(LEBANON, Ill., March 31)- Sophomore third baseman Dana Schulte (New Baden, Ill., Wesclin) became the 10th player in school history to hit two home runs in a single game and junior pitcher Autumn Allen (Fairview Heights, Ill., Belleville East HS) tied the school record with 14 strikeouts in an American Midwest Conference softball doubleheader sweep over Harris-Stowe State University on Thursday afternoon. Schulte also hit a home run in game one to give her three on the day.

McKendree improved to 17-10 overall and 6-2 in the AMC after the sweep and will travel to Bourbonnais, Ill., on April 1-2 to play in the Olivet Nazarene University Invitational. On Friday, the Bearcats will play No. 23 Bethel College (Ind.) at 3 p.m., followed by No. 18 Olivet Nazarene at 5 p.m.

Both teams struggled offensively in game one, but McKendree got the only hit it needed with Schulte's first home run of the day, and second of the season, in the fourth inning to put the Bearcats in the lead 1-0. Allen handcuffed the Hornets and matched her career-high and the single-game school record with 14 strikeouts, while walking one and only allowing four hits to improve to 10-3 overall. She joins former players Mindy Jameson and Amy Maurer as the only three players in school history to strikeout out 14 batters in a game.

The Bearcats offense had 14 hits in game two, while the pitching combo of Allen and junior BethAnn Swartz (Urbana, Ill., Urbana HS) held Harris-Stowe to only three hits. The offense began in the top of the first inning when a single by freshman shortstop Kendyll Koester (Lebanon, Ill., Lebanon HS) scored junior outfielder Kari Frazier (Lebanon, Ill., Lebanon HS) and Schulte followed by scoring on an error by the shortstop to give McKendree a quick 2-0 lead.

A single by senior first baseman Cathy Webb (Mascoutah, Ill., Mascoutah HS) in the second inning scored freshman outfielder Caitlin Stredde (Elgin, Ill., South Elgin HS) and Schulte followed with a three-run homer, her first of the game, to extended the Bearcat lead to 6-0.

Senior second baseman Ashley Parrott (Belleville, Ill., Belleville West HS) scored on a bases loaded walk drawn by Frazier, and Webb was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat to score senior outfielder Jamie Corbier (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township HS). Koester reached on a fielders choice that scored both Webb and Frazier, but Schulte was called out at second to end the third inning with McKendree leading 10-0.

A sac fly by Frazier scored junior third baseman Casey White (Buncombe, Ill., Vienna HS) from third to make the score 11-0 in the fourth, and the Bearcats added three more runs in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Schulte, her second of the game, an RBI double by Parrott, and an RBI single by Corbier to give McKendree the 14-0 lead.

Swartz had six strikeouts and no walks, while allowing three hits, in her sixth win of the season. Parrott had three doubles in the victory, while Schulte, Koester, White and Corbier all had two hits.