CLEARWATER, Fla. - Eastern Illinois softball fell in both rematches vs. UT Chattanooga and North Dakota State earlier today. The Mocs took a 9-1 win in six innings and the  Bison won 7-5 to hold off the Panthers. 

EIU falls to 7-19 overall and will close the USF Series tomorrow afternoon with two more games. The Panthers will play Buffalo at 12 pm and Seton Hall at 2:30 pm.

Game 1
The Panthers recorded seven hits in the first game of the day led by Breya Cooper who finished 2-of-3 at the plate. UT Chattanooga won 9-1 over EIU to sweep the Panthers in the season series.

The Mocs recorded 14 team hits with five players having at least two hits. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the second inning.

Cooper would score the Panthers only run on a solo homer to center field, while UTC added another two runs in the third, one in the fourth, and two more in the sixth.

Jade Montgomery was the starting pitcher for EIU. She falls to 2-10 on the mound. Sydney Cammon and Valerie Thompson each came in for relief. 

Game 2
Haley Mitchell led the Panthers at the plate in game two of the day. She was 3-of-3 with one run scored and two RBI. EIU trailed by four runs heading into the sixth. They managed to get within two runs of NDSU, but the Bison took a 7-5 win in their last meeting of the season.

Mitchell opened the game with a two-run homer to left field. NDSU took a 3-2 lead in the third inning with a pair of one-run singles and a sac fly.

Kendyl McKeough tied the game 3-3 in the fourth with a single to center field that would score Ashley Bartlett. 

The Bison added three more runs by the bottom of the fifth inning. McKeough tallied another RBI with a single to center, and Taylor Jones would later score on an error by the pitcher. EIU's two-run sixth inning fell short giving NDSU a 7-5 win.

Hannah Cravens and McKeough both finished 2-of-3 at the plate, while McKenna Coffman made the start on the mound. She pitched 3.1 innings and falls to 1-7. Cammon and Thompson each split the remainder of the game.