Photo Gallery (by
Sandy King)
PEORIA, Ill. – Eastern Illinois softball hung on for an opening round win over Southeast Missouri on Thursday afternoon picking up a 7-6 win during a game impacted by a one hour, 11-minute rain delay.
EIU improved to 34-20 on the season with the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament win and will play No. 3 seed SIUE on Friday at 1:30 pm at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. Southeast Missouri dropped to 22-29 overall.
EIU jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the opening inning against SEMO starter Maddie Carney (6-13).Â
Sophia Olman and
Abbi Hatton had back-to-back RBI singles to drive in the Panthers first two runs of the inning.Â
Lexie Griffin followed later in the inning with a two-run single up the middle.
Griffin finished  2-for-3 at the plate with her solo home run in the fifth proving to be the difference in the game. The senior drove in three runs.
SEMO finally broke through against EIU starter
Karlie McKenzie (11-8) in the fourth with Gracie Luna delivering a two-run single to left to cut the Panthers lead in half at 4-2.
Viola Smith gave EIU a four-run cushion in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homer to left center as EIU led 6-2. Griffin's home run later in the game pushed EIU's lead to 7-4.
The Redhawks scored twice in the fifth with an RBI by Madison Winkler and a run scored on infield error. Winkler and Kamden Hutton each had three hits at the top of the SEMO line-up.
Bryanna French entered in the fifth to stop the Redhawks rally, closing the game for her sixth save of the season.Â
SEMO scored two more runs in the seventh on RBI doubles by Winkler and Raigan Brannon before French closed out the game.
Hatton joined Griffin with two hits to lead EIU's offense.
