Eastern players provided themselves with a glimpse of what they wanted to see Wednesday as they split a doubleheader against Butler.

The Panthers opened the two game set about as well as they could have hoped. Eastern won the first game 8-0 behind a solid offensive effort and the pitching of Andrea Darnell.

Darnell, who pitched the complete game for the victory, led the Panthers pitching effort against Butler. She finished five innings only allowing three hits and never walking a batter, although she did not strike anyone out.

The offense was solidified early in the game, as all eight runs were scored by Eastern in the first two innings. Three runs in the first inning were a result of Rachel Karos and Sandyn Short reaching base for Katy Steele who hit a home run to drive in the first three.

Karos contributed again in the top of the second when she was able to drive in two runs to put the Panthers up 5-0. Much to Coach Lloydene Searle’s pleasure, the Panthers didn’t stop there.

Two Bulldog errors contributed to the inning, and also to their starting pitcher Jamie Wonderly being removed after only officially pitching one inning for her club. All eight runs that Eastern produced were charged to Wonderly.

In the second game, however, Butler’s pitching returned the favor to Eastern as Meghan Howard pitched the entire game to hold off the Panthers 3-2.

The Panthers pushed across two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at two, after the Bulldogs jumped on Eastern in the first inning off Heather Hoecshen who started the game.

After Hoecshen’s one inning of work, Ashley Condon came in to pitch the final 5 2/3 innings of the game. Condon kept the Panthers in the game but couldn’t quite keep the Bulldogs from rallying in the bottom of the seventh when she walked in the winning run for Butler.

But that loss won’t overshadow the fact that the Eastern pitching staff only allowed seven hits over the two games.

Eastern head coach Lloydene Searle might be finding the consistency she had been looking for from the pitching staff.