Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)

Eastern Illinois split a pair of games with Southeast Missouri as the two schools opened a weekend OVC series on Friday at Williams Field in Charleston.
 
SEMO won the opener 3-0 while EIU bounced back to win 8-5 in the night cap.
 
EIU is now 16-16 overall, 8-3 in the OVC while SEMO moved to 14-12 overall, 7-4 in the OVC.
 
SEMO 3, EIU 0
Southeast Missouri scored the only runs of the game in the top of the seventh inning as the Redhawks won the opener over Eastern Illinois 3-0.
 
Scoreless heading into the seventh, SEMO took advantage of an EIU error in the inning with Brooklyn Saysoff delivering a two-run double to right field to put the Redhawks on the board.  Gracie Luna followed with a single to right.
 
Those were two of the three hits that EIU starter McKenzie Oslanzi (9-9) allowed to SEMO batters taking the loss with three unearned runs.  Madison Winkler had the other hit for SEMO.
 
EIU had a couple of scoring chances but could not break through against starter Delaney Kell (5-2). 
 
The Panthers loaded the bases in the first inning with one out but could not score and then put runners at second and third in the fifth but could not find the big hit.
 
Alisha Frederick had two of the Panthers four hits in the game.  Marybeth Dyson and Morgan Hance had the others. 
 
EIU 8, SEMO 5
In the second game it was unearned runs that cost Southeast Missouri as EIU scored seven of its eight runs unearned during an 8-5 win.
 
EIU put runners in scoring position in the first inning once again, but this time came through with a sacrifice fly by Alisha Frederick.
 
SEMO countered with one run in the second and three in the third to take a 4-1 lead.  Brooklyn Saysoff had another RBI hit with Kinley Wilkins connecting for a two-run double to close out the third.
 
In the bottom of the third, EIU took advantage of two SEMO errors to score six unearned runs and take a 7-4 lead.  Morgan Hance had a two-run single in the inning with Karson Davey driving home another run with a double to left center.
 
Kendrall Grover tacked on the final EIU run with a home run to straight away center.  The offense was enough for Karlie McKenzie (5-3) to pick up the win.  Bryanna French came in during the seventh to secure the save.
 
Mia Mazzola was the lone Panther with multiple hits in the game going 2-for-3.
 
SEMO made one final charge in the seventh scoring one run on a Tori Bradley RBI single before French coaxed a ground out to end a bases loaded threat and the game.
 
Saysoff had three hits for the Redhawks.  Willow Van Haren (2-2) suffered the loss.