(JACKSON, Tenn., Feb. 27) – The No. 25 McKendree University softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Union University (Tenn.) on Saturday, 6-0 and 10-5.
McKendree, now 3-3 overall, will stay in Jackson, Tenn., to play Lambuth University Sunday in a doubleheader at Noon.
The Bearcats struggled to string hits together in game one and left nine runners on base. The Bulldogs scored one run in the bottom of the second on a solo homerun and scored another on an RBI single in the third inning. A grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning by Union put things out of reach for the Bearcats and gave them their second loss of the year.
Senior outfielder Nicole Ostertag (O'Fallon, Mo./Francis Howell HS) (O'Fallon, Mo./Francis Howell) led McKendree with three hits and sophomore pitcher Autumn Allen (Fairview Heights, Ill./Belleville East HS) (Fairview Heights, Ill./Belleville East) threw six innings and gave up seven hits and struck out four. Allen's record fell to 2-2 overall on the season.
The Bearcats took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game two on a solo home run by senior third baseman Lindsay Newbold (Herrin,. Ill./Herrin HS) (Herrin, Ill./Herrin). The Bulldogs evened the score in the bottom of the second on a passed ball and scored another run in the third inning on an RBI single. McKendree took a 3-2 lead on a double by freshman shortstop Elizabeth Hess (Evansville, Ill./Sparta HS) (Evansville, Ill./Sparta) that scored senior outfielder Taylee Spicuzza (Dahlgren, Ill./Hamilton County HS) (Dahlgren, Ill./Hamilton County) and junior pinch runner Ashley Parrott (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West HS) (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West), only for the Bulldogs to score three runs in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead 5-3. Union blew the game wide open in the next two innings by scoring five runs to extend their lead to 10-3. In the top of the seventh, senior third baseman Natalee Rujawitz (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon HS) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) scored on a bases loaded walk to cut the deficit to 10-4 and Ostertag scored on a groundout by sophomore second baseman Casey White (Buncombe, Ill./Vienna HS) (Buncombe, Ill./Vienna) to trail 10-5, but a strikeout during the next at bat ended the game.
Hess led McKendree at the plate with two hits, including a double, and two RBI. Senior pitcher Katie Ward (White Hall, Ill./North Greene HS) (White Hall, Ill./North Greene) fell to 1-1 overall on the season and had five strikeouts.
-McK-
