RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team kept its hopes alive for a bid to the upcoming OVC tournament with two wins over Eastern Illinois Friday afternoon. EKU defeated the Panthers 5-4 in game one and 4-3 in the second contest. The Colonels improve to 26-26-1 overall and 12-14 in the OVC while the Panthers fall to 22-27 and 12-12.

Senior Joe Oliver provided the heroics in the opener, hitting the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie. Senior Clint Seymour started the rally with a one-out double down the right field line. After senior Tyler Barnett was intentionally walked, Oliver rolled a single through the right side of the infield which scored pinch runner Jordan Hoffman.

Eastern Illinois trailed 4-2 heading into the top of the ninth, but scored two runs off the Colonel bullpen. Zach Skidmore’s RBI single brought the Panthers to within one run. Eastern Kentucky senior McKenzie Willoughby then walked in the tying run.

Both starting pitchers were effective in the opener. Junior Christian Friedrich pitched eight innings while scattering seven hits and striking out nine EIU batters. Friedrich gave up two unearned runs and has not allowed an earned run in his last 25 innings pitched. Eastern Illinois’ Tyler Kehrer battled through 6.2 innings while allowing two earned runs.

At the plate in game one, Seymour finished with a career-high and team season-best five hits (5-for-5). Meanwhile, EIU’s Skidmore and Brett Nommensen combined for seven hits.

In game two, Willoughby (4-3) went the distance to earn his second victory of the afternoon. After EIU plated two runs in the top of the first thanks to Richie Derbak’s two-out single, the righty settled down to limit the Panthers to one more run and just three hits in the final six innings.

Sophomore Anthony Ottrando’s fourth homer of the year, a solo blast in the third, leveled the game at 2-all. The Colonels took the lead later in the inning on a Jayson Langfels sacrifice fly.

Eastern Illinois squared the contest at three in the top of the fifth behind Skidmore’s sacrifice fly. However, EKU responded in the bottom of the frame with a two-out RBI single from junior Tyler Rehmel.

The two teams wrap up the regular season tomorrow, May 17, with a single game beginning at 1 p.m.