Southeast Missouri State softball team drops doubleheader to visiting Eastern Illinois

The Southeast Missouri State softball team opened a seven-game homestand with two more tough Ohio Valley Conference losses.

Defending OVC regular-season champion Eastern Illinois swept Wednesday's doubleheader 3-2 and 5-3.

The Panthers improved to 17-15 overall and 7-6 in OVC play. Southeast is 13-22 and 6-10. Nine of the Redhawks' 10 conference losses have been by either one or two runs.

Southeast, which did not lead all day, rallied for a 2-2 tie in the opener before EIU scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh inning.

Alora Marble took the loss, allowing seven hits and two earned runs. She struck out six and walked one.

EIU led 5-0 in the nightcap before Southeast rallied with three runs in the sixth inning, the big blow being a two-RBI double by Renee Kertz. The Redhawks got no closer.

Shea Cothren suffered the loss, giving up three runs and five hits in five innings.

Hanna Mennenga notched both wins for EIU. She finished the opener with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, then worked the first 5 1/3 innings of the nightcap.

EIU's Stephanie Maday pitched the first 5 1/3 innings in the opener and fired 1 2/3 scoreless innings to save the nightcap. She struck out the side after a leadoff single in the seventh inning.

Both squads had 14 hits on the day. Cheyenne Gipson and Taylor Cowan each had two hits for Southeast in the opener. Shelby Stein delivered two hits in the nightcap.

-- From staff reports