RICHMOND, Ky. - The runs flowed openly for the Eastern Kentucky University softball team as they opened the weekend round robin against Purdue Fort Wayne and Indiana State with two wins in walk-off fashion.

The Colonels (15-5, 0-0 ASUN) move to 7-0 at Gertrude Hood Field with seven-straight wins while the Mastodons and Sycamores fall to 3-11 and 5-15, respectively.

GAME ONE - EKU 12, PFW 4 (5 inn.)

Starting the day in the circle for the Colonels was Maddi Rutan (6-3) who picked up the win while Alena Hillyard made her second appearance of the season in relief. Rutan tallied seven strikeouts in the start, having struck out five-or-more batters in almost every start except one this season.

The bats started red-hot for the Colonel offense, racking up three runs in both the first and second innings. After two of three Colonel leadoff hitters reached base, Rutan battled through a full count to deliver a three-run home run on the payoff pitch to jump the Colonels out to the lead.
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The pressure did not slow down as the Colonels looped back to the top of the order in the second inning. With just one out, Reese Knox delivered an RBI single to left center while Rutan followed up with her fourth and fifth RBIs of the game on a single of her own up the middle.

Threatening a run rule, the Mastodons bought a bit of breathing room with one run in the top of the fourth, but the Colonels responded with two more runs to toe the line once again. Kennedy Drafton notched an RBI double, securing another game with a hit for the red-hot sophomore. Jada McLeod tallied her first RBI of the game shortly after on a sacrifice groundout.

Once again on the brink of a run rule, PFW threatened to make a game of it with three more runs in the fifth to cut the deficit to 8-4. However, the Colonel bats did not cool down, bringing four runs of their own home in the bottom of the frame to end the game in five innings.

Drafton put an exclamation point on a 1.000 batting game with another three-run shot for the Colonels, sneaking just inside the foul pole and over the right field fence. Lilly Davis wrapped the game up with a fly ball down the right field line that was dropped by the Mastodon right fielder for the final run.

GAME TWO - EKU 6, ISU 5

Victoria Byrum was first to pitch for the Colonels in game two while Tayteum Vigansky, Lauren Narvaez and Rutan made appearances as well. The win was credited to Rutan, who came in while the Colonels trailed 5-3 in the final inning, shutting the Sycamores out to allow the EKU comeback.

McLeod proved to be the star of the game, racking up five RBIs including a three-run home run and the game-winning walk-off single while batting .500 in the game.

The first two innings held scoreless before EKU finally opened things up in the bottom of the third. The trend of three-run bombs continued, with McLeod claiming the credit for the first three of her five RBIs.

The Sycamores responded in the next inning with two runs of their own to cut the lead to one. Following a scoreless fifth inning, Indiana State pounced into the lead with three more runs in the sixth and holding the Colonels scoreless in the bottom of the frame to make the score 5-3.

Rutan came to the circle and kept the Sycamores in the top of the seventh scoreless to give EKU one last chance at life, down to their last three outs.

After a leadoff strikeout, Jaelin Haynes got things started with a single before Knox added a double to put the tying runs in scoring position with one out. Drafton tallied another RBI on the day with another single, advancing to second on the throw to cut the deficit to one with the winning run now in scoring position.

The Sycamores walked Rutan for the third time on the day to load the bases as McLeod came to the plate.

The freshman needed only three pitches to find one she liked, making solid contact to drop a single to center field that allowed Drafton and Knox to score, walking off the Sycamores in a three-run comeback.

Additionally, Drafton reached base in both games to extend her on-base streak to fifteen games.

UP NEXT

The Colonels close out the weekend as they take on Indiana State and PFW one more time. The team opens up the day with the Sycamores at 12:30 PM and finish up with the Mastodons as 3 PM. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.