OTAHKS DOWN EIU, APPROACH .500 MARK

It's been a long climb, but Southeast Missouri State University's softball team has almost gotten back to the .500 mark.

Primarily because of a brutal early-season schedule, the Otahkians lost their first five games. But Thursday afternoon's 7-3 win over visiting Eastern Illinois has them at 14-15.

Southeast, which has won four in a row and eight of its last 11, also improved to 8-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play as the Otahkians moved to within one-half game of first place, behind both Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech.

"Sometimes I think I put too tough a (early) schedule on them, but I keep telling them it will pay off," said Southeast coach Lana Richmond. "We're finally almost back to .500 and we're right there (in the OVC race)."

Said senior catcher Renee Enos, who is one of the OVC's top hitters with a .390 average, "We're playing real well now. The team is really coming together."

Enos, who continues to move up the school's charts in several career categories, sparked Southeast's 11-hit attack with a 3-for-3 performance.

"Renee is really hitting the ball and so is Kemi Rampi," Richmond said.

Rampi went 2-for-3 as she extended her hitting streak to 12 games.

Courtney Eklund went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs while Brooke Net went 2-for-2.

Nett was also hit by pitches twice, marking the 15th time she has been hit in her Southeast career and giving her the school record in that department even though she is just a sophomore. Nett has been hit eight times this year, which broke her own single-season record of seven from last season.

"The difference in the game was our hitting," said Richmond. "I thought we hit the ball extremely well. We were real aggressive."

EIU pitcher Kristin Becker (5-11) had beaten the Otahkians 3-1 just last week, but Southeast had much more success against her this time.

"I think we only maybe got three hits off her last time, but we had our kids concentrate on staying back this time," Richmond said.

Southeast ace Jenny Doehring (10-7) went the seven-inning distance, scattering nine hits while striking out two and walking four.

The Lady Panthers (7-24, 4-8 OVC) took their only lead in the top of the first inning. The Otahkians tied it with an unearned run in the bottom of the first, then went ahead for good in the second on an RBI single by Nett.

Eklund's two-run double in the third made it 4-1 and the Otahkians broke things open with a three-run fifth, getting and RBI single from Enos and an RBI single from Eklund.

The Otahkians will be right back in action today, facing Tennessee State in a noon doubleheader at the Southeast Softball Complex.