CHARLESTON, Ill. - Erik Huber singled home Casey Spears with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to lift Eastern Illinois to a 4-3 walk-off win over the Eastern Kentucky baseball team on Sunday afternoon at Coaches Stadium.

Spears led off the bottom of the ninth with a solid single to center and aggressively moved up to third when Brett Nommensen's subsequent bunt base hit rolled into no man's land in short right field. Eastern Kentucky (22-24-1, 11-10 OVC) chose to pitch to Huber with the infield in and the senior lined a solid single up the middle to salvage the series finale for the Panthers.

EKU took an early 2-0 lead, getting a run in the second on a bases loaded walk to senior Shawn Flora and another in the third on an RBI groundout from sophomore Dylan McMaine.

EIU got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a Mark Chagnon RBI single but the Colonels extended their lead to 3-1 in the fifth when junior Joe Oliver came home on a two-out bases loaded wild pitch.

But EIU tallied two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie it at three. Spears and Brett Nommensen both walked to open the fifth inning. Spears eventually scored on a wild pitch and Campbell knocked in Nommesen with a liner into left field. EIU's senior third baseman was the last batter EKU starter Chris Grider faced, giving way to freshman Jim Clancy (3-2) who did not give up a run until the ninth.

The Colonels had a chance to go ahead in the eighth, loading the bases with one out and junior Lucas Waters coming to the plate. But Panther reliever Scott Foley got Waters to strike out and Oliver to fly out to left to get out of the jam.

Foley (1-0) earned his first career victory for EIU with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

EKU returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Dayton in its final home game of the season. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.