Box 1:
PDF |
HTM ... Box 2:
PDF |
HTM ... Series Stats:
PDF
Photo Gallery (Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois softball took two games from UT Martin on Saturday afternoon, winning the first, 2-1, in eight innings and holding on for a 5-4 victory in the nightcap. With the two wins the Panthers improve to 16-10 overall and 3-2 in Ohio Valley Conference action.
"I was really proud of how our players attacked offensively, especially in the second game today," said EIU head coach Kim Schuette. "We gutted out two nice wins against a very good UT Martin squad. It is easy to come out and relax following the break between games, but our players played aggressively and it paid off. I was also happy with (Kathleen) Jacoby's first five innings on the mound."
In the opening game and with the score tied one-all in the bottom of the eighth, a fielding error by the Skyhawk first baseman allowed freshman
Kiley Holtz to plate junior
Angela Danca, who scored from second base giving EIU their fourth extra-inning victory of the season.
The Skyhawks got an early one-run lead at the top of the first as EIU first baseman
Melinda Jackson, trying to cut down a UTM runner at second base off a sacrifice bunt, over threw
Sarah Coppert at shortstop, which eventually allowed the Skyhawks to score.
Starting pitcher
Amber May got EIU out of the inning, however, retiring three consecutive Skyhawk batters. She ended up with nine Ks in the game and zero walks, and with the eventual win, upped her record to 11-6 on the mound.
EIU finally got on board in the bottom of the fifth inning. With Panther runners on first and third, UTM hurler Kara Harper threw a wild pitch, allowing pinch runner
Monica Strube to slide home.
The biggest and most controversial moment in the game came in the top of that same fifth inning. With zero outs, UTM's Laurie Lindow drilled a double, followed by Tori Wolaver stepping in as pinch runner at that base, advancing to third off a sacrifice bunt, giving the Skyhawks an instant scoring possibility.
However, EIU head coach Kim Schuette met with the home plate umpire, notifying him that UTM's head coach did not tell the home plate umpire about the pinch running lineup change. After some tense moments and lots of talk between coaches and on-field officials, UTM's Laurie Lindow was eventually called out at second due to the illegal Skyhawk substition, nullifying the sacrifice bunt that followed.
Undeterred,
Amber May then responded for EIU, firing off two consecutive strikeouts to end that half of the inning.
Four seperate Panthers earned a hit in the tough 2-1 victory, as
Angela Danca,
Denee' Menzione and
Maria Sorrentino each hit safely, while freshman
Jennifer Saucier nailed her first career double-bagger.
Following a break, the Panthers erupted for four runs in the bottom of the opening frame to take an early second game lead. EIU connected on four hits in the inning, while also scoring off a bases-loaded walk. Freshman
Kiley Holtz then stepped up and drilled a base-clearing double to right center, which caused a pitching change by UTM.
The Panthers added the eventual winning run in the bottom of the second as
Denee' Menzione's single to center scored
Megan Nelson from second base.
EIU starting pitcher
Kathleen Jacoby pitched five innings, collecting four strike outs and two walks, but UTM was able to bounce back in the top of the sixth inning, scoring four runs off four hits and an EIU error, forcing
Amber May to step in at the mound and eventually got the Panthers out of the inning and eventually picking up her second career save in a Panther uniform.
May finished the day with 10 strikeouts and zero walks off ten innings of work.
The first five batters in the Panther lineup accounted for all seven of Eastern's hits in the second game win. Both
Megan Nelson and
Kiley Holtz went 2-for-3 at the plate, while
Denee' Menzione,
Sarah Coppert, and
Angela Danca each earned a hit and run apiece. Menzione also knocked in two RBIs, which was just one less than Holtz's three.
Freshman
Hayley Pieper collected her fifth stolen base of the season in the win as well.
The Panthers will host the Skyhawks, who fell to 18-11 overall and 2-3 in league play following the Saturday sweep, in a Sunday single-game, with first pitch set for noon at EIU's Williams Field.
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID