Spring Break
Baseball: Big innings by Braves in another home loss
Panthers have lost three of four games
Dan Cusack/Staff Reporter
Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Sports
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Well, the team did not follow through with that teaching Wednesday at Coaches Stadium.
The Panthers have lost three of their last four games after Bradley scored nine runs in the seventh inning to defeat Eastern 15-8.
Eastern led Bradley 7-4 entering the seventh, but Bradley senior center fielder Nick Mitidiero scored senior shortstop Tommy Fitzgerald early in the inning with a single to cut the lead to two runs. After another single by Bradley senior first baseman Adam Kimble, Bradley senior left fielder Grant Escue hit a three-run home run to put the Braves ahead 8-7.
Two walks and two singles by the Braves added one more run, but a grand slam by Fitzgerald extended the lead even further to give the Braves a 13-7 advantage.
Eastern (28-9) was able to add one run in the eighth inning, but Bradley scored two more in the ninth for the 15-8 victory.
Eastern freshman right fielder Zach Borenstein said the team is in a little bit of a slump right now and it is not playing the way it is capable of playing.
"There's no reason for it, every team goes through it," Borenstein said. "We have to capitalize on their mistakes. We are allowing a lot of base runners on. Early on in the season, we were allowing them one run, and coach always says 'Don't allow the big innings.' The last few games we have been giving the big innings up."
Eastern sophomore pitcher Matt Miller made his first start of the season and gave up two home runs in the first as Bradley (14-21) took an early 2-0 advantage.
Eastern scored one run in the bottom of the first, but it did not take its first lead until the fifth inning.
After a walk and a single, a potential double play ball went through Braves junior second baseman Matt Fritz' legs to keep the inning alive. Eastern capitalized in the inning with six runs on two singles, a sacrifice fly and two errors.
Eastern head coach Jim Schmitz said he was glad the team came back after the errors, but senior pitcher Jordan Kreke did not have his best stuff.
"One bad inning, and that's what happens," Schmitz said. "We are a little thin on pitching, they pitched their top guys just because they didn't play midweek, and that's kind of what happens. It's not a big deal. We came back and got the lead, Kreke wasn't sharp. You hate the line 'that's baseball, but that's baseball. We'll come back out tomorrow. "
After coming into the game with an ERA of 3.75 with seven earned runs and 10 hits, Kreke (1-1) allowed eight runs on six hits with two walks in 1/3 of an inning.
Bradley threw seven pitchers against the Panthers, but only Joe Bircher's run in the first was an earned run.
Tyler Thornton (2-4) got the win for the Braves as he allowed no runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Eastern will play again at 3 p.m. today at Coaches Stadium as it takes on Illinois College. Sophomore Zach Carney is expected to make his first start of the season.
Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or at dscusack@eiu.edu.
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