CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Eastern Illinois softball defeated Southeast Missouri, 7-4, on Sunday (April 26) to complete the Panthers' final road series in Ohio Valley action.

The Panthers move to 17-24 overall and 12-10 in the OVC, while the host Redhawks drop to 15-24 and 9-12 yet still earned the regular-season series win over Eastern following a pair of wins yesterday.

Seniors Bailey O'Dell and Hannah Cole led a group of four Panthers with two hits on the day, as the duo finished with respective 2-for-4 plate performances.

O'Dell earned one of four EIU doubles and paced Eastern with three RBIs.  Cole tallied a pair of RBIs of her own, as sophomores Kylie Bennett & Hannah Rachor, plusjunior April Markowski, each added doubles.

Freshman pitcher Jessica Wireman earned the complete game win in the circle, moving to 10-11 overall as she fanned five Redhawks via strikes, while allowing just three walks, and four runs off ten hits.

Like the host squad did on Saturday, SEMO used the long ball in the opening frame to take the early 1-0 lead, holding EIU scoreless until the Panthers were able to plate three runs in both the five and sixth frames, in addition to a security score in the top of the seventh.

Consecutive RBI bunt singles by newcomer Andrea Roberts and O'Dell would score two runs to retake the lead in the fifth, as Cole added her own RBI single to left center.

SEMO pulled to within 2-3 of Eastern in their half of the fifth, but an RBI double off the bat of O'Dell and a single by Cole to score junior Haylee Beck would ultimately give EIU the game-winning score.

Rachor tallied a sac fly RBI to bring home pinch-runner Taylor Monahan in the seventh would be followed by a late run by the Redhawks in the final frame, as SEMO scored two more but come up short for the final margin of victory.

EIU will next host instate foe Southern Illinois in a 4 p.m. single game on Wednesday (April 29), before entertaining SIU Edwardsville in the Panthers' home finale OVC series next weekend.
 
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID