Game One Box Score |
Game Two Box Score |
Photo Gallery (By
Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - It was a tale of two games for the Eastern Illinois softball team in Friday's doubleheader as they downed UT Martin 3-1 before falling to the Skyhawks by a matching 3-1 score in game two. With the split EIU goes to 24-17 and 9-3 in the OVC while UT Martin remains right behind the Panthers at 31-13 overall and 8-4 in the conference.
Jessica Wireman recorded the win for EIU on the mound to improve to 13-9 on the season.
Amber Toenyes finished the day 2-for-6 at the plate, but recorded two RBIs with a double and a solo home run in her only two hits.
The Panthers got on the board early in game one of the doubleheader as
Haley Mitchell hit a two-out single in the bottom of the first inning. Toenyes brought her around on the next at-bat smacking a double to left field. Toenyes was caught off the plate at second base and thrown out by UTM's left fielder, but not before Mitchell crossed home plate to give EIU the 1-0 lead.
EIU added to their lead in the following inning following back-to-back singles from
Michelle Rogers and
Mady Poulter to open the inning.
Kiley Pelker laid down a sacrifice bunt on the next at-bat to advance all runners before
Tori Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Rogers from third base.
The Skyhawks finally got on the board in the third inning putting runners on second and third base with two outs. Gracyn McBride then stepped up to the plate to hit an RBI single up the middle to cut EIU's lead in half 2-1.
The Panthers recorded the final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a lead-off single from Johnson. EIU played some excellent small ball to advance Johnson to third base off back-to-back sacrifice bunts. Johnson came across to score off an error from the Skyhawks that allowed Monahan to reach first base and EIU to earn the final score of 3-1.
Wireman and the Panther defense held UT Martin at bay the rest of the way as the junior recorded her eighth win in a row throwing seven strikeouts.
The second game was a scoreless battle until the bottom of the fourth inning as Rogers took the mound and managed to hold the Skyhawks hit-less. After a short lightning delay Toenyes finally broke the 0-0 deadlock with a shot over the right field wall to put EIU in front 1-0.
UT Martin answered in the top of the fifth inning as a hit by pitch and a walk put runners on with two outs. Savannah Dodson recorded the Skyhawks first hit of the game on the next at-bat with a single to left field advancing to third on the throw. Both Alicia Hansen sand Alexa Combs managed to score on the play following two errors from the Panthers to give UTM a 2-1 lead off the unearned runs..
The Skyhawks added a safety run in the sixth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Jodie Duncan to secure the 3-1 win.
Taylor Monahan finished game two 2-for-3 at the plate going 3-for-6 on the day. Rogers recorded the loss giving up only four hits and throwing four strikeouts to fall to 9-8 on the year.
The Panther defense managed to hold the OVC stolen base leaders to only two swiped bags on the day throwing out three different runners.
EIU closes out their brief home stand Tuesday (Apr. 18) against Fort Wayne at 4 p.m.
