SIUE Take Two Of Three Over EIU, Area Players On Both Teams

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE baseball banged out 10 hits, including three home runs, and Ryan Daniels tossed a career-best 8 1/3 innings Friday as the Cougars won their Ohio Valley Conference opener 6-4 over Eastern Illinois at Simmons Baseball Complex.

"It was a good team win," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "We pitched well, we got timely hitting, and we played good defense."

Daniels allowed three runs, all earned, on seven EIU hits. He walked just one and struck out six to improve to 2-0 on the season.

"Anytime your starting pitcher goes eight-plus innings and gives you an opportunity to win is a great outing," Stoecklin added. "He did what he has done all year. He attacked hitters. He pounds the strike zone and makes very few mistakes."

Eastern Illinois opened the scoring against Daniels in the first inning. Caleb Howell doubled with two outs, and then scored on an RBI-single by Demetre Taylor.

Effingham High School graduate Chase Green had a single for SIUE. Stewardson-Strasburg graduate Jaden Widdersheim pitched one inning allowing one walk and striking out two for Eastern.

Skyler Geissinger's two out, RBI-single in the 12th inning lifted SIUE baseball to an 8-7 extra inning win over Eastern Illinois in game two of a three-game series at Simmons Baseball Complex.

"It's about being tough and being competitive and finding a way to win a ballgame," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "That's what we did today. We found a way to win a ballgame."

Because SIUE was batting first, the Cougars had to hold off Eastern Illinois in the bottom of the 12th inning. Panthers' leftfielder Caleb Howell singled to start the inning, but was caught stealing by SIUE catcher Brian Sipe. It was the third time in the game that Sipe caught and EIU player at second base.

Cougar reliever Brett Thomas (2-0) then retired the next two hitters. Thomas struck out EIU rightfielder Montana Timmons to end the game.

Thomas tossed three scoreless innings allowing just the single hit to earn the win. He walked one and struck out one. EIU reliever Garrison Stenger (0-4) suffered the loss. He tossed the final two innings allowing the run on two hits.

Green was 4 for 7 with hits in each of his final four at-bats. Lombardo was 3 for 7 with an RBI and two runs in the win.

Eastern Illinois was led by Howell who finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs.

Widdersheim threw eight strikeouts in 5.2 scoreless innings.

The Panther baseball team defeated SIU Edwardsville, 5-4, in the Ohio Valley Conference series finale between the two schools on Sunday afternoon at the Simmons Baseball Complex.

EIU improves to 3-12 overall and 1-2 in OVC play while the Cougars drop to 4-9 overall and 2-1 in OVC action.

SIUE took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out, solo home run to left field by Devin Caldwell. The Panthers responded in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-1 advantage, scoring three runs on a two-out double to right field by Tyler Schweigert.

Cameron Berra hit a RBI double to left field in the third inning to make the score 4-1 before the Panthers added another run in the fifth inning on a Demetre Taylor RBI double. SIUE cut its deficit to one (5-4) in the eighth inning on a three-run homer by Skyler Geissinger.

Widdersheim (1-0) posted the win for EIU, striking out eight batters and only allowing four hits in 5.2 innings of scoreless relief. Troy Barton posted the save, striking out one in 1.2 scoreless innings.

“We had a hard loss yesterday, so seeing what Jaden (Widdersheim) and Troy (Barton) did today was really good for us,” said Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz. “Jaden’s last two outings were great, so it was nice to see him do well again today.

“We didn’t add runs on each inning like we wanted to, but we were to get enough runs to win the game.”