Eastern Illinois softball improved to 34-15 on the season, 18-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference as the Panthers clinched their weekend series at Morehead State with a pair of Saturday wins over the Eagles.
EIU rallied to win game one, 5-4, in eight innings before picking up a 14-5 run-rule victory in game two.
Morehead State is now 11-25, 5-18 in the OVC.
In the opening game EIU rallied scoring runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to tie the game at 3-3 and force extra innings.
In the eighth EIU scored twice and held on for the 5-4 win.Â
Olivia Price (9-9) picked up the win in relief.Â
Briana Gonzalez scored the go ahead run on a wild pitch while
McKenzie Oslanzi drove in what proved to be the winning run.
Ilencia Lightbody hit a home run in the eighth to cut the Panthers win to a one run margin.
Morehead State took a 3-0 lead with Trinity Spear driving in a pair of runs on a double in the fourth. Two of the Eagles three runs were unearned against starter Oslanzi.
EIU manufactured its first run in the fifth and cut the margin to one run in the sixth on a Gonzalez home run. Gonzalez and
Rachel Kaufman each had two hits to lead EIU.
Kaufman's second hit came in the seventh driving in Marama Maeka to tie the game at 3-3.
In the second game EIU broke open a 7-5 game with seven runs over the fifth and sixth innings to pick-up the run-rule win, 14-5.
Karlie McKenzie (3-0) picked up the win in relief for EIU throwing four innings of scoreless relief.
Kaufman drove home her third run of the game in the fifth inning after delivering a two-run single in the second.
Aryn Henke had the big hit of the five-run, sixth inning, with a bases loaded three run double to left center. Henke finished the game 2-for-3 with four RBI.
Kaufman was 2-for-3 while
Kendall Grover drove in two runs going 3-for-4.
