Eastern Illinois softball split its two games on Saturday as the Panthers wrapped play at the Mardi Gras Mambo standing at 4-6 on the season.   EIU beat Sam Houston in the opener 8-4 before being shutout, 4-0, by Northwestern State in the final game of the weekend for EIU.
 
EIU 8, SAM HOUSTON 4
Eastern Illinois exploded for five runs in the bottom of the second inning against Sam Houston as the Panthers picked up their second win of the weekend with a 8-4 victory.
 
Trailing 2-1 heading into the second after Morgan Holliday's solo home run in the top of the frame, EIU put its offense to work.  Marybeth Dyson, Maddux Marshall and Chloe Wamboltt strung together three straight singles with Dyson tying the game at 2-2 on an RBI by Alisha Frederick.  Abbi Hatton drew a bases loaded walk followed by an RBI double by Lexie Griffin and RBI ground out by Mo Hance in the inning.
 
Bella Perez cut the Panthers lead down to 6-4 in the third inning with a two-run homer as Perez went 4-for-4 for the Bearkats, the lone Sam Houston player with multiple hits.
 
Bryanna French (2-2) picked up the win in relief tossing five scoreless innings for the Panthers. 
 
The Panthers tacked on insurance runs in the fifth and sixth inning with Lizzie Stiverson scoring an unearned run in the fifth and Emily Konkel an unearned run in the sixth.
 
Griffin was the only EIU player with multiple hits going 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Wamboldt scored two runs.
 
Carlee Bubela (1-1) took the loss for Sam Houston as the Bearkats fell to 5-3.
 
 
NORTHWESTERN STATE 4, EIU 0
Mattison Buster scattered four Eastern Illinois hits as Northwestern State beat EIU 4-0 in the final game on Saturday evening.
 
EIU put a runner in scoring position with two outs in the first with walks to Abbi Hatton and Lizzie Stiverson sandwiched around a Lexie Griffin single to left.  
 
EIU threatened again in the fourth with Stiverson ending the inning on third base following a double and infield single by Maddux Marshall. 
 
Stiverson had the final EIU hit of the game in the sixth going 2-for-2.
 
Rylan Gick (1-1) pitched into the fourth for the Panthers before the Demons broke through with an RBI double to left center by Aly Delafield.   Sophia Livers followed with a two-run single to right.  Livers had two hits to lead NSU.
 
Northwestern State (3-7) closed the game with a final run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly by JT Smith.  Buster improved to 3-2 with the complete game win.