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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois softball increased its current winning streak to eight games as they clinched the weekend series with Morehead State sweeping a Friday doubleheader at Williams Field.
 
EIU won the opener 8-0 in five innings before a 3-1 win in the second game.
 
The Panthers improved to 28-15 overall, 14-2 in the OVC.  Morehead State fell to 11-23 overall, 6-11 in the OVC.
 
EIU 8, MOR 0
Aniya Holt was the star at the plate for Eastern Illinois in the opener as the Panthers exploded for five runs in the second and walked off the 8-0 win in the bottom of the fifth in the opener.
 
Leading 2-0 in the third after Kendall Grover had a bases loaded walk, Holt cleared the bases with a grand slam for her fourth home run of the season staking EIU to a 6-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the fifth Holt drove home the Panthers seventh run of the game with an RBI double to left center that scored Grover from second.   After a wild pitch placed Holt at third, she would come home to score the game ending run on another wild pitch to give EIU the run rule win.
 
Holt was 2-for-3 in the game with five RBI and two runs scored.  Grover was 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored.  She drove home the Panthers first run of the game in the first with an infield single.
 
Olivia Price (12-3) scattered three hits during five shutout innings of work for the complete game win.  Price has now pitched 22.1 straight innings without allowing an earned run.
 
Kaytlyn Cripps had two of the three hits for the Eagles while Trinity Spear had the other.  Madi Ogden (4-9) took the loss in the circle for MSU.
 
EIU 3, MOR 1
In the second game both teams scored unearned runs during a solid pitching game by both starters.  In the end EIU was able to escape with a 3-1 win to clinch the weekend series.
 
EIU went ahead 2-0 in the third inning with Lindy Milkowski's single up the middle scoring Jaylen Prichard for the game's first run.  Kendall Grover would drive in the next run of the inning with an RBI single, the run unearned against MSU starter Lennon Spicer (2-9).
 
MSU cut the Panthers lead in half in the fifth as they manufactured an unearned run against EIU starter Rachel Kaufman.  Trinity Spear reached on an error finishing the play at second.  She would come home to score on a fielder's choice by Peyton Jordan that had Jordan on second base after the play with the Panthers second error of the inning.   Kaufman (8-4) would get the next two batters out and finished the game allowing just four hits and the one unearned run.
 
The Panthers tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Morgan Lewis reached on an error.  She came around to score on an RBI double by Briana Gonzalez.   EIU had just five hits in the game with Gonzalez connecting for the only extra base hit.
 
Morehead State threatened one more time in the seventh as Spear reached with a one out single.   Following a walk to Emily Williams that placed runners at first and second with one out, EIU turned an unorthodox double play to end the game.  Jordan flew out to right field with Spear tagging up to move to third, the throw to third was cut off short of the bag and the trail runner was thrown out at second to end the game.