Blood trickled down from Frankie Perrone’s jawline, down his neck, spattering onto his jersey, standing in left field in Eastern’s Friday baseball game against Michigan State.

But he told no one, hiding the fact that blood had been drawn after being cleated by fellow freshman Marshawn Taylor.

“There was a popup and (Marshawn) was drifting back from his shortstop position,” Perrone said. “As an outfielder I have priority of anything hit out to the outfield, so I was coming in for the ball.”

Taylor was only trailing back because there was a slight breeze that pushed the ball out to the outfield, forcing Perrone to come in. Eventually Taylor settled underneath the ball and made the catch, but by then it was too late for Perrone, who said that from his perspective he felt the ball was going to fall in, prompting him to make a diving effort.

“As he was going back, I tried to get out of the way because I saw he was going to catch it,” Perrone said. “But I guess when he caught it and I tried getting out of the way his cleats got my face.”

The result: a Michigan State out and 15-20 stitches on three different parts of his face.

“On Saturday against Mississippi State, I had some fans telling me stuff when I was in the outfield playing defense,” Perrone said.

Perrone was all patched up before Saturday’s game, being taped up after getting stitches, which gave Bulldogs’ fans more ammunition to hurl at the freshman.

“The fans were non-stop, calling me Santa Claus because I had tape all across my chin and neck,” he said. “I heard someone say, ‘did your girlfriend slap you’ but you have to blind all that stuff out.”

The heckling was not the only hurdle the first-year starter had to overcome at the Diamond Classic in Starkville, Miss.

Adding salt to the wounds, Perrone went 0-for-5, striking out four times in Eastern’s 10-5 extra-innings win.

The four-strikeout performance followed a lineup change from Eastern coach Jim Schmitz.

Through the Panthers’ first eight games, sophomore Mitch Gasbarro hit leadoff seven times.

“We needed a change and if you see my track record I usually have my best hitter in the leadoff spot,” Schmitz said. “Gasbarro could be that guy in the future, but the way Frankie was being aggressive, we had to make that change.”

So, after primarily hitting fifth in the Panthers’ batting order before Friday’s game, Perrone was moved — his name penciled in at the top of the order.

Gray clouds loomed overhead Dudy Noble Field, where Eastern began its weekend play against the Spartans.

Perrone ended the afternoon striking out three consecutive times and said it was a bad day for him locating the ball from the Michigan State pitchers.

“As a baseball player you have to realize that some days you’re just not going to see the ball well and that’s how I felt Friday,” Perrone said.

Despite the swift brush of failure, the outfielder did not lose his confidence and neither did Schmitz.

“You can’t ask them to be aggressive and then get on them when they are,” Schmitz said.

Nothing was said to Perrone following Friday’s game and he made sure to bounce back the next day against No. 14 Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs built a 3-1 lead, as they entered the top of the eighth inning on Saturday.

Eastern’s Dane Sauer began the inning by drawing a walk from Myles Gentry. Perrone then walked into the batter’s box.

“I knew after Friday’s game that I needed to come back and prove to coach Schmitz and the team that I needed to start to get it going,” Perrone said.

Gentry, a right-handed pitcher, drops side arm when delivering a pitch, making his pitches have more movement.

Down 0-2 in the count, Perrone was able to detect a slider leaving Gentry’s right hand almost immediately after it left his hand.

“The key, especially in Division I baseball is that when guys are throwing with a lot of velocity, you have to get your foot down early, so then it’s eyes and you have to notice early in the pitch the spin on the ball,” Perrone said.

Perrone said he knew he had a home run as soon as he made contact, golfing the ball over the left-field wall.

“There were 10,000 people at that game and its Mississippi State — it was just awesome, especially being a freshman and my first home run in college,” he said. “It took everything I had to keep back from smiling running around the bases because I was so happy.”

Despite a 4-3 loss to the Bulldogs, the Panthers still had a double-header remaining on Sunday and Perrone would once again take advantage of another breaking pitch, while getting a bit of payback against the Spartans.

Although Eastern faltered against Michigan State, losing 18-13, Perrone hit his second home run in as many days.

With one out in the third inning, Perrone delivered again, giving Eastern a 7-4 lead with his three-run home run.

Although the Panthers lost to the Spartans and were then shutout by the Bulldogs later on Sunday, Perrone finished the week 9-of-18 at the plate, hitting his first two collegiate home runs and collecting eight RBIs, while scoring three runs.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].