The Eastern softball team had its five-game winning streak snapped in a hard fought game at Indiana State. Indiana State won the game with a final score of 3-0 with great pitching and opportune hitting.

The Panthers overall record is now 20-16.

For the game, both Eastern and Indiana State finished the game with four hits. Sophomore second baseman Carly Willert led the Panthers at the plate with a game-high two hits in three at bats. Willert has worked her batting average all the way up to .333. She also has 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored on the season. Her eight doubles placed her second on the team behind freshman shortstop Bailey O’Dell, who has twelve.

O’Dell and junior Ally Seplak were the only other Panthers to record a hit in the loss. O’Dell has a team-leading batting average of .379. As the leadoff hitter, she leads the team in hits with 47 and RBIs with 19. She has also scored a team-high 23 runs. Seplak has proven herself to be one of the top Panther hitters. For the season, her batting average is sitting at .340, which is the second best mark on the team.

Sophomore Hanna Mennenga started the game on the mound for Eastern and had yet another solid outing. She pitched five innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk. She also recorded three strikeouts. Mennenga is now 9-5 for the season. Her defense did not help her out, allowing Indiana State the chance to score some easy runs off Panther errors. Eastern made two errors in the game, which both resulted in a run for ISU.

The Panthers next game will be tomorrow at Williams Field when they play their in-state rival, the University of Illinois, with the game getting underway at 5 p.m.

It is likely that Eastern will start Stephanie Maday on the mound, who currently has an 11-8 record with a 1.93 ERA. When Maday starts, she usually finishes the game. In a team-high 20 starts on the mound, she has pitched 11 complete games.

The Fighting Illini will come into Charleston with a record of 16-18.

The Panthers can expect to see Illini ace Pepper Gay on the mound. For the season, Gay is 11-10 with a 1.75 ERA in 132 innings pitched. She also has 128 strikeouts on the season, which is good enough for almost one strikeout per inning.

Erik Jensen can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].