Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The SIUE baseball team suffered a 7-5 defeat in 14 innings against Eastern Kentucky Saturday afternoon in the second game of a three-game weekend series at the Simmons Baseball Complex.
The loss drops the Cougars to 9-24 overall and 6-14 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
SIUE held a 5-3 lead going into the eighth inning, but EKU tied the game in the eighth before scoring two more runs in the 14th to earn the victory.
The Colonels struck first in the game, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning off SIUE starter Caleb Wilkerson. Wilkerson responded nicely, however, allowing just three runs on five hits in six and two-thirds innings of work.
The Cougars reacted to EKU's early success by scoring four unanswered runs of their own.
Skyler Geissinger ripped a two-out, bases loaded double down the third base line in the bottom of the third inning to plate Travis Becherer and James Vazquez and tie the game at 2-2.
Two innings later, Joel Greatting crushed a two-out, two-run home run over the left field fence to score Becherer and give SIUE a 4-2 lead.
After EKU got a run back in the sixth inning, the Cougars regained their two-run advantage when Devin Caldwell scored on a groundball by Mike Monaghan.
The Colonels would tie the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning. Reliever Drew Staples loaded the bases with no outs, before Jake Stauffenberg took over and allowed two runs to score for the visitors.
The two teams went scoreless through the next five innings until EKU made the decisive blow in the top of the 14th via a two-run single by Shaun Ball.
The Cougars and Colonels will wrap up their three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m.
