Box score.

Eastern head coach Kim Schuette gathered her team in the outfield before the start of Sunday’s game against Samford.

The message she delivered at Bulldog Field: play with confidence.

“We needed to come home with a win, at least to leave with something positive,” said Eastern sophomore pitcher Kathleen Jacoby.

Jacoby did her part to make sure Eastern returned to Charleston with some confidence.

Jacoby threw a complete game – a four-hit shutout in Eastern’s 2-0 win against Samford.

The win ended the Panthers’ five-game conference losing streak, which was 8-3 and 2-1 in Saturday’s doubleheader against Samford.

The right-handed Panther, who hadn’t won since Feb. 25 against Tulsa, kept the Bulldog hitters off balance all game by getting ahead of their hitters, Schuette said.

“They just couldn’t get on her screwball and rise ball,” Schuette said.

The shutout was Jacoby’s first of the year and eighth of her career.

Jacoby needed to have a stellar pitching performance, with Bulldog starter Stephanie Royall also baffling Eastern hitters.

Panther second baseman Sarah Coppert had Royall figured out by Coppert’s third at-bat.

Royall had a no-hitter entering the fifth inning, before Eastern’s center fielder Angela Danca singled to left.

Danca advanced to second on an error by the Bulldog left fielder and then to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Denee’ Menzione.

Freshman Stephanie Militello, pinch-hitting for Jacoby, was hit by a pitch, and then stole second base.

Coppert, who had struck out in her previous at-bat against Royall, came up and lined a groundball between first and second base.

The opposite-field single scored Danca and Militello to give Eastern a 2-0 lead.

“Sarah’s a gamer and she’s a fighter,” Schuette said. “She led off the game with a shot. She just hit the ball hard (Sunday) and she’s just putting the ball in play.”

The Bulldogs threatened in the bottom of the fifth, getting a runner on base before Eastern catcher Sandyn Short threw a runner out trying to steal second.

Another Samford player singled before Jacoby got the next Bulldog batter to foul out and end the inning.

Jacoby did not allow a hit in the final two innings, striking out two in the seventh inning to secure Eastern’s 10th win this year.

Coppert said she was glad the Panthers’ came through with the win on Sunday.

“Our team would have been pretty mad to come home with two sweeps in the first two weekends of conference play,” she said.