This is a position Kim Schuette is used to having her teams in.

Although, she probably would prefer Eastern wasn’t in this position.

The top six teams make the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and for the second straight year, Schuette’s squad is battling for the final postseason berth.

They’ve put themselves in this position by inconsistent pitching, inconsistent hitting and inconsistent defense.

There’s no way the Panthers (19-25, 7-11 OVC) should have won two out of three games against Morehead State this weekend at Williams Field.

But, like a good team does, it found a way to win.

Eastern’s hitting was non-existent in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Morehead State pitcher Kari Quinn was on, not giving up a hit in the first 6 1/3 innings and keeping Eastern hitters off-balance with her changeup.

Eastern junior Robyn Mackie broke up Quinn’s no-hit bid with a single to right field, but the Panther offense couldn’t muster anything else en route to a 3-0 loss.

The hitting wasn’t much better in the second game, but Robyn’s twin sister Karyn kept Eastern in the game with her pitching performance.

Karyn Mackie pitched 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing Eastern to remain gridlocked in a 0-0 tie.

Her sister then came through with Eastern’s biggest hit of the year in the bottom of the 10th.

Sarah Coppert was on third and with one out, Robyn hit a blooper over the shortstop to give Eastern a 1-0 win.

Coppert was placed on second because of international tiebreaking rules, and with a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from freshman Lauren Brackett, Robyn’s hit over the drawn-in Morehead infield capped off the win.

“We’ve been playing well the past couple times, but the only thing lacking is our hitting,” Robyn said after Saturday’s win.

Eastern’s hitting didn’t exactly shine either on Sunday, but it didn’t disappoint.

Quinn didn’t have the chance to throw a no-hitter Sunday, with Coppert leading off the game with a double to left centerfield.

But after putting a run across in the first to cut their deficit to 3-1, the Panther bats again went silent.

And then luck – and some timely hitting – came into play.

Morehead’s defense completely self-destructed in the sixth inning, committed three errors and literally threw the game away when pitcher Sarah Funston’s wild throw to first base allowed senior Chelsea Adams to score. Adams’ run broke the 3-3 tie and gave the Panthers the lead.

Eastern’s three seniors all played an instrumental role in the late-inning rally, each contributing in their own way out of the No. 4, 5 and 6 spots in the lineup.

Catcher Sandyn Short hit a fly ball to centerfield, which Morehead State’s Krystle Coleman dropped.

Katy Steele then doubled to centerfield, advancing Short to third.

Then Adams, who struggled to find consistency in the first half of the season but has been one of Eastern’s best hitters recently, stroked a two-run double to the left centerfield gap, tying the game.

Players who’ve been in pressure situations before came through when their team needed them to on Sunday.

They’ll have to continue to do so.

With seven OVC games left, Eastern can’t afford to lose one.

It didn’t in the final two games against Morehead, with every member of the team contributing to the wins.

“We will take (a win) any way we can get it,” Short said.

Which, at this time of the year, is what any team will want.

Somehow, Eastern found a way to win when it needed wins the most.