Spring Break
Baseball: Panthers win one, lose one in weekend of bad weather
Sunday's tournament finale canceled
Collin Whitchurch / Associate Sports Editor
Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: Sports
The Eastern baseball team overcame cold, windy conditions to finish 1-1 at the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic in Evansville, Ind., during the weekend.
While Sunday's tournament finale against Evansville was canceled because of temperatures in the Evansville area in the low 30s and winds gusting as high as 30 mph, both of the games the Panthers played this weekend ended in walk-off fashion. Friday, the Panthers lost 5-4 to Saint Louis on a game-ending single by Billikens junior designated hitter Jon Myers.
The roles were reversed Saturday as the Panthers beat Butler 7-6 on a walk-off single by junior left fielder Curt Restko. Junior pitcher Richie Derbak picked up the win in relief after pitching out of jams in both the eighth and ninth innings.
"We gave one away and then we got a gift," Eastern head coach Jim Schmitz said about the weekend. "So I guess you could say it evened out."
Schmitz said no team in the tournament was able to swing the bat particularly well during the weekend due to the freezing conditions. He said he was pleased with his team's ability to put Friday's loss behind them and pick up the win Saturday.
"One of the things with this team is we've definitely written it up as that's what we need to do," he said. "(Saturday) we had the lead, it was an ugly game, and we were able to come back and get three more runs. It says a lot about them. It takes a lot to be mature and handle that, and they've done a good job."
While Derbak picked up the victory Saturday, junior starter Tyler Kehrer struck out a career-high 12 batters in five innings of work. However, he also walked six while allowing just one hit and one run.
"(Kehrer) has a chance to be a big-time guy," Schmitz said of the performance. "We definitely have to do a better job of cutting down on the walks, though. That's a concern of mine with the pitching staff."
The 12 strikeouts were the most by an Eastern pitcher since 2001.
Sophomore pitcher Josh Mueller started Friday's loss to Saint Louis. He lasted four innings, giving up two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out four.
The Panthers (3-2) return to action at 2 p.m. Wednesday when they travel to Carbondale to take on Southern Illinois Carbondale. They will travel to Louisville, Ky., this weekend for games against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Louisville on Friday and Saturday.
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
While Sunday's tournament finale against Evansville was canceled because of temperatures in the Evansville area in the low 30s and winds gusting as high as 30 mph, both of the games the Panthers played this weekend ended in walk-off fashion. Friday, the Panthers lost 5-4 to Saint Louis on a game-ending single by Billikens junior designated hitter Jon Myers.
The roles were reversed Saturday as the Panthers beat Butler 7-6 on a walk-off single by junior left fielder Curt Restko. Junior pitcher Richie Derbak picked up the win in relief after pitching out of jams in both the eighth and ninth innings.
"We gave one away and then we got a gift," Eastern head coach Jim Schmitz said about the weekend. "So I guess you could say it evened out."
Schmitz said no team in the tournament was able to swing the bat particularly well during the weekend due to the freezing conditions. He said he was pleased with his team's ability to put Friday's loss behind them and pick up the win Saturday.
"One of the things with this team is we've definitely written it up as that's what we need to do," he said. "(Saturday) we had the lead, it was an ugly game, and we were able to come back and get three more runs. It says a lot about them. It takes a lot to be mature and handle that, and they've done a good job."
While Derbak picked up the victory Saturday, junior starter Tyler Kehrer struck out a career-high 12 batters in five innings of work. However, he also walked six while allowing just one hit and one run.
"(Kehrer) has a chance to be a big-time guy," Schmitz said of the performance. "We definitely have to do a better job of cutting down on the walks, though. That's a concern of mine with the pitching staff."
The 12 strikeouts were the most by an Eastern pitcher since 2001.
Sophomore pitcher Josh Mueller started Friday's loss to Saint Louis. He lasted four innings, giving up two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out four.
The Panthers (3-2) return to action at 2 p.m. Wednesday when they travel to Carbondale to take on Southern Illinois Carbondale. They will travel to Louisville, Ky., this weekend for games against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Louisville on Friday and Saturday.
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
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