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Eastern Illinois University Athletics

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Johnson_16
3
North Florida UNF 8-9
4
Winner Eastern Illinois EIU 8-6
North Florida UNF
8-9
3
Final
4
Eastern Illinois EIU
8-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
North Florida UNF 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 10 1
Eastern Illinois EIU 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 4 11 0

W: Rogers, Michelle (6-2) L: BLOURNE, M. (3-2)

Game Recap: Softball |

Panthers Earn Walk-Off Win In Nine Innings

The Panther softball team closed out the February Freezer with a 4-3 walk-off victory in nine innings over North Florida Sunday.



Box Score

STARKVILLE, Miss. - It took extra innings for the Eastern Illinois softball team to earn a 4-3 victory over North Florida in their final game of the February Freezer Sunday afternoon. Haley Mitchell proved to be the hero for EIU with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to record the win.

With the win EIU improves to 8-6 on the year while the Ospreys fall to 8-9.

Mia Davis led the Panthers in hitting going 3-for-5 from the plate, finishing tournament play with a .625 batting average going 10-for-16 over the five-game span.

Sunday's game marked the second time in the last four games against North Florida that both teams needed extra innings to decide a winner.

The Ospreys took the lead in the third inning, putting runners on the corners with one out. UNF's Kayla McGory hit an RBI single to left field to give North Florida the 1-0 lead. The Ospreys tacked on two more runs before the end of the third inning thanks to a double from Jen Valle clearing the bases and putting UNF up 3-0.

The Panthers answered in the bottom of the fourth inning following a double from Kayla Bear to center field scoring Amber Matchett from third base to put EIU on the board 3-1.

EIU clawed their way back into the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with Taylor Monahan and Mitchell both hitting singles to put runners on first and second base with two outs. 

With only one strike left before EIU recorded the loss, Mady Poulter kept the Panthers alive ripping a shot to right field that was dropped by UNF's right fielder allowing Monahan and a pinch-running Kiley Pelker to score off the error and even the game 3-3.

Poulter was thrown out at third on the play, but not before the tying run scored to send the game into extra innings.

After a hitless eighth inning, Bear opened the bottom of the ninth with a lead-off bunt single. Bear advanced to second after Monahan laid down a sacrifice bunt on the next at-bat. Monahan and Bear each finished the game with two hits and a double.

Following a single from Davis, Mitchell would put the game away with a walk-off single to right center field scoring Bear from second and giving EIU the 4-3 win.

Michelle Rogers recorded the win on the mound replacing Allison Golic in the fourth inning and going 5.2 innings with one strikeout while allowing no runs to improve to 6-2 this season.

The Panthers will be back in action next weekend at the Lipscomb Tournament starting Friday (Mar. 3) against Lipscomb.
 
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