(HANNIBAL, Mo., April 6)- The McKendree University softball team swept an American Midwest Conference doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at Hannibal-LaGrange University, 3-0 and 8-3, to win their 20th game and improve to 8-2 in league play.

The Bearcats will host Union University (Tenn.) on Friday, April 8th in a doubleheader at 2 p.m.

After a scoreless first inning, McKendree took a 1-0 lead on a single by senior outfielder Jamie Corbier (O'Fallon, Ill., O'Fallon Township HS) that scored sophomore catcher Emily Mouyard (Johnson City, Ill., Johnson City HS) from third. In the The Bearcats added some insurance in the sixth inning on a single by freshman outfielder Caitlin Stredde (Elgin, Ill., South Elgin HS) that scored senior designated player Ashley Parrott (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West HS) to extend the lead to 2-0, before a single by junior outfielder Kari Frazier (Lebanon, Ill., Lebanon HS) scored Corbier to eventually give McKendree a 3-0 win.

Junior pitcher Autumn Allen (Fairview Heights, Ill., Belleville East HS) struck out 11 and gave up three hits in the shutout win to improve to 11-3 overall. Stredde, Webb and sophomore third baseman Dana Schulte (New Baden, Ill., Wesclin) each had two hits in game one.

The Trojans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second in game two, but McKendree bounced back with a single by junior second baseman Casey White (Buncombe, Ill., Vienna HS) scored Mouyard to tie the game, 1-1. Frazier put the Bearcats in the lead with a solo home run, her fourth of the season, in the third inning, only for Hannibal-LaGrange to regain the lead, 3-2, in the fifth inning. The Bearcats took advantage of some defensive miscues by the Trojans in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead, 4-3, and then added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on three errors by Hannibal-LaGrange to cruise to the 8-3 win.

Allen improved to 12-3 after the game two win, striking out eight and walking two, while also giving up eight hits. Frazier, Webb, and Mouyard each had two hits in the victory, with Frazier also scoring three runs and an RBI on her solo home run.