CHARLESTON, Ill. -
Grace Lueke became SIUE softball's Division I era leader in home runs Wednesday with her 11th blast of the season.
The home run in the second game highlighted the day for the Cougars, which dropped a pair of Ohio Valley Conference games at Eastern Illinois 6-5 in 11 innings and 10-2 in six innings.
"She is very deserving," said SIUE Interim Head Coach
P.J. Finigan of Lueke. "She put in a lot of hard work and has been pretty consistent all year."
The Cougars dropped to 15-30 overall and 6-16 in the OVC. SIUE returns home for Senior Day Saturday, facing Southeast Missouri in a 4 p.m. single game.
The full OVC series includes a noon doubleheader Sunday.
On Wednesday, EIU and SIUE played both teams' longest game of the season, an 11-inning marathon in which Riley Dittmar singled home the game winner.
SIUE started the scoring with five runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-RBI double by
Jenna Herron and an RBI triple from
Katie Smith.
EIU, 23-26 overall and 8-14 in the OVC, Â bounced back to scored three in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Neither team were able to score again until the 11th.
Olivia Price earned the win with 8-plus innings of relief.
Mia Haynes suffered the loss for the Cougars.
In game two, Lueke gave the Cougars the lead with her 11th home run of the season, a blast to left center. Haynes scored on the play.
"Lueke didn't get a lot to hit, but she took advantage of the mistake," said Finigan. "It was a rocket to center field."
Lueke passed Alex McDavid who had 10 in 2013. She also tied Jodie Ohlau for fifth all-time with 11 homers. Ohlau hit 11 during SIUE's Division II national championship run in 2007.
The all-time leader is Erin Newman with 17 in 2001.
EIU pressed on in game two, scoring nine more runs and finishing the game in the sixth on a two-run single by Rachel Kaufman.
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