Photo Gallery (by
Sandy King)
Eastern Illinois softball made a habit of stringing together rallies all weekend as the Panthers swept the weekend Ohio Valley Conference series with two Saturday wins over Lindenwood at Williams Field. EIU won 12-9 in the opener before a 5-1 victory in the night cap. With the wins EIU improved to 11-16 overall, 6-0 in the OVC. Lindenwood fell to 11-14 overall 2-4 in the OVC.
EIU 12, LINDENWOOD 9
In the opening game of the day EIU rallied for the second straight game to beat Lindenwood as the Panthers won 12-9.
Lindenwood stormed out of the gates taking an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning. Madisen Noll delivered a two-run homer in the second inning as part of a three run second frame that gave the Lions a 4-0 lead.
The lead grew to 8-0 in the fourth with Noll opening the scoring with an RBI single. Anna Sanders, Tori Hatton and Jolie McMinn all followed with RBI hits. Hatton and Noll were two of the four Lions with two hits in the game.
EIU chopped the lead down in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run single by
Maddux Marshall and a bases clearing triple by
Alisha Frederick. Frederick and
Lexie Griffin each drove home four runs for EIU while Marshall was the lone Panther with multiple hits going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
The big hit of the game came in the bottom of the fifth as
Lexie Griffin hit a grand slam to cap a seven run inning for EIU. Frederick, Marshall and
Chloe Wamboldt all tacked on RBI in the inning as Lindenwood was forced to go through four different pitchers over those two innings.
Molly Heidrick (0-3) suffered the loss in relief.
Bryanna French (5-4) came in on relief for EIU and picked up the win tossing five innings.
Lindenwood's final run came in the seventh inning on an error by the Panthers.
EIU 5, LINDENWOOD 1
Rylan Gick (4-3) put together a complete game in the circle as the EIU closed out the weekend series with a 5-1 win over Lindenwood.
Gick struck out seven batters with allowing a walk and scattering six Lions hits.
Mo Hance had an RBI single to score the Panthers first run in the bottom of the second. Lindenwood tied the game in the top of the third as Tori Hatton drove home Sadie Sexauer who had singled to open the inning. Sexauer was the only Lions player to get multiple hits finishing with two.
EIU countered with two runs in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by
Abbi Hatton and sacrifice fly by Hance. Hatton and
Alisha Frederick led EIU with two hits each in the game.
Sophia Olman drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth and
Brooklyn Groppel added an RBI single in the sixth to give Gick a few insurance runs.
Avery Wapp (5-2) suffered the loss for the Lions.
