WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Eastern Softball split a pair of games on its fourth day of Spring Break in Florida, ending the day with a dominant 16-5, run-rule victory over Benedictine University. The Eagles (6-2) finished with 18 hits, their most in a game since a 23-hit outburst against Rosemont back in April 2019. Eastern's 16 runs and 14 RBIs were its most in a single game since 2022, when the Eagles scored 21 runs and recorded 19 RBIs in a Spring Break win over Finlandia.

Ten different Eagles recorded a least one hit in the win, and seven of their 16 hits went for extra bases. First-year Maura Yoos was a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI, and fellow first-year Emily Kurth went 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Sydney Ostolaza hit a pair of doubles and drove in a team-high four runs. Sophie Rollins finished with three hits, one of which was a double, and three RBIs, while Mackenzie Laub, Jania Long, Tori Hook, and Maeve Colligan also doubled in the win.

Despite the final score, it was the Eagles of Benedictine (6-4) that struck first in the contest. Taylor Oppenhuis scored Haley Barnes on an RBI fielders choice, and Barnes later scored on a wild pitch to put Benedictine up 2-0.

The Eagles' offense exploded for seven runs on seven hits and one Benedictine error in their half of the frame. Yoos' and Laub's first hits of the evening were singles, and Kurth later singled home Yoos put the Eagles on the board. Dakota Owen worked a bases-loaded walk to tie the contest at 2-2, and with the bases still loaded, Ostolaza crushed her first double to deep right-center field to clear them, giving the Eagles a lead they would not relinquish. Rollins and Alyssa Binczak each tacked on RBI singles later in the frame to increase the Eastern advantage to 7-2.

Eastern continued to be all over Benedictine pitching, scoring two more runs on Rollins' RBI double in the second before scoring seven more runs in the bottom of the third. The Eagles sent 12 batters to the dish in the frame and came away with eight more hits. Laub, Hook, Ostolaza, and Long all doubled to put the Eagles ahead 13-3, and both Long and Rollins scored on wild pitches later in the inning to make it 15-3. Yoos capped off the scoring with an infield single, her fourth hit of the evening, to put the Eagles ahead by 13 runs. Benedictine added single runs in the fourth and fifth frames, but would not get any closer. 

With the offense providing plenty of support, Long (3-0) earned her third win of Spring Break, allowing just two earned runs and one hit in three innings. First-year Annaleise McCubbin pitched the final two frames, giving up four hits with one strikeout, two flyouts, and three groundouts.

In a hard-fought battle against a strong Saint Mary's (Minn.) squad in its first game of the day, the Eagles dropped a 6-4 decision. Eastern struck first on a two-run home run from Hook, her first of the year, in the top of the second, but SMU (11-3) answered back with an inside the park home run in their half of the second frame to tie the contest at 2-2.

The Cardinals took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of RBI singles. Laub and Kurth responded in the top of the fifth, tying the contest back up with RBI singles of their own, but SMU scored a pair of runs on three hits and an Eastern throwing error in the bottom of the sixth, all coming with two outs. The Eagles hit two runners on in the top of the seventh, but were unable to close the gap.

Binczak, Laub, Ostolaza, and Hook each finished with a pair of hits in the contest, while Kurth and Yoos also recorded one knock apiece. The duo's strong starts to their collegiate career continued on Thursday as they now co-lead the team in hits with 10. Kurth leads the Eagles with seven RBIs after eight games.

The Eagles will conclude its 2025 Spring Break tomorrow morning at the Fortune Road Complex in Kissimmee. Eastern will face off against Clark University at 9:30 am and will conclude the day against Johnson & Wales University at 11:30 am.