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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Eastern Illinois softball continued its spring break trip in Tennessee as the Panthers split a Thursday doubleheader at East Tennessee with the rubber game in the series set for Friday afternoon.
 
EIU won the opener 5-2 before losing 3-1 in the second game.
 
EIU 5, East Tennessee 2
It took a few innings for the Panthers bats to come alive as they were held without a hit until the fifth inning.  In the fifth EIU scored three runs with a big hit from Rachel Kaufman to win 5-2 in the opener at East Tennessee.
 
Trailing 2-1 heading into the fifth with no hits in the game, EIU finally broke through against ETSU starter Brianna Bailey (3-5).  Aryn Henke drew a one out walk followed by a Kendall Grover single to left.  Kaufman then connected for her fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot giving EIU a 4-2 lead.
 
Macey McElravy tacked on a solo home run in the sixth to round out the Panthers scoring.
 
EIU had jumped on the board in the first as Morgan Lewis drew a bases loaded walk to score Henke.   EIU had just four hits in the game with Briana Gonzalez collecting the fourth hit.
 
Olivia Price (5-2) went four innings in the circle for the win while Kaufman pitched three innings of one hit relief for her first save of the season.
 
ETSU finished with seven hits with Kasidy Dunn and Kaylee Higgins each with a double.  Dunn's RBI double in the fourth gave ETSU the lead.  Riley Nayadley had tied the game with RBI single to center in the third.
 
East Tennessee 3, EIU 1
In the second game it was East Tennessee that was able to overcome a limited number of hits as the Bucs scored two early runs and hung on for a 3-1 win.
 
ETSU scored twice in the bottom of the first inning against EIU starter Tieghan Morio (2-2).  Cameron Young had an RBI double that scored Kemiah Michel with the game's first run.  Young would advance to third on the throw to the plate and later scored in the inning on a wild pitch.
 
The Bucs tacked on an insurance run in the third with an RBI double by Sara Muir that again scored Michel.  Alexa Rehmeier would come in to close out the third for EIU and pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
 
EIU pushed across its lone run of the game in the seventh with an Avary Makarewicz RBI single that scored pinch runner Kaitlyn Riefsteck.
 
The Panthers had five hits in the game with Marama Makea getting the lone extra base hit with a pinch hit double in the sixth.  ETSU was held to just three hits in the game.
 
Muir (1-3) went the distance in the circle for ETSU.
 
EIU is now 14-11 on the season.  ETSU is 6-18.