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Western Illinois Drops Heartbreaker in Charleston

| By: WIU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

After battling back to tie the game in the seventh, Western’s dreams of a series opening win were squandered by a walk-off home run from Eastern.

Box Score CHARLESTON, IL - Western kicked off a three-game series with cross-state rival Eastern Illinois on Saturday. Despite a late comeback from the Leathernecks, the Panthers came out on top to open the series. 

Emily Price got the start for the Leathernecks, and the senior got going early against Eastern. Price allowed one hit in the first, then struck out two in the second. Panther pitcher McKenzie Oslanzi, the OVC's leader in ERA, matched Price's early performance as the Leathernecks went down in order in the first two innings. 

In the third, Raven Morrison, a native of nearby Mattoon, singled for the Leathernecks' first hit of the game, but the zero-all score held into the fourth. Leatherneck catcher Valerie Combs caught a Panther trying to steal second in the third as Price continued to work through the Panther order. 

Western got their best scoring opportunity of the game in the fourth, after singles from Rylee Boone and Maria Luna got two runners on. A passed ball moved both runners to scoring position, but a pair of consecutive outs moved the game to the bottom of the fourth still tied at zero. 

The Panthers broke the deadlock in the fourth with an RBI single, taking a 1-0 lead. A double later in the inning brought the lead to two, and Raven Morrison moved from shortstop to pitcher. Morrison got the final out of the inning to limit the damage to a pair of runs. 

Despite reaching on an error to lead off the fifth, Western would remain scoreless through five as the game moved to the bottom of the fifth. Morrison walked two, but held Eastern bats runless in the frame. 

After an uneventful sixth inning, the Western offense looked to tie or take the lead down to their final three outs. Malia Roberston hit a clutch double with one out, then Megan Leonard cut the lead in half, driving in the freshman with a single up the middle. After Morrison flew out, Cynthia Hull pinch hit for Western. In 2023, Hull had a plethora of clutch hits, including a late go-ahead homer against Lindenwod and a walk-off hit against North Dakota State. Hull stepped up and got her first hit of the season, and Leonard scored on a throwing error to tie the game at two. Combs struck out to end the frame. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Eastern Illinois led off with a walk-off home run, ending the game in heartbreaking fashion. Western will take on the Panthers in a doubleheader on Sunday, at 1 and 3:30 PM in Charleston. 
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