After the Eastern baseball team lost 8-3 to Tennessee Tech on Sunday at home, the Panthers dropped to 5-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference – 10th ahead of only Tennessee-Martin.

Eastern coach Jim Schmitz said the Panthers needed to find different ways to win games, following their second home conference series loss.

“We have to find other ways to win other than what we did (Saturday,” he said following Sunday’s loss to the Golden Eagles.

After winning the middle game of the series Saturday against Tennessee Tech, the Golden Eagles took away the Panthers’ bunt offense Sunday and also took advantage of an error and of pitcher Joe Greenfield before he settled in after walking four batters in the first inning.

Following the loss that dropped the Panthers to 5-10 in the OVC, he wanted to see his hitters make adjustments during Eastern’s game Tuesday against Indiana State.

“A hitter came in the other day and pinch hit in the ninth inning and asked another guy, ‘what does he got,’ and I said to the team, ‘you’ve been watching him pitch for three innings in the dugout. You don’t need to ask a hitter,’” Schmitz said.

Against Indiana State Tuesday, Eastern faced Indiana State left-handed pitcher Ryan Keaffaber, who pitched into the eighth inning and allowed a total of three earned runs.

Schmitz said he did not think the Panthers made the proper adjustments soon enough.

“We got to make a little better adjustments to the left hander,” Schmitz said. “Sometimes you just have to say ‘he did a good job’ and sometimes we do not recognize what the guy is doing and we have to do a better job of going the other way.”

Now, following its 6-4 loss against the Sycamores, Eastern has to travel to Southeast Missouri, which is atop the OVC standings with a 15-3 conference record.

“SEMO is playing as hot as you can play right now,” Schmitz said. “They’re hot as fire right now and they’re playing on all cylinders.”

In their last 12 games, the Redhawks have gone 11-1, losing only to Austin Peay in their series opener Friday before winning the final two games of the series.

At home, Southeast Missouri is 11-3 and overall the Redhawks are 25-11 this season.

Following the 2013 season as the Redhawks’ interim coach, Steve Bieser has seen his team lead the OVC in batting average, (.326) RBIs, (148) runs scored, (171) hits (218) an stolen bases, (46) in his first year as the full-time coach.

Southeast Missouri also has the third-best ERA in conference games at 4.31. Eastern is ranked seventh with a 5.72 ERA in 15 OVC games.

Schmitz said he wants Eastern’s offense to stay aggressive like it did in its previous series against Murray State and Tennessee Tech.

The Panthers tended to take a lot of swings early in their at bats against Tennessee Tech pitchers, keeping the Golden Eagles’ pitch counts low, but Schmitz said the way Eastern wants to get into the other team’s bullpen is by getting hits, not walks.

“I just want to be really consistent with what he have been doing,” he said. “For me, to kind of change up what we’re doing – to take pitches – that’s not what we do. If a pitcher lays it in there I want our hitters to be aggressive.”

Southeast Missouri pitchers have allowed the second most walks in the OVC at 78. Eastern has walked the most with 84.

In Eastern’s last nine conference games, it has knocked out the opposing starting pitcher five times before heading into the sixth inning. The problem for the Panthers has been scoring off relievers.

Eastern has gone 3-6 during that nine game stretch.

“The biggest thing is that the other team might bring in a reliever and he might shut us down in his first inning, but we have to figure out what he’s doing,” Schmitz said.

On Sunday, Eastern knocked out Tennessee Tech starter Jacob Honea in the third inning, as the Panthers got within 5-2 of the Golden Eagles. Ross Spurgeon came in relief and pitched 2.2 innings without being charged with a run and allowing only one hit.

Kyle Keatts then pitched the final four innings against Eastern and allowed only one run.

“You have to finish the game,” Schmitz said. “You have to score against the relief pitchers.”

The Redhawks’ top three relief pitchers with the most appearances in the OVC have allowed a combined 18 runs (14 earned) in 33 innings.

First pitch is set for 5 p.m. Thursday at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Game two and three of the series start at 5 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Eastern has five OVC series left this season, including its trip to Southeast Missouri.

“Hopefully we can keep hanging in with our young players and get over the hump and like I’ve said five weeks is a long way to go,’ Schmitz said.

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