Boxscore (PDF)

MONROE, La. – Eastern Illinois softball completed Mardi Gras Classic action on Sunday, as a 4-3 walk-off victory over Houston Baptist helped the Panthers secure co-championship honors off a 4-1 weekend mark. Eastern improves to 6-4 overall on the early-season.

Trailing the Huskies, 3-2, through six full innings, the Panthers plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh frame to gut out the win.

Senior Ashleigh Westover first tied the game at three apiece thanks to an RBI bunt on a squeeze play to bring home junior Hannah Cole from third.

Sophomore April Markowski then delivered the game-winning walk-off sac fly RBI, which plated senior Hanna Mennenga, who entered the game as a third base pinch runner.

For the game, Cole tied senior Brooke Owens with a 3-for-4 mark at the plate, as Cole also collected an RBI single in the second inning. The Panthers also took advantage of an HBU error for their other run in the second frame.

Senior thrower Stephanie Maday earned the complete game win in the circle, as she upped her early-season mark to 3-1 with four respective strikeouts and walks, while fanning five Huskie hits.

Team-wise, Eastern double-up HBU in total hits, 10-to-five, while the Huskies committed a pair of errors. Cole, junior Bailey O'Dell, Westover, and sophomore Haylee Beck all secured a stolen base in the win.

Four Panthers earned all-tourney honors, as Owens nabbed co-MVP honors, while Cole, Hutchinson and Mennenga also represented EIU with individual honors.

For the weekend, Cole led EIU with a .611 batting mark off 11 total hits, which included two doubles, a triple and a home run, while also scoring eight times. She secured four RBIs behind 18 total bases for a 1.000 slug mark and .611 on-base %.

Owens followed with a .529 bat, tying Markowski with five RBIs and leading the squad with a pair of homers.

In the circle, Mennenga and Maday both went 2-0, as the pair combined for 35 strikeouts. Mennenga led the way with 22 total Ks off a 2.33 ERA, while holding the opponents to a low .150 bat mark.

Panthers will now prepare for next weekend's Jackson State tournament on Feb. 21-23, as EIU is scheduled to play four games, including a pair against the host squad and single games versus Kansas and Southeast Louisiana.

2014 Mardi Gras Classic Standings
T1. Eastern Illinois ... 4-1
T1. Louisiana-Monroe ... 4-1
3. Southeast Missouri ... 3-2
4. Houston Baptist ... 1-3
5. Grambling State ... 0-5

2014 Mardi Gras Classic All-Tournament Team
Brooke Owens, Eastern Illinois (Co-MVP)
Alexis Cacioppo, Louisiana-Monroe (Co-MVP)
Hannah Cole, Eastern Illinois
Reynae Hutchinson, Eastern Illinois
Hanna Mennenga, Eastern Illinois
Samantha Hamby, Louisiana-Monroe
Miyuki Navarrete, Louisiana-Monroe
Faith Bohack, Louisiana-Monroe
Lindsey Patterson, Southeast Missouri
Keaira Schilling, Southeast Missouri
Kirsten Schwirtlich, Houston Baptist
Shay Orsak, Houston Baptist
Angela Perez, Grambling State

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