Eastern senior Michelle Rogers and freshman Valerie Thompson delivered the highlight of another weekend when the Eastern softball team went undefeated, throwing a combined perfect game Sunday against South Alabama.

Rogers pitched the first two innings of the perfect game and credited her performance on the day to hard work in practice and knowing that her team has her back.

“(Knowing) helps me stay calm and confident on the mound,” Rogers said.

Thompson and Rogers combined for two strikeouts in the game. The success from Rogers instead came from staying ahead of hitters, and for Thompson it was from her hitting her spots early in the count, head coach Kim Schuette said.

The Panthers won the game 11-0 in five innings and scored all their runs in the first two innings, with eight coming in the first.

Sophomore Mia Davis and junior Kayla Bear both had three RBIs in the game; Davis hit a three-run homerun in the first inning and Bear had a two RBI single in the second inning.

The tournament in Chattanooga, TN was the second in a row for Eastern where they finished 5-0.

In the team’s first game, the Panthers beat Western Michigan 11-3. Sophomore catcher Haley Mitchell had another big weekend, and it started with the Western Michigan game where she homered twice and had four RBIs.

Mitchell’s bat in the lineup was felt by her teammates too, as teams were intentionally walking her all weekend.

“Intentionally walking or pitching around Haley Mitchell is a nice compliment to her,” Schuette said. “Little did the other team know, they had to face our four/five hitter too. Those kids then stepped up too.”

The Panthers beat Chattanooga 4-3 in the second game of the tournament.

Freshman Kendyl McKeough had a pinch-hit three-run homerun in the fourth inning of the game. Schuette said the dugout went crazy when she hit her homerun.

In the third game against Evansville, the Panthers scored three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Purple Aces 9-6.

In that inning, freshman Morgan LaMore had a two RBI double and Mia Davis later scored on a wild pitch.

“The Evansville game was a long, long game and a very good battle of two teams,” Schuette said. “It was pretty intense to play in, be a part of and watch. We gutted it out and won then took the field 20 minutes later to play IUPUI. I like that toughness.”

Against IUPUI Eastern won 5-3 and McKeough had another pinch-hit three-run homerun in that game, this time coming in the sixth inning.

Eastern capped off the tournament with the perfect game win over South Alabama.

The Panthers will be back in action next weekend for a four-game tournament in Louisville, Ky.

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]