While an emotionally distraught Max Feske clung to grad left-hander Tyler Kapraun with a bear hug, the only thing that kept the tears from falling out of Kapraun’s eyes were his sunglasses.
Long faces lined the first base dugout fence as Eastern’s players watched Little Rock begin the college baseball tradition of a dogpile after a championship victory.
The Panthers lost a close, low scoring game to the Trojans in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship round, falling 2-1 to Little Rock Saturday afternoon at Mtn Dew Park in Marion.
“It’s just sad,” Kapraun said. “For some people this is the end of the line. It is for me as well. It’s just tough to see the boys down like this.”
As Little Rock received its trophy and the players received their medals, the Panther players hugged each other.
For at least four of them, it was their final game as a college baseball player.
“It’s just a whole lot of emotions seeing the guys play their last games and seeing all the younger guys realize that too,” junior third baseman Mike O’Conor said. “I mean, college baseball isn’t forever, so we’ve got to enjoy it while we’re here.”
Eastern (31-22, 17-7) had six hits in the game and scored its only run on an RBI single up the middle by junior right fielder Ethan Rossi in the fourth inning.
In a game where the offense didn’t have a single extra-base hit, that Rossi RBI single to give the Panthers the lead marked the only time in the entire game that the offense had strung together two hits in a row and multiple hits in an inning.
“It’s just a helpless feeling,” head coach Jason Anderson said. “We barely hit the ball out of the infield.”
Despite getting the start on short rest after throwing 69 pitches in a five inning start on Wednesday against Southeast Missouri, Little Rock right-hander Jack Cline pitched a complete game on 126 pitches.
“He was just mixing pitches really well, and keeping everybody off balance,” O’Conor said. “Nobody really could get into a groove or anything.”
The Trojans were held scoreless until the seventh inning, thanks to a bounce-back performance by Kapraun. After leaving Thursday’s game against Little Rock four outs into his start having allowed five earned runs, Kapraun pitched six and 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run and earned a no-decision after leaving the game with runners at first and third base.
The runner at third, which reached on a leadoff error by senior infielder Chris Worcester, scored on the first pitch thrown by senior right-hander Christian Carew out of the bullpen when Trojan junior infielder Angel Cano hit an RBI single to the left side to get his third hit and first RBI of the tournament.
All three of Cano’s hits came against Eastern, and his RBI is the first he’s collected in a 10-game stretch dating back to May 10. During that span, Cano is three-for-30.
Little Rock took the lead in the eighth inning after back-to-back hits with two outs. Junior utility player Ty Rhoades hit a triple and scored on an RBI single down the right-field line by freshman catcher Cade Martin, who was named most valuable player of the tournament. Martin was tagged out trying to stretch it into a double.
Eastern finishes the season with 31 wins, third most in Anderson’s time as head coach. It’s a historic season highlighted by the program winning its first regular season title since 2009.
“The loss sucks,” O’Conor said. “But, its something to look forward to next year.”
Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.
