The Eastern softball team split a doubleheader Tuesday at Williams Field, dropping the first game 1-0 and coming back strong with a 5-2 win.

In the first game, senior pitcher Heather Hoeschen threw 10 innings, allowing no earned runs on six hits, striking out a career-high 10 batters and walking just one.

But Hoeschen’s outstanding pitching performance wasn’t enough to lift the Panthers over the Eagles, as they lost 1-0 in extra innings.

“I thought I did as much as I could personally to win,” Hoeschen said. “In the ninth, I started to get really tired, and when we huddled up, I told the girls we need to finish it.”

The only run of the game came in the top half of the 10th when, because of international rules, each team started the inning with a runner on second after the inning.

Morehead first-baseman Michelle McCrady drove in her sister, Amanda McCrady, for the eventual winning run.

“It was kind of disappointing to lose just because the rule gives them a runner on second,” Hoeschen said, “but we did have a chance to win it when we got a runner on second, too.”

Unfortunately the Panthers (6-17, 3-5 Ohio Valley Conference) weren’t able to plate a runner to tie the game, and Eastern head coach Lloydene Searle knew it was a tough loss for the Panthers, who had only four hits on the day.

“I was disappointed for the players and for Hoeschen; she pitched a phenomenal game,” Searle said. “The wind took a couple hits away from us today.”

Senior Stephanie Hernandez picked up the win for the Eagles, also throwing 10 innings, allowing four hits and striking out four.

But the Panthers came out strong in the second game, scoring two runs in the second and another two in the third to jump out to an early lead.

Freshman pitcher Karyn Mackie shut out the Eagles (9-21, 2-6) for the first five innings before Morehead finally got on the board in the sixth.

Eastern added an insurance run in the bottom half of the sixth and closed the game out, winning 5-2.

Mackie picked up her second win of the year, allowing two runs on nine hits and walking one batter.

Sophomore infielder Katy Steele came up big for the Panthers collecting four hits and two RBI’s and scoring one run in the doubleheader. In the second game junior third-baseman Rachel Karos had two hits and drove in two runs in the Panther win.

Eastern will play the rubber match in its three-game set with Morehead tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Williams Field.