MACOMB, Ill. (Interstat) — The Eastern Illinois Panthers will try to build on a dominant series-opening performance when they face the Western Illinois Leathernecks on Friday afternoon at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

Eastern Illinois (29-19 overall) enters the Ohio Valley Conference matchup after a 7-1 win Thursday behind a stellar outing from right-hander Tyler Conklin. The Panthers have won four of their last six but have been inconsistent, losing five of their previous seven before Thursday.

Western Illinois (15-33) has dropped six of its last eight, including a four-game sweep at Morehead State last weekend. The Leathernecks rank near the bottom of the conference in runs allowed per game.

The forecast calls for 72-degree temperatures with cloud cover at game time.

Players to watch

Eastern Illinois’ Tyler Conklin threw a seven-inning complete game Thursday, allowing no hits and one earned run while striking out six. Over his last five starts, Conklin has a 3.05 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 30⅔ innings. He is expected to be available in relief Friday if needed.

Western Illinois’ Max Tripure took the loss Thursday, giving up three earned runs on seven hits over five innings with seven strikeouts. The left-hander has struggled with command this season, walking 12 batters over his past four appearances covering 19⅓ innings.

Recent trends

The Panthers have won five of their last seven against Western Illinois, outscoring the Leathernecks 37-18 in those games. Eastern Illinois’ Quade Peters went 3-for-4 with two RBIs on Thursday and is hitting .321 over his last 10 games.

Western Illinois’ bullpen has been a weak spot, posting a 6.22 ERA in May. In Thursday’s loss, relievers Harrison Dubois and Karsten Stotlar combined for 3⅓ scoreless innings, but the Leathernecks have allowed 10 or more runs in three of their past five defeats.

Simulator projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Eastern Illinois victory. The model gives the Panthers a 57% chance to win based on offensive production and pitching matchups.

Series notes

The teams will meet again Saturday at the same venue in the series finale. Eastern Illinois is 10-7 on the road this season, while Western Illinois is 7-16 at home.