CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team split games at Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon. After dropping the first game, 1-0, the Colonels picked up a 4-0 win in the nightcap.
With the win, EKU clinched at least a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title. The squad has an opportunity to win it outright by either winning 1-of-2 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville tomorrow or by Austin Peay State splitting with Tennessee State tomorrow. This is the first regular-season championship for the Colonels since 2004 and just the third ever.
Paige Murphy collected a solo home run in the fourth stanza to score the first run of the second game and put EKU up, 1-0. Hannah Clark singled in the next at bat and advanced on a ground out.
A double to center field from Emily Corbitt brought Clark home as the Colonels stretched the lead to 2-0.
An inning later, Destinee Lizzmore went yard in center field with no one on as EKU rolled to a 3-0 advantage.
Corbitt came up with another two-bagger in the top frame of the sixth. She was brought home on a single from Zoe Mihalicz, adding insurance at 4-0.
Mollie Paulick tossed 6.2 innings for the Colonels, dealing a shutout behind a seven-strikeout effort. The sophomore threw 1.2 innings of scoreless relief in game one.
Murphy notched the lone hit for EKU in game one with a single through the right side in the first inning.
The Panthers loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth and pushed an unearned run across to win it, 1-0.
After the split, Eastern moves to 36-15 (18-2 OVC) while EIU goes to 34-18 (13-9 OVC).
