CHARLESTON, Ill. – Chase Bloomer homered and drove in a pair of runs as SIUE baseball knocked off Eastern Illinois 3-2 to regain sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
SIUE improved to 16-6 in the OVC and 28-21 overall. The 28 wins match a program single season high at the Division I level.
Eastern Illinois is now 15-7 in the OVC and 28-16 overall. The loss is only the third this year at home for the Panthers.
The Panthers got on the board in the second inning, scoring an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Quade Peters. Mike O'Conor homered in the fourth to extend the EIU lead to 2-0.
They were the only two runs allowed by SIUE starter Spencer Stearns who worked six innings. He walked one and struck out three.
Eastern Illinois starter Ty Conklin held the Cougars hitless through the first 5.1 innings, but the Cougars got to him with three hits in the sixth inning.
Cooper Eggert picked up SIUE's first hit with one out in the inning. Chase Bloomer drove home Eggert with a two-out single for SIUE's first run of the game. Mack Mitchell hit his 13th home run of the season in the seventh inning to even the score at 2-2.
Conklin allowed both two runs over seven innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five.
Bloomer blasted his eighth home run of the year with two outs in the eighth to put SIUE in front 3-2. The homer came off EIU reliever James Geshel (3-3).
Joseph Martin (4-0) worked an inning and a third striking out three to earn the win. Easton Harris pitched the final inning and two-thirds to collect his league-leading 11th save of the year.
Both teams finished with five hits. Bloomer finished 2-4 and was the only player on either side with more than a single hit.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday.
