Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Sports

Junior infielder and pitcher Richie Derbak pitches the ball during a game against Indiana State on April 8. The Panthers won 5-1 against Illinois at Illinois Field in Champaign, the first time since 1996. (Audrey Sawyer / The Daily Eastern News)

CHAMPAIGN - Through seven innings Tuesday night, it appeared the Illinois pitching staff had done what few teams have this season and silenced the red-hot Eastern baseball team's bats.

But the No. 29 Panthers' offense broke through with three runs in the top of the eighth, keyed by a two out, two-run homer by senior third baseman Zach Skidmore en route to a 5-1 victory at Illinois Field in Champaign.

"They had been throwing me first pitch fastballs all day," said Skidmore, who now has seven home runs this season. "Before that at-bat, I said 'If they throw you a first pitch fastball, trust your hands and swing,' and that's what I did."

The eighth-inning breakthrough aided a stellar day by the Eastern pitching staff.

Senior right-hander Brian Morrell started and allowed one earned run and two hits in five innings of work.

Junior lefty Tyler Kehrer and junior right-hander Richie Derbak combined to throw four innings of a three-hit ball with Derbak earning the win to improve to 3-2 on the season.

"(Illinois) only made maybe two bad pitches the whole game and we didn't make any," said Eastern head coach Jim Schmitz, as the Panthers (25-6) won in Champaign for the first time since 1996. "We'd been scoring a lot and the pitching staff isn't getting as much credit as it can. Great job by our pitching staff."

Eastern has won 15 of its last 16 games dating back to March 21.

Freshman right-hander Will Strack was equally effective for the Illini (21-9), scattering five hits and one unearned run in five innings.

Until the eighth, the only Eastern run had come off of an RBI fielder's choice groundout by senior second baseman Jordan Tokarz in the third.

"It was a cold, windy day and with the wind blowing in, I knew it'd probably be low scoring," Schmitz said. "By the third inning, I told them 'Hey, it's going to be this kind of a game and we've got to take advantage of situations,' which we didn't early on."

Mike Stankiewicz took the loss for the Illini to fall to 0-1 on the season.

The senior righthander allowed three earned runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings of work.

The Panthers return home Wednesday as they kick off a 10-game home stand at 3 p.m. against Blackburn College at Coaches Stadium.

Eastern hosts Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite Jacksonville State Saturday and Sunday.


Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.

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