The Eastern softball team wanted to begin Wednesday’s game against Southeast Missouri at Williams Field by scoring first to hang onto home field advantage.

After walks to senior shortstop Megan Nelson and senior right fielder Denee’ Menzione in the first inning, sophomore catcher Hailee Hanna stepped up to the plate and put the first, and game-winning runs on the board in a 2-0 victory over the Redhawks at Williams Field.

“I’m more comfortable when I’m hitting with runners on base,” Hanna said. “I just went up there and did what I needed to do. I hit a ground ball up the middle and right side.”

With the 2-0 lead early on, it was up to the Panthers’ offense to add on runs and junior pitcher Amber May to hold off the Southeast Missouri attack.

Despite the Panthers’ offense being unable to get any more runs, May pitched seven shutout innings, striking out seven batters, to help the Panthers clinch the Ohio Valley Conference series finale against the Redhawks (13-22, 4-10 OVC).

“(May) did what she needed to do to win and I think she would agree,” Eastern head coach Kim Schuette said. “She came out in the first three innings, though, and took control of the game.

Then in the last four she just got it done.”

The Redhawks stranded the bases loaded three times in the contest. In the second and sixth innings, Southeast Missouri was threatening but the defense made some plays to stall the Redhawks’ offense.

“It was good to have our defense hang in there. We had a couple of shaky plays but (May) pulled us out of it and we held them off,” Hannah said.

In the sixth inning, a frozen rope thrown by Menzione held a Southeast Missouri runner on third base, when the runner had intended to tag up after a deep fly ball.

“We’ve talked to (assistant coach Al Schuette) about teaching them the more advanced stuff,” Kim Schuette said. “Sometimes the average fan doesn’t see that. When it’s a pop up to right field, she’ll stay behind it and run into it so that she can gun it at home. Those little things are big plays.”

Also in the game, Menzione shut down another Redhawk player on the base paths as the runner intended to tag up and advance to third on a high pop out.

“When there is a fly ball hit, and it’s to the right fielder and center fielder, the right fielder takes it to get the momentum going to three,” Kim Schuette said.

Even though the Panthers (20-17, 10-4 OVC) led 2-0 throughout the game, with the Panthers’ defense making a couple of mistakes, Kim Schuette said the game felt more like a barnburner than a two-run lead.

“It didn’t feel like we were up two the whole game, it kind of felt like it was 0-0 and we were just playing the innings to get the game over,” Kim Schuette said. “When that happens, you just want to get out of there with a W and hit the ground running tomorrow.”

The Panthers committed three errors, but in the end, getting the early lead made the difference.

“Scoring first is always important because it sets the tone for the whole game,” Hanna said. “It shows that we are in control of the game, so it’s a huge thing scoring first.”

While Eastern clinched the regular season sweep of the Redhawks and eclipsed last season’s OVC win total of nine with the win, it will take to the road at 6 p.m. today to play in-state rival Illinois in Champaign.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected]