Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois received timely hitting and two strong pitching performances as the Panthers won their second straight Ohio Valley Conference softball series of the season sweeping a Saturday doubleheader against UT Martin. EIU won the opener 2-1 in extra innings before coming back with a 3-0 shutout win in the nightcap.
EIU improved to 16-8 overall, 4-1 in the OVC. UTM is now 14-11 overall, 2-3 in the OVC.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 2, UT MARTIN 1 (9 innings)
For the second straight OVC series Eastern Illinois needed extra innings to pull out the series opening win. Last week it took 12 innings to beat Southeast Missouri. This week it took nine innings for the Panthers to beat UT Martin 2-1.
Kendall Grover had a walk-off double to end the game as she went 2-for-5 in the series opener. Her double to the left center gap scored
McKenzie Oslanzi with the winning run.
Oslanzi opened the ninth drawing her second walk of the game. She advanced to second as pinch hitter
Sophia Olman beat out an infield bunt to place runners at second and third. Two batters later Grover drove in the winning run.
Oslanzi benefitted from scoring the winning run as she was the Panthers starting pitcher improving to 10-1 on the season with the complete game win. Oslanzi struck out ten allowing eight hits and one run while walking no UT Martin batters.
The Skyhawks tied the game in the top of the seventh on a Annie Gutierrez pinch-hit sacrifice fly to left scoring pinch-runner Carly Ward.
UT Martin tried to build off that momentum in the eighth placing runners at second and third with one out after Alli Robinson singled and Katie Dreiling followed with a double for her second hit of the game. Oslanzi would get the next batters out with a ground ball to the pitcher and pop-up in the infield.
EIU's first run came in the fourth inning as
Karson Davey singled up the middle to score Grover.
Rachel Kaufman joined Grover as the only Panthers with two hits.
Maddie Long had three hits to lead UT Martin. Kiersten Nixon took the loss in relief falling to 1-3.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, UT MARTIN 0
Olivia Price looked much like last year's Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year as the senior tossed a four-hit complete game shutout to give the Panthers a 3-0 win in game two.
UT Martin placed two runners on base in the opening inning with one out only to see Price set one Skyhawks batter down on strikes and induce a pop-up to end the frame.
The Skyhawks threatened again in the third putting runners at first and second with one out before Price had the defense step up behind her turning a double play as
Sophie Cerveny made a running catch on a ball in the gap and doubled off the runner at second base.
In the bottom of the third EIU provided Price the offense she needed.
Jadin Justman hit a two-run blast to left field for her third home run this season. Justman was 2-for-3 in the game, one of three Panthers with two hits.
EIU added an insurance run in the fourth with
Rachel Kaufman lacing a ball to right field that scored Cerveny with Kyla Harley throwing the trailing EIU runner out at the plate.
Kaufman had two hits as did
Briana Gonzalez. Price struck out five improving to 5-6 on the season.
Anna Hazelwood took the loss falling to 1-1. Brooklynn Linneman came in with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.
