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3-Game Series Stats:  PDF

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- A two-run shot by sophomore catcher Hailee Hanna's and a complete game shutout from junior thrower Amber May helped the Eastern Illinois softball squad earn the regular-season sweep of Ohio Valley Conference rival Southeast Missouri on Wednesday, as the Panthers won, 2-0, at Williams Field.

The home win upped the Panthers to 20-17 overall and 10-4 in league play and dropped the Redhawks to 13-22 on the year and 4-10 in conference.

The three-game series sweep of SEMO marks the first time that a Panther squad has earned such a feat during EIU's 14 seasons as a member of the OVC.  Eastern previously blasted past SEMO for two wins (3-0 & 10-2 [6]) at Cape Girardeau just this past March.

The Panthers got on board right off the bat, as Hailee Hanna ripped a shot up the gut of the SEMO defense to plate seniors Megan Nelson and Denee' Menzione, who had previously earned a walk, to earn her 14th and 15th RBI of the season.

That would ultimately be all the offense that Eastern would require as junior thrower Amber May pitched a terrific game, as she held SEMO scoreless to earn her 13th win of the year.  She struck out seven Redhawk batters, walked just one, and fanning six SEMO hits.

Meanwhile, the Panther defense came through big as well, as they helped May strand 10 total SEMO baserunners, including two bases-loaded situations in both the second and sixth frames.  

The EIU defense got off to a bit of a shaky start as SEMO took advantage of three Panther miscues in the game to reach base.  However, senior outfielders Angie Danca and Denee' Menzione each countered with several key defensive plays.

Danca nabbed two hard-hit line drives to centerfield off of the bat of SEMO's top player, Nicole Troncoso, each time spoiling potential multiple Redhawk runs.  Menzione, meanwhile, used her great arm at rightfield to not only slow down the SEMO baserunners off key flyouts, but also kept SEMO from scoring a sacrifice fly from third base.

Also earning a hit in the key win were EIU freshman Melise Brown, junior Kiley Holtz, and Abby Wood, while the Redhawks ultimately out-hit the Panthers six-to-four but also committed their own error in the game.

The Panther win keeps EIU among the elite in the OVC standings, as the squad now steps outside league play on Thursday, traveling to instate rival Illinois for a 6 pm single game at Eichelberger Field in Champaign-Urbana.

EIU will then hit the road for a crucial three-game weekend series at conference-leading UT Martin this coming Saturday and Sunday.

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID