Five wins in a row and six out of the last seven games have ended in victory for the Panthers’ softball team, but their last game with Butler resulted in bad news.

During a doubleheader against the Bulldogs, senior captain and second base starter Kristin Lovering came out of the game because of a knee injury.

Little did the Panthers know at that point, since she stayed on the bench with her knee wrapped in ice, that her season was more than likely over.

Because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Lovering will be lost for most likely the remainder of the year.

“Right now she is out because of the ACL,” Eastern manager Lloydene Searle said. “It’s going to be tough for us to adjust without her in the lineup and the field because of the experience she gave us there.”

This was going to be Lovering’s third year as a starter for the Panthers, after she transferred from Kearney (Neb.) State. During the two years she has played for the Panthers she has only not started four of the 86 games she participated in.

She became a team leader for this year’s squad and has put her manager in quite a bind looking for a replacement.

“The major thing in replacing a player like Lovering is the communication factor for the infielders,” Searle said. “When she is out there all the time its easy to get into a routine for all the infielders.”

“But now with either Jenny Cervetto and Kari Haggerty getting most of the time at second, the infielders will have to learn each other all over again.”

This injury to Lovering, who also has batted second in the lineup since Rachel Karos has moved to the leadoff position, may also put the offensive cohesion in jeopardy as well.

With Karos and Lovering batting back-to-back, the Panthers had two players who could handle just about any situation. When either was asked to do anything for the team, Searle and her staff had confidence in both players.

“We’re just going to have to look to both Haggerty and Cervetto to get the job done,” Searle said. “Those who have been out there all year will adapt to the new players, and I do believe we will be just fine.”