Tweet #WinTheMoment

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Rachel Kaufman hit her OVC leading sixth home run to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning as the Panthers walked off with a 3-2 win over Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon at Williams Field.
 
The Panthers moved to 20-9 on the season, 6-1 in the OVC.  Western Illinois fell to 12-17 overall, 2-5 in the OVC.
 
EIU led 2-0 heading to the top of the seventh inning when the Leathernecks finally broke through against EIU starter McKenzie Oslanzi.
 
Malia Robertson started the WIU rally with a one out double down the left field line.  Regan Morrison followed with a single up the middle and Robertson eventually scored the first run for WIU as the Panthers threw behind the runner. 
 
Morrison herself would come home to score later in the inning as a pinch hit single by Cynthia Hull put Morrison in motion and she scored on a throwing error. 
 
Oslanzi scattered six hits allowing just one earned run in the complete game win as she improved to 12-2.  She had seven strikeouts with no walks.
 
EIU jumped on the board with its first two runs in the bottom of the fourth against WIU starter Emily Price.  Sophie Cerveny led off the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Briana Gonzalez.   A ground out moved Cerveny to third before a two-out single to left by Marama Makea scored the Panthers first run.   Aryn Henke followed with an RBI double, one of two hits she had for EIU.
 
EIU finished with eight hits in the game as Kaufman picked up her second hit of the game with the lead off homer in the seventh against WIU relief pitcher Raven Morrison (4-3).