Wenthe Guides EIU To Win, SIUE Falls

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois baseball built an early lead and pulled away with six runs in the sixth inning as the Panthers won a 15-3 non-conference game over Benedictine University of Springfield at Coaches Stadium.   EIU caps its season long seven-game home stand on Wednesday with a 3 p.m. game against Illinois College.

EIU scored two runs in the first with a sacrifice fly by Caleb Howell and RBI double by Brant Valach as the heart of the Panthers line-up drove in eight of the 15 runs for EIU.

Benedictine, a school that will discontinue its athletic program after this season, tied the game in the top of the second as Nolan Aherin hit a two-run single to left with the bases loaded. EIU starter Andrew Grahn, a North Clay graduate, (1-0) struck out Drew Johnson to leave the bases loaded. Grahn worked five innings to pick up his first win of the season. Benedictine scored its other run in the third inning as a Edwin Covas sacrifice fly scored Blake Gand.

The Panthers moved back in front in the bottom of the second as Teutopolis graduate Bobby Wenthe led off the inning with a homer. Marshawn Taylor drove home the second run with a single to right. EIU added three runs in the fourth with Wenthe scoring on a balk before Joseph Duncan and Howell drove in runs.

Howell’s RBI double in the sixth tied the senior for the school hits record with 260. Howell was hit by a pitch in his final at-bat of the game as he finished 2-for-3.

Demetre Taylor provided the big blast in the sixth with a grand slam as he was 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to ten games. Wenthe finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and Dane Sauer was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Chase Thurston and Matt Doherty each pitched two shutout innings to close the game for EIU.  Cody Bolen (2-5) pitched two innings allowing three earned runs as he was tagged with the loss for Benedictine.

Evansville 13, SIUE 3

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- SIUE baseball dropped a 13-3 decision to Evansville in nonconference action at Braun Stadium.

Evansville improved to 17-15 with the win. The Cougars dropped to 12-17.

The Purple Aces took an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning. The Cougars answered with three runs on four hits in the second inning to take a 3-2 lead. Drew Johnson and Denton Reed each had RBI hits in the inning and Austin Verschoore added a sacrifice fly.

The lead was short-lived for SIUE. Evansville scored two runs in the second, two runs in the third and two runs in the fourth to build its lead to 8-3.   

"Before you know it we're in the fourth inning and we have given up eight runs already," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "Evansville didn't do a whole lot to earn those runs. We basically handed it to them."

Cougar starter Brendan Miller (0-2) surrendered eight runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings. He also hit two batters.

Caleb Wilkerson  pitched four innings in relief. Wilkerson allowed five runs on five hits. He walked one and hit three batters.

"When you walk and hit nine batters combined in what was really just an eight-inning game you are not giving your team an opportunity to win," Stoecklin added. "At this level you must be able to throw strikes. You must be compete. If you cannot do those things it is very difficult to win."

SIUE finished with just seven hits. Mario Tursi was the only Cougar player with more than a single hit. He finished 2 for 3.