Softball is a game of inches and a game of failure, and the conversation should turn to the successes, win or lose, after each matchup; at least, that is how head coach Kim Schuette sees it.

Although the Panthers were not inches from a victory in either game, per se, they were mere feet away from a win in the second of back-to-back games against Indiana State, falling 6-4 and 5-4 respectively.

A congregation of Eastern fans rose to their feet in the bottom of the fifth, admiring the ball after it clanged off first baseman Kendyl Mckeough’s bat, which appeared as though it might soar over the left field fence.

The ball drifted left of the foul pole, however, forcing McKeough to turn back towards the batter’s box.

“That’s the thing with this team, you can look at a record and you can say what you want, but if you go back through those games, two inches here, two inches there, and it’s a whole different ballgame,” Schuette said.

“But, at the end of the day, those are just excuses. Those are excuses that you only say when you lose, so we are not going to go there.”

Unwilling to conjure up thoughts of what could have been, Schuette lauded her first baseman, impressed by how, moments later, McKeough rallied her team to bring them to within one.

Following the foul ball, McKeough sliced one up the middle, which enabled Megan Burton to score and jolt the Panthers to a 3-2 deficit.

“It was a great ball that she hit, but, even better, she came back and a hit a base hit up the middle,” Schuette said. “That could have been exciting, but it also could have been different if we made some plays in either game, and maybe we win both. Coulda’, woulda,’ shoulda’.”

After pitcher Hannah Cravens walked Indiana State second baseman Leslie Sims in the top of the seventh, with the Sycamores already up 3-2 off a pair of runs in the fifth, the junior stole second and then third.

A throwing error, which hit off Sims’ helmet and bounced out of play, advanced her to home for a 4-2 advantage.

“We will talk about that play tomorrow, we’ll learn from it on what we should do differently,” Schuette said.

“But, you know what, our kids are being aggressive and they’re putting everything they got out there. So, the day that I get mad at them for being aggressive and trying to make things happen, then I am in the wrong.”

Later that inning, Indiana State catcher Brooke Mann blasted a ball against the centerfield fence to bring in third baseman Schaye Barton, upping the Indiana State edge to 5-2.

Centerfielder Mia Davis guided one over the leftfield fence to carve two runs out of the Indiana State lead, celebrating with her teammates, who patted her on the helmet, outside the Eastern dugout.

That homerun was not her first power driven shot on the night.

At the bottom of the seventh in game one, Davis sprayed one to centerfield, as junior Becky Malchow dove towards the ball approaching her, the ball landing within her grasp.

But she could not squeeze her mitt tight enough, with the ball popping out of her mitt to allow Davis to advance to second.

At the next at bat, Mitchell smacked a single down the leftfield line, which gave Davis enough time to score and settle the game at 6-4.

“Any athlete who loses is never happy,” Schuette said.

“I am happy for the product that we put out there, and I think our team today got better.”

Tom O’Connor can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]