Another weekend series gone by, and the Panthers keep climbing the Ohio Valley Conference standings.

After a start within the conference that left much to be determined, Eastern put itself in a position where they had to come from behind to catch the frontrunners.

“We knew going into the season that teams like Eastern Kentucky and Samford were the frontrunners in the conference,” Eastern manager Lloydene Searle. “But we have continued to strive and I don’t think its a surprise that we are back in the race.”

The latest three-game series against Austin Peay this past weekend finished with Eastern winning two out of the three games and the series.

The confidence that the Panthers are riding now is at an all time high according to Searle, and with nine out of their last 11 games resulting in a victory it’s easy to see why. The Panthers have found another level of play during the second half of the season, which is why they are starting to realize that conference competition will be crucial as the season ends.

“There will be no excuses as we finish off the season,” Searle said. “We are starting to play the way we want and when we pick each other up like we are right now its obvious the team is really coming together.”

This weekend’s three-game series is a perfect example of the team coming together and picking each other up.

The pitching staff in particular needed to step up for each other as relief pitchers became important in holding the Panthers in two of the three ball games.

In the first game, Heather Hoeschen relieved Andrea Darnell as the game went through 11 innings before it finally ended. Hoeschen pitched scoreless baseball through the six innings she was in the game, and in doing so allowed for the Panthers to finally end the game with a run in the 11th inning.

Again in the final game, a relief pitcher kept the Panthers in the game but this time the pitchers were in reverse of the first game. This time Darnell relieved Hoeschen and Darnell didn’t allow a run in the 2 2/3 innings she pitched.

“Growing pains with these freshmen pitchers won’t be significant because they are so good at providing a positive performance when it is needed,” Searle said.