South Alabama Sweeps EIU In Three Games

After having their season opener on Friday night postponed due to rain, Eastern Illinois and South Alabama opened up their 2017 baseball season with a doubleheader on Saturday. The host Jaguars swept the doubleheader, picking up a pair of victories by scores of 8-2 and 32-0. EIU and USA will complete their three-game series on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.

Eastern Illinois dropped to 0-2 to begin the year, while South Alabama improved to 2-0 to open up the season.
Game One: South Alabama 8, Eastern Illinois 2

The Eastern Illinois baseball team led the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader for six innings, but South Alabama scored seven runs in the seventh inning to rally back and earned an 8-2 victory to begin the day.

Eastern Illinois picked up an early lead on South Alabama with two runs in the top of the second inning. After Hunter Beetley singled to left to collect his first hit as a Panther, Frankie Perrone followed up with a two-run blast over the wall in left-center to give EIU a 2-0 lead.
The Eastern Illinois pitching staff held South Alabama scoreless through the first six frames, but the Jaguars finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh inning. After South Alabama loaded the bases, a passed ball brought home the Jaguars first run of the game. A pair of walks sandwiched an RBI single by USA’s Carter Perkins gave the Jaguars their first lead of the game at 3-2. Wells Davis provided the big blow in the inning with a grand slam that hit off the foul pole in left to extend the USA lead to 7-2.

South Alabama added another run in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI triple by Travis Swaggerty.
Michael McCormick started on the mound for the Panthers and threw 5.1 scoreless innings and scattered just five hits. Brent Stephens (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound for the Panthers.

Joseph Duncan and Perrone both finished the game going 2-for-4. Perrone also hit a double to go along with his home run.

Game Two: South Alabama 32, Eastern Illinois 0

South Alabama kept their momentum going from their first game as they took a big lead early and completed the doubleheader sweep after picking up a 32-0 win in the second game.

South Alabama scored nine runs between the first two innings to take an early lead over the Panthers. After a scoreless third inning, South Alabama scored in each inning from the fourth through the eighth.

The South Alabama pitching staff had some of their best stuff on the mound as the Panthers recorded just one hit in the game on a Dane Toppel single in the seventh inning.

Brendon Allen started on the mound for the Panthers and suffered his first loss of the season.
 

Game Three: South Alabama 8, Eastern Illinois 3

For the second day in a row the Eastern Illinois baseball team gained an early lead, but South Alabama used another late comeback to win the final game of the series by a score of 8-3.

With the loss, Eastern Illinois dropped to 0-3 to begin the year. South Alabama improved to 3-0.

Eastern Illinois scored the first run of the series finale in the top of the third inning. After a lead-off walk to Justin Smith to begin the inning, Andrew Curran moved Smith up another 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt. The Panthers put runners on the corners following a Joseph Duncan single. Dane Toppel scored Smith on the next play with an RBI groundout to give EIU a 1-0 lead.

South Alabama responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score at 1-1. After loading the bases against the Panthers, South Alabama scored the tying run on an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Paul Russo.

The Panthers quickly regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning with a two-out rally. After a walk to Hunter Beetley, South Alabama kept the Panthers alive with an error that allowed Jordan Flint to reach safely and moved Beetley up to second base. Smith singled to right to give the Panthers their first run of the inning. Duncan followed a Curran walk with an RBI single up the middle to put Eastern Illinois ahead 3-1.

EIU starter, Dustin Wilson, controlled the South Alabama for most of the game, but the Jaguars once again got to the junior in the bottom of the fifth inning. Dylan Hardy hit a two-out triple into the right-field corner and later scored on an RBI single by Russo and cut the EIU lead to 3-2.
South Alabama overtook the lead following a four-run sixth inning and a two-run seventh inning against the EIU bullpen.

Wilson (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound for the Panthers, going 5.2 innings in his first career start at Eastern Illinois.
Duncan finished the game going 2-for-5 at the plate with one RBI and one stolen base. Dougie Parks also recorded a hit for the Panthers.

The Panthers will travel to Conway, Arkansas, next weekend for a four-game series at Central Arkansas starting on Feb. 24.