After being responsible for five of the 15 runners left of base in Eastern’s loss to Little Rock, junior third baseman Mike O’Conor got a chance to redeem himself.
After a strikeout looking with runners in scoring position in the first, a frustrated head coach Jason Anderson told O’Conor that he needed him to produce some runs.
So, with the bases loaded in a 4-4 tie game in the bottom of the fourth inning, O’Conor lined an 0-2 pitch down the right field line, where it bounced under the glove of the right fielder and rolled all the way into the corner, allowing the bases to clear and O’Conor to reach third on a three-RBI triple.
That swing helped lead the Panthers to an 11-6 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Thursday evening in an elimination game in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament at Mtn Dew Park in Marion.
“I think we took that two hours [after the Little Rock game] at the hotel and kind of flipped a switch,” Anderson said. “That first game is not what we’re about. The second game looked a little bit more like what we’re trying to do.”
Eastern (30-21, 17-7) never surrendered the lead after taking it in the fourth inning and relieved the pressure in the eighth inning thanks to a three-run home run by junior outfielder Ethan Rossi.
With two outs and a 2-2 count, Rossi’s eyes lit up on an elevated fastball that he connected with. He was fired up as he rounded the bases on the first home run of the tournament for Eastern.
The home run snapped a streak of seven plate appearances in a row without putting a ball in play for Rossi.
“It felt good, that’s all I knew, and I was hoping it would go,” Rossi said. “The wind died down a little bit, but fortunately it didn’t need it”
After his strikeout in the first, O’Conor recorded a hit in his next four at bats and tied Rossi and senior left fielder Brett Stanley for the team lead in RBIs with three.
Eastern got six innings from senior right-hander Tyler Conklin, who allowed four earned runs while striking out five on 106 pitches.
Conklin struck out his final hitter to get out of a sixth inning two on, two out jam.
“I went out there and he’s over 100 pitches and I just asked him, ‘this is it, do you want it, or do you want me to give it to somebody else,’ and he said, ‘let me have it,’” Anderson said.
The Panthers turned the ball over to sophomore right-hander Anthony Solis, who was matching Conklin’s velocity with his fastball topping out at 91 mph.
Solis allowed two earned runs on four hits and 46 pitches.
“I think he’s learning a lot from Conklin with competing,” Anderson said. “It’s about how many games you can win and how many games you can give your team a chance to win, and he’s got the stuff to do it. He’s fantastic and he’s just developing really nicely as a player.”
Eastern advances to play in Friday’s elimination game against the loser of the game between Little Rock and Lindenwood. First pitch is scheduled to be at 6 p.m. depending on the ending of the first game.
“It’s going to be somebody’s fifth game, and they’re going to be coming off a loss,” Anderson said. “We’re going to be hanging out all day, resting up.”
Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.
