(LEBANON, Ill., March 28)- The McKendree University softball team was swept by Maryville University on Wednesday in both games of a doubleheader. The Bearcats dropped game one, 11-6, and lost game two, 8-2, after the fifth inning when the game was called due to darkness.

The Bearcats fell to 11-15 overall and will host the McKendree Invitational March 30th-April 1st.

McKendree led 6-0 after three innings in game one, but surrendered 11 runs over the final two innings to lose the game 11-6.

Junior catcher Emily Mouyard (Johnson City, Ill./Johnson City) helped McKendree jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning with a grand slam to centerfield.

Freshman centerfielder Erica Johnson (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) hit a single that scored freshman shortstop Caty Ponce (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) from third to give the Bearcats a 5-0 lead, but a throwing error by the Saints led to freshman first baseman Morgan Schulte (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) scoring unearned to push the lead 6-0.

McKendree remained in the lead, 6-0, until the sixth inning when Maryville scored nine runs on eight hits and one error to jump out to a 9-6 lead. The Saints went on to score two runs on four errors in the seventh inning to take an 11-6 lead and win the game.

Senior pitcher BethAnn Swartz (Urbana, Ill./Urbana HS) fell to 2-6 overall in the loss. Ponce and M. Schulte each had two hits and two runs scored in the win. Mouyard was 1-for-1 with two walks, a grand slam, a run scored and four RBI.

Maryville took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game two, but the lead wouldn't last long after a two-run home run by sophomore second baseman Maddie Beckmann (Carlyle, Ill./Carlyle) in the second inning put the Bearcats up 2-1.

The Saints scored seven runs over the final three innings to take a 8-2 lead before the game was called due to darkness after the fifth inning.

Freshman pitcher Taylor Blackwell (Highland, Ill./Highland) dropped to 1-4 overall with the loss for McKendree. Ponce and Schulte also each had two hits in game two.