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Game #12 Box:  PDF
Game #13 Box:  PDF
Weekend Series Stats:  PDF

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Eastern Illinois softball opened Ohio Valley Conference action on Saturday, losing a pair of games at preseason league favorite Jacksonville State by scores of 5-2 and 7-1, respectively.

nfortunately, as the defending regular-season OVC champ, EIU begins league play at 0-2 and drop to 5-8 overall.

Sophomores Ashleigh Westover and Carly Willert joined freshman Bailey O'Dell with two hits on the day, with Westover leading the offense with a pair of RBIs.

Junior Abby Wood added her own RBI single, as sophomore Morgan Biel and newcomer Hannah Cole also added a base hit as well on Saturday.

Team-wise, Eastern came up short in several statistical game categories to the host Gamecocks (6-14/2-0) in the doubleheader.  That includes trailing in batting (.191 to .354), hits (nine to 17), runs (three to 12), RBI (three to 11), and total strikeouts thrown (five to 17).

Defensively, the Panthers did register a couple of double plays while also earning the lone steal of the day as Willert scampered for a base theft.

JSU used the long ball to earn the opening win thanks to a fifth-inning grand slam, and then utilized a pair of sacrifice flies and the long ball to nab the night cap victory as well.

The EIU pitching staff of sophomores Stephanie Maday and Hanna Mennenga were tabbed with respective losses in the twin bill.  Maday allowed zero earned runs, however, and retired three JSU batters via strikes but also threw eight walks, while Mennenga fanned ten hits and gave up all seven of the Gamecock scores.

With the first day sweep, JSU will automatically earn the three-game weekend league series, yet the Panthers still have a 1 p.m. single game on Sunday to pick up the squad's first OVC win of the early season and avoid the sweep to the Gamecocks.

Last season, Eastern earned league series wins over all 10 league opponents, either via a three-game sweep or taking two-of-three, en route to the 2011 regular-season championship.

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