Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Game #28 Box:  PDF
Game #29 Box:  PDF
Three-Game Weekend Series Stats (PDF)

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois softball used both the long ball and short ball game to hit past Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State in a crucial home doubleheader sweep on Saturday (March 31) off scores of 5-4 and 8-2.

With the afternoon sweep, the Panthers automatically earn the league series over the Racers as the two victories help EIU improve to 15-14 overall and an even 5-5 in league play.

Sophomore Carly Willert led all Panthers with an impressive 5-for-7 day at the plate, as she recorded three RBIs in the twinbill sweep.  That included a walk-off RBI double to pace EIU to the 5-4 first game win in the seventh inning.

Earlier in the first game, junior Abby Wood earned her first career grand slam, as she blasted a first inning shot down the right field line after newcomer Bailey O'Dell, junior Melise Brown and Willert immediately loaded the bases off consecutive singles with zero outs.

The visiting Racer squad would slowly knot the score at four-all with runs in both the fifth and sixth frames and a key two-out, two-run homer in the top of the seventh.

But after O'Dell singled and Brown walked, Willert stepped up for her game-ending heroics for the win in the EIU half of the seventh.

In the nightcap victory, the home squad again jumped out to an 8-1 lead thru the fifth inning, plating three runs in both the third and fourth and two more scores in the fifth, coming just one run short of earning a the mercy-rule win.

O'Dell, Brown and Willert all registered a pair of RBIs in the rout, while Wood and sophomore Reynae Hutchinson also added their own RBI.

Besides those five, junior Ally Seplak, seniors Maria Sorrentino and Hayley Pieper, and sophomore Ashleigh Westover all added at least one hit.  Fellow sophomore Kaylie Pruett, who earned her first career start as designated player, also recorded a hit.

Sophomore transfer Hanna Mennenga earned consecutive wins in the circle to improve to 6-4 on the year, as she arrived late in the first game win off 1 2/3 innings of work, helping to secure the win by striking out four and walking two.  She also started and pitched 5 1/3 innings in the second game win, holding Murray State to just one earned run, while striking out a pair and walking five.

Sophomore Stephanie Maday shared time in the circle with Mennenga, earning the first game start and to register four strikeouts and three walks and zero earned runs, while pitching 1 2/3 innings in the nightcap with two more Ks and a walk.

Team-wise, the Panthers topped Murray State in nearly every statistical category with the sweep.  That included batting average (.424 to .214), runs (13 to six), hits (25 to 12), doubles (three to one), RBI (13 to five), total bases (31 to 16), slug % (.525 to .286) and sac bunts (two to zero).

The Racers did out-pace the Panthers for walks (11 to five), strikeouts thrown (14 to 12), and errors (zero to five), while both squads registered a homerun a piece and notched a pair of stolen bases.

The two-game sweep improves the Panthers' lead over the Racers to 7-2 all-time, as Eastern has now won six straight in the series history that dates back to 2010 when MSU officially fielded their first intercollegiate softball squad.

The two squads will return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon, with a noon single-game scheduled to finish up the regular-season three-game series.

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