Eastern Illinois softball rallied in game one to keep its current win streak alive before a run-rule victory in game two as the Panthers swept a Saturday doubleheader against Western Illinois at Williams Field.  EIU won the opener 3-2 before a 9-0 win in the second game.  The Panthers have now won 14 straight games improving to 19-16 overall, 11-0 in the OVC.  Western Illinois fell to 8-19 overall, 3-7 in the OVC.
 
EIU 3, WIU 2
The opener turned into a pitching battle between EIU's Rylan Gick and WIU's Libby Spaulding before a Panthers pinch-hitter delivered the game winning hit in the sixth for the 3-2 win.
 
Trailing 2-0 heading into the sixth EIU put together another late rally to keep its win streak alive.  Chloe Wamboldt and Lizzie Stiverson opened the inning with back-to-back singles.  Abbi Hatton drove in the Panthers first run to cut the Leathernecks lead in half.  Following a fly out for the second out of the inning, freshman Brooklyn Groppel had a two-run single to center as a pinch hitter driving in the final two runs.
 
Gick (8-3) closed the seventh with a one-two-three inning which included Marybeth Dyson robbing Ali Williams of extra bases on a diving catch towards the fence in left center field.  Spaulding (6-8) who pitched well for WIU took the loss.
 
WIU scored single runs in the first and sixth innings taking a 2-0 lead against EIU starter Gick.
 
Ruby Tarr drove home the Leathernecks run in the first after Addie McLauglin opened the game with a walk.  In the sixth Maria Luna drove home the second WIU run with an RBI double scoring pinch runner Kaelyn Walters.  Walters was running for Tarr who opened the inning with a double.  Tarr and Luna both had two hits for WIU.
 
Stiverson was the lone Panthers with multiple hits as EIU was held to five hits in the opener. 
 
EIU 9, WIU 0 (5 inn).
Karlie McKenzie tossed her second straight complete game with a one-hit shutout on Saturday afternoon as EIU picked up a 9-0 win over WIU.
 
McKenzie (4-7) allowed just a single to Ruby Tarr in the second inning as she faced one over the minimum while striking out five.
 
The Panthers provided the offensive punch McKenzie needed with four runs in the third before tacking on five runs in the fourth.
 
In the third Maddux Marshall had an RBI single as part of her three RBI day going 2-for-3 at the plate.  Marshall had a two-run single in the fourth scoring the Panthers eighth and ninth runs.
 
Sophia Olman drew a bases loaded walk while Marybeth Dyson had a sacrifice fly to drive in two more EIU runs in the inning. 
 
In the fourth EIU scored on a Dyson bases loaded walk followed by an Adysen Rios RBI single.  Lizzie Stiverson and Alisha Frederick joined Marshall with two hits each.
 
Audrey Clark (0-4) pitched three innings in the loss.