The Panther baseball team saw glimpses of brilliance and periods of poor play, losing its first three games of the season at the University of Arkansas this weekend. Eastern (0-3) opened up the three-game series with a solid pitching effort from Pete Martin. Martin held the Razorbacks (8-2) scoreless for 3 2/3 innings, but would walk five and allow three runs before making his exit.

The Panthers took an early 2-0 lead on senior third

baseman Chris Martin’s RBI single in the third inning and an RBI triple in the fourth inning by junior outfielder Pete Pirman. But the lead would not hold for long as Arkansas answered in the fourth inning with a two-out, five-run comeback, as the Razorbacks went on to win 6-2. Junior centerfielder Bob VanHoorebeck led Eastern offensively with two hits, including a single to start the season.

“The 6-2 game was kind of a good starting point,” Panther head coach Jim Schmitz said. “We played four or five innings very well, and Bobby had a really good game Friday with two hits.”

Saturday’s game was rained out, forcing a Sunday doubleheader. Scott Metz started the second game of the series and the Panthers were once again in a position to win.

“Scott Metz threw well and after five innings the game was tied 4-4,” Schmitz said. “But we left three arms at home and we had to throw a couple people in relief that probably won’t be pitching for us.”

“We ended up losing that game 10-4,” he said. “Not having those pitchers isn’t an excuse, but we also can’t throw our guys eight or nine innings right out of the chute.”

In the third game, it was more of the same as Eastern

watched an early lead slip away in the hands of the bullpen.

“(Mike) Ziroli threw the second game (Sunday), which was only seven innings, and we were winning 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, but then, believe it or not, we end up losing 17-4,” Schmitz said. “We’re walking way too many people and there is no excuse for that.

“Ziroli had seven walks and I’m very disappointed in our pitchers’ lack of execution,” he said. “At the same time, Martin did a good job, Scotty Metz threw well and Mike threw well when he was throwing strikes.”

Despite those periods of inconsistency, which are to be expected early on in the season, Schmitz was pretty pleased with his team’s play for the first series of the year.

“You can chalk some of that up to it being the pitchers’ first time out, and it took the hitters about a game and a half to come around, and the pitchers haven’t had that yet,” he said. “Overall, I’m very happy about the way we came down and competed.”