Three games and three losses into their conference season, the Panthers look to turn around what has become a trend with the team.

Improvements have been noticed by Eastern manager Lloydene Searle, but still the offense has been anemic in scoring situations. Searle believes you can connect her team’s offensive struggles now with the defense that was played over the weekend by Eastern Kentucky.

“There were signs of improvement because we put the ball in play a lot more. I think we only struck out three times all weekend,” Searle said. “But what the statistic sheet doesn’t show is all the hits they took away in the field.”

Searle also felt that those potential hits that Eastern Kentucky robbed could have come in situations when the Panthers would have been able to get themselves a few more runs.

This was apparent in the team’s 4-3 loss in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday, in which the Panthers couldn’t score the winning run even in extra innings.

“We worked so hard to try and get that win in the second game and it came right down to the wire,” Searle said. “But If we just could’ve executed a little more in run-scoring situations its obvious that we would have won that game, and that’s something this team will work to fix.”

The team didn’t waste much time as a few players were right back out on the diamond during a day that Searle considers an optional day for practice. But that doesn’t surprise Searle because she understands that is the kind of team she has.

“They may be inexperienced but it’s nice for a coach to see that I have the kind of players who work all the time to improve themselves, and we do need to get back to basics,” Searle said.

The Panthers will look to get back to the basics again on Tuesday when Eastern will face Indiana-Purdue University at Indianapolis at Williams Field.

Not only will Eastern be looking to improve their play, but they will be hoping to finally fill the holes in their rotation and starting lineup.

Searle has had to move infielders around somewhat regularly during the first half of the season, and right now she is happy to have the return of Kristin Lovering. Lovering, who hasn’t been able to practice regularly, is one player who makes the infield solid, and Searle feels, makes her teammates better around her.

“It’s girls like Lovering and pitchers like (Andrea) Darnell who need to be healthy for us,” Searle said. “That way we can get back the players we need to get everybody back to the positions they belong at.”

Eastern will look to break their 11-game losing streak against IUPUI before they delve back into conference play with a two game set against Southeast Missouri.