Eastern Illinois softball suffered a pair of one run losses on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers fell on the road at Southeast Missouri in an OVC doubleheader.  SEMO won the opener 9-8 before taking a 4-3 win in the second game.  EIU fell to 21-20 overall, 13-3 in the OVC.  SEMO improved to 14-22, 10-6 in the OVC.
 
SEMO 9, EIU 8
Eastern Illinois was rolling to what appeared to be a 14th OVC win of the season leading 7-1 after four and a half innings before SEMO was able to score two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh to complete a rally for a 9-8 win.
 
Abbi Hatton carried the Panthers offense in the early portion of the game connecting for a three-run homer in the third and two run single in the fourth.  Hatton finished 3-for-5 in the game, one of two Panthers with three hits in the opener.  Lizzie Stiverson also had three hits.
 
SEMO chipped away at the EIU lead with a single run in the third and two more in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Sophia Olman hit a solo home run in the sixth to extend the Panthers lead to 8-3.
 
Kamden Hutton had the big hit in the Redhawks three run sixth that closed the EIU lead to 8-6 heading in the final inning.  Hutton led SEMO with three hits.
 
In the seventh Syndey Miles drove in the first run of the inning before the Redhawks placed runners at second and third with two outs.  An error on a ball hit by Lily Delmain allowed both runners to score for the SEMO win.
 
Maddie Carney (4-9) returned in relief to pick up the win for SEMO.  Bryanna French (7-6) took the loss for EIU.
 
SEMO 4, EIU 3
Eastern Illinois scored three runs in the third inning to take a one run lead, but SEMO answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs and held on for the 4-3 win.
 
Raigan Brannon hit a two-run homer in the second inning to put the Redhawks on the scoreboard first.
 
EIU rallied for three runs in the next half inning.  Lizzie Stiverson had an RBI double down the left field line followed by a two-run single by Alisha Frederick.  Those would be two of the three hits EIU could muster in the second game with Mo Hance collecting the third hit.
 
Aubrie Shore had a two-run single up the middle in the bottom of the third to give SEMO its final lead.  Shore and Brannon each had two hits to lead the Redhawks.
 
Summer Branch (3-2) picked up the win for SEMO with Willow Van Haren getting the save with four innings of shutout relief.  Rylan Gick (8-4) took the loss for EIU.
 
The Panthers were able to put runners on in both the sixth and seventh inning advancing them to second base but unable to get the big hit to drive in a run in either inning.