Game 1 Boxscore (PDF) |
Game 2 Boxscore (PDF)
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Eastern Illinois softball finished up the early-season non-conference portion of the slate on Tuesday (March 11) with a road doubleheader sweep (12-3 [6] and 7-6 [12]) of East Carolina. Panthers improve to 18-7 on the year.
"What a great performance from the entire team today," said EIU head coach
Angie Nicholson. "It took a little bit of everything to pull off the sweep and the great thing was everything clicked today."
For the day, sophomore
Jennette Isaac led all Panthers at the plate with her 6-for-8 (.750) performance, which included three RBI and nine total bases via a double and her first career triple.
Junior
Bailey O'Dell followed with a .500 clip while senior
Reynae Hutchinson paced EIU with four RBI off four hits.
In the circle, the senior duo of
Stephanie Maday and
Hanna Mennenga improved to 7-3 and 10-2, respectively , as the two combined for 12 strikeouts. Mennenga nabbed the first game win while Maday came in relief to earn the second game marathon victory.
In the first contest, the host squad enjoyed an early 2-0 lead, but EIU would tie it up thanks to RBI shots by Isaac and senior
Carly Willert in the top of the third. However, the Pirates (13-7) would take the lead again in the fourth via a solo bomb to left field.
Still trailing by one heading into the top of the sixth, the Panthers would erupt for 10 runs behind five hits and a pair of ECU miscues to eventually earn the mercy-rule victory in six innings. Highlights included Hutchinson drilling a base-clearing triple, Cole nailing an RBI single and Isaac and Willert both securing bases-loaded RBI walks.
Mennenga struck out five ECU batters in the victory, as she out-paced four total pitchers who saw action for the Pirates.
In the nightcap win, which lasted over three hours, the Panthers got the scoreboard first thanks to junior Hanna Cole scampered home for a stolen base score in the top of the fourth.
However, ECU knotted the score with an RBI shot in the sixth to extend the game into extra-innings. Neither squad could plate a run so the game moved to the tenth frame where the international tiebreaker commenced.
Both teams plated a run in the tenth, while EIU delivered three runs in the 11th, but so did the Pirates. In the 12th inning, an RBI double by Cole, plus a Pirate error, would bring home Owens. Hutchinson would also take advantage of an ECU throwing miscue to help plate Cole.
The host team would threaten again in the bottom of the 12th as the Pirates pulled to within 7-6 of the Panthers off a ground-out RBI, yet the Panthers would hold on for the win as the EIU defense stranded the potential ECU game-winning base runner at second.
Earning the second straight start, Mennenga retired four ECU batters via strikes and allowing just one earned run, while Maday nabbed the win in relief behind three Ks of her own and zero walks, as only two of her ECU runs allowed were earned.
Team-wise, the Panthers led ECU in total runs (19-to-nine), hits (24-to-19), doubles (seven-to-three), triples (two-to-none), walks (10-to-four), errors (one-to-four), and stolen bases (eight-to-four).
O'Dell tied Cole and sophomore
Haylee Beck with three runs scored in the sweep. Meanwhile seven different Panthers earned at least one stolen base thanks to aggressive base running, with senior
Ashleigh Westover finishing with a perfect 2-for-2 base theft mark.
Defensively, Westover also earned a team-best 10 assists at the hot third base corner, followed by O'Dell's seven assists at shortstop.
"We have done such a good job of growing and getting better and better," added Nicholson. "This first part of the season has been very beneficial as we have really been able to learn off each other and recognize both our strengths and weaknesses. We now know and understand what we are capable of doing.
"We are looking forward to opening conference action this coming weekend," Nicholson said.
Weather and field-conditions permitting, the Panthers will now prepare for their home Ohio Valley Conference series opener this coming weekend. Arch-rival Southeast Missouri is scheduled to visit EIU for a Saturday (March 15) doubleheader and Sunday (March 16) single game, both set for 1 p.m. starts.
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID
