MACOMB, Ill. – Eastern Illinois softball knocked off in-state foe Western Illinois on Thursday afternoon as the two teams met in non-conference action.
EIU picked up the 5-2 win as the Panthers improved to 20-15 overall while WIU fell to 16-25.
The Panthers jumped on the board in the first inning as
Mia Davis had the first of three hits she would collect in the game as she moves closer to the 200 hit mark for her career. Davis RBI single scored
Morgan Lewis.
WIU would tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run by Sydney Hollings.Â
An RBI single by
Haley Mitchell and RBI triple by
Hannah Cravens in the third put EIU up 3-1 as they would hold off a WIU rally in the bottom of third with starter
Jade Montgomery picking up the win with four innings of work.Â
Olivia Price closed out the final three innings for the save.
Megan Burton added an RBI double in the sixth and Mitchell a sacrifice fly in the seventh to cap the Panthers scoring. Davis was 3-for-4 for EIU while Lewis added two hits.
Hollings drove in both runs for the Leathernecks with a sacrifice fly in the third. Gabriela Drager was 2-for-3 for WIU.
EIU hosts Murray State this weekend with the series shifted to a Sunday/Monday weekend series due to expected rain in Charleston at the start of the weekend. Sunday will be a doubleheader at 1 p.m. followed by a single game on Monday at 1 p.m.  All three games will be on ESPN+.
