Cougars Defeat Panthers 9-4
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois (13-14, 3-5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| SIUE (12-20, 4-7) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | X | 9 | 13 | 1 |
| @ Edwardsville, Ill. | Cougar Field | ||||||||||
| Pitching |
|---|
| Win: Amanda Lambrecht (9-8) - SIUE |
| Loss: MADAY, Stephanie (9-7) - Eastern Illinois |
| Eastern Illinois Batting |
|---|
| 2B: none |
| 3B: none |
| HR: HUTCHINSON, Reynae |
| SIUE Batting |
|---|
| 2B: Alex McDavid |
| 3B: none |
| HR: Alex McDavid |
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE pumped out 13 hits, including Alex McDavid's first collegiate home run Thursday, in a 9-4 triumph over Eastern Illinois at Cougar Field.
The Cougars, now 12-20 overall and 4-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference, jumped out on top with four runs in the first inning and didn't look back against the Panthers, now 13-14 overall and 3-5 in the OVC.
"I was extremely pleased with our energy and our intensity. We had a game plan going in, and they executed it," said SIUE Head Coach Sandy Montgomery.
SIUE put the first three runners on base to start the game with a pair of infield hits from Lindsey Barron and Jill Rackers. Chelsea Yankolovich loaded the bases by drawing a walk from EIU starter Stephanie Maday.
Brittany Toney put SIUE up 1-0 with an RBI single as the Cougar freshman legged out an infield hit. After Samantha Stanicek reached on an infield error that scored another run, Rachel Coonrod put SIUE up 4-0 on a two-RBI single.
"We've been hitting the ball well," said Montgomery. "We've just had a hard time getting timely hits."
Coonrod added a third RBI in the third inning a single that scored Taylor Tooley.
EIU's offense didn't get started against SIUE winning pitcher Amanda Lambrecht, now 9-8, until the fourth inning. With two runners on, Reynae Hutchison cut the lead to 5-3 with her third home run of the season.
SIUE would get one back in the fourth on an RBI single by Yankolovich.
The Cougars kept up the offensive pressure throughout the game. The final tally was a two-run homer by McDavid in the bottom of the sixth.
"We played all phases of the game well," Montgomery said.
The Cougars now have a break in the OVC schedule. Their next contest is a 2 p.m. doubleheader set for next Wednesday at Murray State. The Racers are tied for third place and are one of two OVC teams with an overall record over the .500 mark.
"This (today's game) is definitely something to build on," added Montgomery.
