CARLINVILLE, Ill. - The baseball team dropped a pair of close games at Blackburn on Friday afternoon. GU lost game one 6-5 after allowing three runs in the bottom of the ninth, and Blackburn walked off game two with a run in the bottom of the ninth for the 5-4 win.
The Panthers were up 2-0 and 5-3 in game one before the game slipped away.
George Schneider put the Panthers on top 1-0 in the fourth inning of game one when he hit a ball that was misplayed by the left fielder allowing Parker Panich to score.
In the sixth inning, Schneider delivered an RBI single.
The Beavers took a 3-2 lead with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, but Greenville responded with three runs in the top of the ninth. In GU's half of the ninth inning, Logan Garrick contributed a two-run single and Drew Frey recorded an RBI base hit before Blackburn once again scored three runs for the win in the bottom of the inning.
Jaxen Gibson had an effective outing on the mound for GU, pitching seven innings and allowing just one run on seven hits.
Chad Plath was tagged with four runs in one and one-third innings, and Craig Oertel gave up the winning run in the ninth to pick up his first loss of the season.
In game two, Blackburn held a 3-0 lead after three innings, but the Panthers came back with two runs in the sixth inning and two in the seventh inning for the 4-3 lead.
Landon Mokris homered to put GU on the scoreboard in the sixth, and Blake Duncan reached safely on an error by the second baseman that also scored a run.
In the seventh inning, Dustin Sutton had an RBI single, and Schneider walked with the bases loaded.
The Beavers scored once in the seventh to tie the game, and they received an RBI single from Blaine Dunning in the bottom of the ninth for the win.
Logan Garrick ended 3-for-5 in the game, and Tanner Gerdes finished with two hits.
Lucas Teel pitched six and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on three hits and five walks while collecting seven strikeouts. Seth Burnham relieved Teel and walked a pair of batters before Braden Maltbie came on to get GU out of the jam and recording one and one-third scoreless innings.
Caleb Babb permitted one run on one hit and three walks in the ninth inning to get the loss.
The Panthers (6-26, 6-16 SLIAC) return to Blackburn for a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
