West Central Reporter

Eastern Illinois University secured a doubleheader sweep against Western Illinois at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium, winning 14-5 and 7-4. The results left Western Illinois with an overall record of 6-21 and a conference record of 2-7 in the Ohio Valley.

In the first game, Eastern Illinois took an early lead with four runs in the second inning through consecutive home runs. Although Western Illinois reduced the deficit to 4-1 with efforts from J.R. Heavilin and Trevor Leon, EIU extended their advantage by scoring five more runs across the fifth and sixth innings. Despite late attempts from WIU, including contributions from Chris Hege and Liam Bushey, EIU claimed victory at 14-5.

The second game saw WIU initially leading after scores from Chris Hege and J.R. Heavilin gave them a two-run advantage in the first inning. However, despite further efforts resulting in a 3-0 lead, they failed to score for the remainder of the match. Tyler Kapraun's strong pitching performance kept EIU at bay until Caden Kratz faced challenges in the ninth inning when EIU scored five times to secure a come-from-behind win.

WIU managed eight hits per game, with notable performances from Kyree Alexander, J.R. Heavilin, Chris Hege, and Trevor Leon contributing significantly across both games.

Western Illinois will return to play after a three-day break when they host Illinois State at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.