AKRON, Ohio  — A three-run, two-out, bases-clearing double off the bat of Niles sophomore Nellie Coquillard lifted the Eastern Michigan University softball team past Akron University Friday afternoon as the Eagles took a 6-4 victory to improve to 22-11 overall and an 8-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play.

Akron falls to 18-20 overall and 2-9 in conference games.

The Eagles battled back from a late one-run deficit to take a 6-4 victory thanks to timely hitting by the EMU offense.

McKenna Russ (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover) and Jessica Richards (Canton, Ohio-Jackson) each tallied multi-hit games in the contest, but it was Coquillard’s two-out, three-run double in the sixth that helped seal the Eagles’ come-from-behind victory.

Jenna Ignowski (Niles) got the start for the Green and White and went three hitless innings, but a four-run fifth led the Eagles to call in righty hurler Jaclyn Caro (Chino, Calif.-St. Lucy’s Priory). The senior went three innings while striking out two and gave up just one hit to pick up the win and improve to 2-5 on the year.

The Eagles set the tone early in the top of the first after taking a 1-0 lead on two hits despite leaving three runners on base.

Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) hit a one-out double to center field for the Green and White’s first of eight hits in the contest. Coquillard and Sarah Gerber (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover) drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Russ. The junior came through with a one-run single to center field to push EMU ahead, 1-0.

The Eagles shut down any attempts to retaliate in the bottom of the frame by retiring three-consecutive Akron batters on two routine ground ball outs and a fly out to Richards at the hot corner.

In the fourth, the Green and White drove in another run to take a 2-0 advantage over the home team.

Kaylee Tolliver (Amanda, Ohio-Clearcreek) started the rally with a leadoff double to left and was relieved by Courtney Nicholson (Navarre, Ohio-Canton Central Catholic) who checked in to pinch run. Allison Scherer (Stow, Ohio-Stow-Munroe) laid down a textbook bunt to advance Nicholson to second base, leaving Lauren Delapaz (Plymouth, Mich.-Canton) due up at the plate. The senior delivered with an RBI single to the opposite field and put the Eagles up another run.

Ignowski maintained a no-hit performance until Akron’s Alex Feltes registered the Zips first hit in the game in the fourth, however the Eagles managed to escape the inning unharmed.

Skodinski led off the fifth with a walk and advanced to third after a stolen base and a passed ball. With two outs, Russ drove a triple off of the right center field fence to swell the Eagles’ lead to three.

After a quiet four innings, the Zips offense came alive in the fifth with four hits and four runs to take their first lead of the ballgame. Back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt placed runners at second and third for Sarah Stromack, who then hit a two-run double to left center field and bring the Zips within one run. With a runner at third and two outs, Feltes drove a pitch over the left field fence and push the Zips ahead, 4-3.

Caro checked into the contest to take over pitching duties for the Eagles and managed to catch Akron’s Olivia Hegadus looking at the plate to get the Green and White out of the inning.

EMU then used clutch two-out hitting to repossess the lead in the top of the sixth. Scherer led off the frame and was awarded first base after being hit by a pitch. The junior would eventually advance to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt by Delapaz.

With a runner at third, the EMU coaching staff swapped speed for power at the plate by pinch hitting Amanda Stanton (Homer Glen, Ill.-Lockport Township) for Lindsay Smith (Seville, Ohio-Cloverleaf). Scherer took off for home on Stanton’s ground ball to second base but was tagged out on a close play at the plate for the second out of the inning.

A single by Richards kept the inning alive and put runners at first and second for Skodinski. The senior shortstop drew a walk to set up a bases loaded situation for Coquillard. Coquillard, who has held a perfect 2-for-2 average this season with the bases juiced, would improve to 3-for-3 in that situation thanks to her bases-clearing double to center field to give the Eagles a 6-4 lead.

Neither team managed to plate runs throughout the remainder of the contest, as the Green and White took game one from the Zips by a final score of 6-4.

On Saturday, the Eagles suffered a 3-1 loss to Ohio University after a four-run, sixth inning rally was wiped out by rain.

The scoring reverted back to the previous inning when the game was finally called due to rain.

Eastern Michigan was scheduled to face Ohio in the second game of its series Sunday afternoon in Athens, Ohio.