the loss after allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits over 5.1 innings. Mike Hoekstra (3-3) picked up the win after allowing three runs on nine hits over 5.2 innings.

The Breds will take the week off for final exams before returning to the diamond May 11-13 at Southeast Missouri. The series gets underway Friday at 6 p.m.