MARION, Ill. (Interstat) — The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks and Eastern Illinois Panthers meet Thursday afternoon at Rent One Park in a potentially pivotal midweek nonconference matchup, a rematch of a series the Panthers dominated one month ago.

Southeast Missouri State (39-16) enters on a nine-game winning streak, its longest of the season, after Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Lindenwood. Eastern Illinois (31-19) has dropped four of its last six games, most recently a three-game sweep at Western Illinois from May 14-16.

The Redhawks swept a three-game series at Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week, and won two of three at home against Southern Indiana the previous weekend.

The Panthers, who sit atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings, are 4-4 in May after a 6-3 win over Southeast Missouri State on May 3, an 11-1 victory on May 2 and a 5-3 win on May 1 in Charleston, Illinois. Eastern Illinois outscored the Redhawks 24-7 in that three-game sweep.

Southeast Missouri State will start right-hander Mason Pennington, who is coming off a dominant outing (7 innings, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 3 strikeouts) in Wednesday’s win over Lindenwood. Pennington, who has four wins in his last five starts, also shut out Arkansas-Little Rock over 6⅔ innings on May 14, allowing no hits and striking out four.

However, Pennington’s only loss this season came in his previous start against Eastern Illinois on May 2. He lasted only 2⅔ innings, surrendering 6 earned runs on 0 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in an 11-1 defeat.

Eastern Illinois shortstop Peyton Wilson, a senior, is the Panthers’ top offensive threat. Wilson went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs in Eastern Illinois’ 13-9 win at Western Illinois on May 16. He is 5-for-18 with three RBIs in five home games this season, and he had a two-RBI single in the Panthers’ 8-3 win over Southeast Missouri State on May 3.

Wilson is 0-for-6 over his past two games.

Rent One Park, home of the minor-league Southern Illinois Miners, seats 6,100.