Things just didn’t go right for the Eastern softball team against home team Southern Illinois Carbondale on Tuesday.

The Salukis would score two runs in the bottom of the first inning, but they could have been avoided as Eastern lost 5-1, snapping its six-game winning streak.

In the first inning, SIUC’s leadoff hitter, sophomore center fielder Chelsea Held, reached on catcher’s interference. Freshman shortstop Haley Gorman singled with no outs. Held moved to third on a passed ball, and then junior second baseman Alicia Garza singled Held home. Gorman and Garza advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, senior third baseman Katie Wagner was walked to load the bases. Luckily for the Panthers, the Salukis (21-6) would only score one more run this inning on a sacrifice fly.

“We got spooked in the first inning,” said Eastern head coach Kim Schuette. “All of that set the tone for the game.”

Sophomore first baseman Melinda Jackson agreed.

“We got rattled in the first inning,” she said.

The rest of the Salukis’ runs came off of home runs.

SIUC junior right fielder Katie Wilson hit a home run to left field in the third inning. Then Garza hit a two-run home run to left field in the fifth inning.

“Their offense beat us today,” Schuette said. “Their hitters were more disciplined.”

Eastern (17-11) attempted to rally in the sixth and seventh innings. The Panthers left two people on base in each inning. The Panthers were able to get on the board in the seventh when Jackson singled to right field to score senior pitcher Kathleen Jacoby. SIUC sophomore pitcher Danielle Glosson (5-4) kept the Panthers off-balance with her drop ball. She held the Panthers to five hits as eight Panthers struck out.

“We were chasing their pitches,” Schuette said. “We were fishing a little bit. We hit a few good balls. We didn’t hit enough good balls.”

Jackson and the other Panthers did make adjustments.

“We all moved back in the batter’s box,” she said.

Eastern sophomore pitcher Amber May (12-7) was tagged for the loss. May gave up three hits, three runs, walked two and struck out three. Jacoby pitched the final three innings. She gave up five hits but only two runs. She walked two and struck out two.

Eastern returns to action this weekend when it travels to Eastern Kentucky for a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series. The Panthers play EKU at noon Saturday in a doubleheader in Richmond, Ky. They conclude the series with a noon game on Sunday.

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or at kjmurphy@eiu.edu.

The Eastern softball team cheers on sophomore Kiley Holtz as she reaches home plate after hitting a home run against Tennessee State on March 13 at Williams Field. Eastern lost 5-1 on Wednesday. (Erin Matheny/The Daily Eastern News)

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