The Eastern softball team lost a hard fought series to Eastern Kentucky this past weekend at Williams Field. The Panthers won the first game by a score of 5-4, but lost the next two games with final scores of 4-3 and 13-4. Eastern’s overall record is now 24-20 and 14-8 in the OVC.

In the first game of Eastern’s twin bill on Saturday, the Panthers beat conference rival Eastern Kentucky in an extra inning thriller with a final score of 5-4, extending their conference winning streak to nine games.

Heading into the tenth inning the game was all squared up at 3-3. EKU scored the go ahead run in the top half of the inning when Raquel Howes singled in Lauren Mitchell.

The bottom half of the inning is where the Panthers late game heroics would start. All-OVC player Melise Brown got on base early in the bottom frame of the inning to give Eastern a chance. EKU was then able to retire Panther second baseman Carly Willert.

The next person to step up to the plate would be Eastern’s first baseman Reynae Hutchinson. The two-sport athlete delivered in a big way, hitting a two-run walk off homerun to give the Panthers a game one victory.

This was Huthchinson’s team leading fifth homerun of the season. Stephanie Maday picked up the win after pitching 10 innings in the contest.

She allowed four runs (two earned) on 13 hits and four walks.

She also struck out 11 hitters. Maday improved her record to 14-9 on the season.

Brown had a huge game at the plate, going two-for-four with three runs scored. Junior rightfielder Ally Seplak also had a solid game, going two-for-four with a RBI, while senior Hailee Hanna went one-for-four with a RBI. Morgan Biel had a clutch pinch hit, going one-for-one with an RBI.

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, EKU defeated the Panthers by a score of 4-3, snapping Eastern’s conference winning streak at nine games.

The biggest play of the day for EKU came in the fourth inning when sophomore Nicole Heitz hit a bases clearing triple, scoring four Colonels in the process. Eastern made an attempt to come back in the bottom of the seventh inning, but fell one run short.

Freshman shortstop Bailey O’Dell did what she’s best at doing, hitting a one-out double, plating the Panthers’ first run of the game.

Melise Brown followed that up with a single of her own, driving in two more Panthers to put them behind by just one run. EKU’s pitcher Shaylon Robb was then able to strike out Willert and Hutchinson consecutively to end the game 4-3 in favor of the Colonels.

Sophomore Hanna Mennenga made the start for Eastern and picked up the loss. Mennenga is now 10-7 for the season. She went 4.1 innings. Allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks. She also struck out five Colonel hitters. Maday pitched the final 2.2 innings of the game, allowing one hit while striking out five.

O’Dell, Brown, and Hutchinson led the Panthers at the plate, all going two-for-four in the game. O’Dell had a RBI and run scored while Brown had two RBIs.

In Sunday’s action, errors would prove to be the demise for the Panthers, who ended up losing to EKU by a final score of 13-4. Eastern made four errors that would eventually lead to the Colonels scoring seven unearned runs.

Eastern trailed 2-0 heading into the fourth inning, but things quickly turned for the worse. EKU put a six spot on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, and would add two more runs in the sixth and three more in the eighth.

Sophomore Stephanie Maday made the start for the Panthers on the mound. She pitched 5.1 innings, allowing 10 runs (three earned) on 10 hits and three walks. Mennenga pitched the final 1.2 innings for Eastern and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk.

The Panthers were paced at the plate by O’Dell, Willert, and sophomore Ashleigh Westover, who were all two-for-four in the game. O’Dell chipped in a RBI, while Willert had a RBI and a run scored.

This was Eastern’s first series loss in a month. Their next games will take place this Wednesday at Williams Field when they take on IUPUI in a doubleheader.

The first pitch is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.

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