(LEBANON, Ill. – MARCH 20) – The McKendree University softball team started American Midwest Conference play on the right foot, winning both games of their double header, 7-1 and 10-2 (5), over Hannibal-LaGrange College.
The Bearcats, ranked No. 25 in the NAIA, improved to 8-4 overall and 2-0 in the AMC, while Hannibal-LaGrange fell to 1-10 overall and 0-4 in the AMC. The Bearcats will return to the diamond on Tuesday, March 25 to host Williams Baptist College for an AMC doubleheader at 2 p.m.
McKendree opened game one with two runs in the top of the first inning off RBI singles by senior first baseman Rachael Ostertag (O' Fallon, Mo./Francis Howell) (O'Fallon, Mo./Francis Howell) and freshman third baseman Nicole Steele (Danville, Ill./Schlarman) (Danville, Ill./Schlarman). Junior pitcher Amy Quirin (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West HS) (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) had eight of her nine strikeouts in the game over the next five innings, where the Bearcats also scored three runs to build a 5-0 lead. Junior outfielder Kayla White (Buncombe, Ill./Vienna HS) (Buncombe, Ill./Vienna) hit her first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right-centerfield, to give the Bearcats a 7-0 edge heading into the bottom of the seventh. The Trojans would score once, but Quirin sealed the win after striking out Hannibal-LaGrange's final batter to end the game.
Quirin improved to 2-2 on the season, striking out nine batters, giving up one walk and eight hits. White was 3-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in the game one win.
In game two, the Trojans scored one run in the top of the first inning, only for the Bearcats to score seven in the bottom of the first. Steele hit an RBI single to tie the game 1-1, until senior shortstop Courtney Aldridge (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) cleared the bases with a grand slam to put McKendree on top, followed by RBI doubles by outfielder's Amber Nikolauzyk (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah HS) (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah) and Molly Reed (Carrollton, Ill./Carrollton) (Carrollton, Ill./Carrollton). A leadoff homer by junior catcher Angie Maue (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin HS) (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) in the fourth inning and a two RBI single by Maue in the bottom of the fifth ended the game by a score of 10-2 in five innings.
Sophomore pitcher Katie Ward (White Hall, Ill./North Greene HS) (White Hall, Ill./North Greene) remained perfect on the season, improving to 4-0 after striking out six and giving up eight hits. Reed was a prefect 4-4 with two runs scored and an RBI and Nikolauzyk was 3-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
-McK-
