WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 2, @Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Eastern Illinois 11, @Purdue Fort Wayne 1
@Eastern Kentucky 5,
Morehead State 4
@Eastern Kentucky 8,
Morehead State 0
Middle Tennessee 11,
@Tennessee State 2
EASTERN ILLINOIS 2, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 1; EASTERN ILLINOIS 11, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 1
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Eastern Illinois softball manufactured the runs it needed on Wednesday afternoon as the Panthers extended their current winning streak to six games with a midweek doubleheader sweep at Purdue Fort Wayne.
EIU won the opener 2-1 and then took the second game 11-1 in six innings as the Panthers improved to 26-15 on the season.
EIU 2, PUR-FW 1
Eastern Illinois scored two runs in the second inning and had that total stand up behind a strong pitching performance by Olivia Price as they won the opener 2-1.
The Panthers scored in the second with Aniya Holt opening the inning with a single up the middle. She advanced to second as Briana Gonzalez was hit by a pitch a school record 15th time. Amber Cieplinski then had the big hit of the inning with an RBI single down the right field line. Holt would score and Gonzalez advanced to third on the single. Two batters later, Cieplinski would get caught in a run-down with Gonzalez racing home for the Panthers second run before the EIU catcher was tagged out.
EIU was limited to just four hits in the game with Jaylen Prichard's double in the seventh the only extra base hit for the Panthers in the contest. Gonzalez would reach base on a hit-by-pitch one additional time as she currently ranks in the top ten in the NCAA in that category with 16.
Price was masterful in the circle for EIU scattering six Purdue Fort Wayne hits while allowing one unearned run in the fifth. She struck out three improving to 11-3 on the season.
Sonia Solis had two hits to lead the Mastodons at the plate. Alanah Jones (7-10) took the loss in a complete game effort.
EIU 11, PUR-FW 1 (6)
In the second game EIU again manufactured some early runs to take the lead before a big sixth inning carried the Panthers to an 11-1 win in six innings.
EIU built a 3-0 lead in the fourth taking advantage of a walk, wild pitch and error to score two of the three runs unearned. Rachel Kaufman and Kendall Grover each had singles in the inning with Morgan Lewis delivering an RBI double.
The Panthers added three more in fifth with Lindy Milkowski delivering an RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Briana Gonzalez.
Milkowski helped break open the game in the sixth with her 14th home run of the season, a three-run shot. Aniya Holt capped EIU's scoring with a solo home run.
Grover led EIU's offense with three hits followed by Milkowski and Holt with two each.
Kaufman (7-4) tossed five scoreless innings for the win. Alexa Rehmeier pitched the six in relief. Gracie Brinkerhoff (6-6) had the loss for the Mastodons.
Taryn Jenkins had two hits for Purdue Fort Wayne including a solo homer in the sixth.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 5, MOREHEAD STATE 4; EASTERN KENTUCKY 8, MOREHEAD STATE 0
RICHMOND, Ky. - A late comeback attempt fell just short as the Eagles dropped a back-and-forth affair with Eastern Kentucky in game one of their doubleheader, 5-4, before falling in the same game, 8-0.
Freshman Emily Williams had a career day at the plate in the opener, notching a career-high four hits, including her tenth home run of the season. Williams becomes the first Eagle since 2011 to reach double digit home runs in a season, and now sits tied for third for most home runs in a single season by a Morehead State player.
Peyton Jordan added two RBI of her own, going 2-for-4 in the opening game, and Trinity Spear collected her fourth double of the season to go alongside two runs scored. Erin Boyle had a pair of hits on the day as well, including a double in game two.
After a scoreless first inning, EKU loaded the bases with only one out in the bottom of the second, but a heads up play from Ilencia Lightbody led to 4-2-5 double play to escape the jam unscathed.
Emily Williams then opened the scoring in the third with a long, solo blast to right center, giving the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
The lead would be short lived, as EKU answered with a two-run home run of their own in the bottom half of the inning, and despite the first two batters of the fourth reaching base for the Eagles, they were unable to break through and tie the game.
The Eagles rallied to take back the lead in the fifth, thanks to three straight two-out hits. Trinity Spear started the rally with a double and was scored on another double from Williams, who came around on an RBI single from Peyton Jordan.
The Colonels again answered right back, taking advantage of fielding miscues to retake a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Morehead State again rallied in the seventh, when a one-out double with two on from Peyton Jordan scored Spear to cut the lead to one, but Jordan was caught in a rundown and an ensuing foul out left the tying run on third, as the Eagles fell 5-4.
The Colonels leapt out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. The Eagles threatened in the fourth with back-to-back hits from Madeline Gailor and Erin Boyle, but failed to score and the Colonels ended the game in the fifth with an 8-0 victory.
The Eagles head to Charleston, Ill. for a three-game set against Eastern Illinois. Friday's doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 11, TENNESSEE STATE 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee State fell to visiting Middle Tennessee, 11-2, on Wednesday night.
Full recap coming soon.