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Eastern Illinois University Athletics

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Team Postgame APSU
10
Winner Eastern Illinois EIU 27-27
5
Murray St. MUR 24-31
Winner
Eastern Illinois EIU
27-27
10
Final
5
Murray St. MUR
24-31
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Eastern Illinois EIU 1 1 0 0 6 0 2 10 12 3
Murray St. MUR 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 5 5 2

W: Wireman, Jessica (19-18) L: ROBINSON (19-16)

3
Eastern Illinois EIU 25-28
6
Winner SIUE SIUE 26-25
Eastern Illinois EIU
25-28
3
Final
6
SIUE SIUE
26-25
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Eastern Illinois EIU 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 5 2
SIUE SIUE 3 0 0 3 0 0 X 6 4 1

W: Douglass (16-11) L: Wireman, Jessica (19-19) S: Koziol (1)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Finishes Fourth In OVC Tourney

The Softball team split their two OVC tournament games Friday falling to SIUE 6-3 in the loser's bracket to end the 2016 season.

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

OXFORD, Ala. - It was a rollercoaster day for Eastern Illinois softball as the Panthers opened Friday's tournament play with a wild 10-5 win over Murray State before falling to SIU Edwardsville 6-3 in their final game of the season.

The Panthers finished their 2016 season with a 25-28 record. Jessica Wireman had a long day on the mound earning both the win and the loss after pitching eight strikeouts over 10 innings in the two games.

Kylie Bennett, April Markowski, Mady Poulter, and Kayla Bear all finished the day with three hits a piece.  

Katie Watson led the team with three runs, while Amber Toenyes recorded three RBIs throughout the two games.

The Panthers started their day off quickly in the top of the first inning against Murray State. After reaching on a fielder's choice, Watson came all the way around to score thanks to a two-out double from Bennett to left field.  

EIU added to their 1-0 lead in the following inning as Andrea Roberts hit an infield single to second base. Roberts eventually advanced to second base with two outs and Jennette Isaac at the plate. Isaac smacked a single out to left field allowing Roberts to score and give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. 

Both teams came alive in the fifth inning as the Racers and the Panthers combined for nine runs. 

EIU opened the inning with back-to-back singles from Poulter and Isaac. Bear laid down a spectacular bunt single on the next at-bat as a throwing error from Murray State's first baseman allowed her to reach second and Poulter to score to make it 3-0.

Following Bear's lead, Haylee Beck laid down a bunt of her own reaching on the fielder's choice as Isaac scored from third to extend the Panther lead to 4-0. Watson then stepped up to the plate hitting a ground ball to the shortstop as Bear beat the throw to home plate making it 5-0 with still no outs in the inning.

Bennett recorded her second RBI of the day with a single to right field scoring Beck from third and forcing the Racers to bring in Haven Campbell to pitch. The pitching change did not phase Markowski as she stepped up and ripped a double to right center field bringing Watson around from second base to make it 7-0. 

Markowski added the final run of the inning herself successfully stealing third base and scoring on a throwing error from the Racer's catcher as the inning eventually came to a close with EIU in front 8-0.

The Racers fought back in the bottom of the fifth to fend off the run-rule victory with three unearned runs. After opening the inning with a walk and a single to left center field, Murray State's Brenna Finck laid down a sacrifice bunt making it to third base on a throwing error. The error cleared the bases for the Racers to make it 8-2. Murray State added one more on the next at-bat as Finck scored from third base on a sacrifice bunt making it 8-3 headed into the sixth inning.

Each team earned two-run home runs in the seventh inning as Toenyes hit her second home run of the tournament to make it 10-3 in the top of the seventh. Murray State's Jessica Twaddle followed suit with a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning to earn the final score of 10-5. Michelle Rogers came in to replace Wireman following the home run to close out the game for EIU. 

Wireman finished the game with seven strikeouts and only one earned run in her six innings pitched.

Bear, Bennett, Markowski, Poulter, and Isaac all finished with two hits in the game with Bennett recording two RBIs while Markowski earned two runs scored. Toenyes recorded two RBIs as well with her home run while also scoring one run.

With the win the Panthers earned the right to continue in the loser's bracket of the tournament taking on SIU Edwardsville at 8:40 pm Friday evening. 

The Cougars took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning with a lead-off double from SIUE's Alyssa Heren followed by a walk. Rachel Keller cleared the bases with a double to right center field advancing to third on the throw and putting SIUE in front 2-0. Edwardsville added one more run before the inning came to a close as Keller crossed home plate on a sacrifice bunt to make it 3-0. 

EIU finally got on the board in the fourth inning as Watson cranked her second home run of the season over the left center field wall to make it 3-1. Bennett followed up the home run with a single to left center field before being replaced by Taylor Monahan pinch running. Markowski advanced Monahan to third base with a double to deep center field on the next at-bat. Monahan would score from third during a ground-out to pull EIU within one 3-2. 

SIUE shot back in the bottom of the inning as Heren hit an RBI single to extend the Cougar lead to 4-2. After the next batter was walked, the Cougars Tess Eby hit a bases clearing double to make it 6-2 in favor of SIUE. 

The Panthers pulled one back in the top of the fifth as Poulter singled to open the inning. Poulter eventually advanced to third base, coming home to score thanks to a sacrifice fly from Beck to cut the Cougar lead in half 6-3.

That would prove to be all either team would manage as the Panther's fell to SIUE 6-3 to earn a fourth place spot in the OVC tournament and cap off their 2016 season.
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