The Eastern softball team could not get its offense started until an hour and half after the first pitch Sunday afternoon.

The Panthers (9-9, 1-2) could muster only three hits during the first six innings in their game with Ohio Valley Conference foe Morehead State (6-17, 2-1). While Eastern was struggling to find its stride at the plate, the Eagles built up a six-run lead.

“Going into the seventh, I thought ‘Oh man, we are not a shutout team,'” Panther head coach Lloydene Searle said.

The Panthers proved that they were not a team that gets shutout – at least, not Sunday. In their half of the seventh, the Panthers scored four runs on four hits and an error.

Sophomore second baseman Kristin Lovering singled with one out to get the rally started. Sophomore shortstop Kari Hagerty reached on an error to set up an RBI single by junior pitcher Kristen Becker that scored Lovering from second.

Hagerty was thrown out at home plate trying to score on junior outfielder Carrie Ninness’s ground ball to Morehead’s pitcher Molly Cope.

Eastern had two outs and runners at the corners when freshman third baseman Jill Blackburn connected for her third home run of the season to make the score 6-4.

Junior catcher Kristin Darnell followed Blackburn’s blast with with a double into left-center field. After her double, which put the tying run at the plate, Morehead brought in relief pitcher Jacque Jackson. Jackson stuck out the first batter she faced to end the game.

“I don’t think we got the breaks when we needed them,” Searle said. “They are better than their record. They are a good hitting team, they have some solid pitching and they play good defense.”

The Panthers were not able to find the holes in the Eagles defense. Eastern had several well hit balls, go right to an Eagle fielder.

“The only thing you can do is keep working,” Becker said. “Kristin (Darnell) had a couple of hits that were right at people and she kept working and came up with a big hit.”

The loss was the Panthers second to the Eagles in four games. The Panthers shut out Morehead during spring break at the Winthrop Tournament, but that was not an OVC contest.

On Saturday, Eastern beat Morehead for the second time in the first half of a doubleheader with a 7-5 win. Becker pitched all seven innings. Ninness led the Panthers with three hits and two RBI.

It took 12 innings to decide the winner of in the nightcap. Eastern scored drew first blood in the third on a single by Lovering, but Morehead answered back in the top of the fourth.

The Panthers scored two more in the bottom of the fifth. Hagerty knocked in pinch runner Jessica Irps and Ninness drove in Lovering.

Morehead answered back in its next at bat again to tie the game at five. The tie stood for over four innings until the 11th when Morehead took its first lead of the game. The Eagles pushed one across, but Eastern tied it up with a run in its at bat.

Morehead kept the hits coming in the 12th and scored four runs. In the bottom of the frame, Morehead pitcher Stephanie Hernandez sat down the Panthers in order, to cinch win.

“If you had told me that we were going to lose two out of three games with Morehead this weekend, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Searle said.

Eastern will be in action again on Tuesday when they host Purdue at Williams Field.