CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Kat Sackett had two hits, including a solo home run that made it a one-run ball game as Southeast Missouri (5-16, 1-2) came up short in a 2-1 loss to Eastern Illinois (14-8, 2-1) Sunday at the Southeast Softball Complex.
 
EIU took the series with the one-run victory.
 
SEMO trailed, 2-0, until Sackett smacked the first pitch of her at-bat over the right field wall for her second home run of the season to get the Redhawks within a run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Reliever Rachel Kaufman held off the Redhawks with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh to claim her first save.
 
The Panthers scored the first two runs of the contest on a RBI single to center by Sophie Cerveny in the top of the second and a home run by Jadin Justman in the top half of the fifth inning.
 
SEMO had the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth but came up empty.
 
McKenzie Oslanzi (9-1) picked up her second win of the series. Oslanzi struck out six and walked one, while allowing one run on five hits in 5.1 innings.
 
Kaufman then tossed 1.2 scoreless no-hit innings the rest of the way.
 
Paytience Holman (2-6), in her team-high ninth start of the season, allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out three in two innings.
 
Sackett finished at 2-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI. Aubrie Shore, Tori Bradley and Brittany Affolter followed with one hit each. Shore concluded the series with a total of six hits.
 
SEMO remains home to host Missouri Valley Conference member Bradley in a midweek doubleheader during its spring break Tuesday.