Nine and a half innings and three hours of play at the semifinal game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament came down to one swing on Friday.  

Freshman outfielder Morgan Hance stepped up to the plate with sophomore outfielder Karson Davey at third in the bottom of the 10th, game tied 4-4.  

Hance was able to hit a ball to the shortstop, and the throw to home plate did not come out in time. Eastern won off of the walk off by Hance 5-4, advancing to the finals of the tournament in Peoria. 

This is the second time this year that Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Eastern went 10 innings with Eastern winning both off a walk-off hit. 

“I felt pretty comfortable knowing that Karson [Davey] was on third,” Hance said. 

SIUE started the scoring first with two runs in the third inning. However, Eastern answered right back with freshman utility player Abbi Hatton hitting a two-run homer right over the center field wall. 

“I just saw higher pitches, so I was looking for something more down, and everything that she spins is spinning up,” Hatton said. “If I just attack it with a flatter barrel, then it’s just going to go. And I was working my butt off in the count, fouling them off, and then everything just clicked.”

Three out of the five runs that Eastern scored came from freshmen participating in their first OVC Tournament. 

“There’s a little bit of nerves but having these upperclassmen on our team just to calm us and let us know that this is just a ballgame that we play every single day,” Hance said. “It’s still the same game.” 

Eastern sophomore pitcher McKenzie Oslanzi pitched nine innings and 136 pitches with five strikeouts.  

“I was just focusing in on one pitch at a time, just really zoning in on what I wanted to throw and how I was going to throw it,” Oslanzi said.  

After the fourth inning, pitchers took over as no one scored until the ninth. In that inning, SIUE started the scoring with an RBI double to right center and an RBI single to shortstop to put SIUE ahead 4-2. 

Eastern had to respond and they did. Junior infielder Kendall Grover was able to hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game after senior outfielder Abbey Crain drove in a run the batter prior. 

Eastern head coach Dan Paulson said the goal that inning was to get Grover an at bat. 

“We had Grover coming up. She was the fifth hitter of that inning, and it was like, can we get to her?” Paulson said. “The play right before her, there was a ball hit. We maybe could have tried to stretch another run there, but with her coming up, you just hold and see what happens.” 

In the 10th inning, Eastern put the game away as Davey got on base right away from a walk. She was able to reach third after a sacrifice bunt by senior infielder Briana Gonzalez. 

“Well, I always have it in my mind to keep my eye on third,” Davey said. “And then once I saw no one was there, I just thought run as fast as I can.” 

Eastern will play SIUE again tomorrow in the championship game. SIUE beat Southeast Missouri State right after the Eastern game was over to set up the rematch tomorrow. 

“Just reset, zero-zero mindset, and show up ready to play one pitch at a time,” Paulson said. 

The first championship game starts at 11 a.m. but if Eastern loses there will be a second game 30 minutes after the first game at the Louisville Sluggers Sports Complex in Peoria. 

 Patrick Schmitz can be reached at 581-2812 or at pfschmitz@eiu.edu.