Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (COLUMBIA, Mo., March 9)- The McKendree University softball team dropped both games of its conference opening doubleheader to Truman State University on Sunday.

The Bearcats fall to 0-7 overall and 0-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and will play Quincy University for a conference doubleheader on Monday, March 10 at Noon in Lebanon, Ill.

McKendree was unable to get its offense going in game one with only one hit in the 8-0 loss in five innings. The Bearcats trailed 1-0 entering the third inning, but the Bulldogs scored three runs in the bottom of the third and four in the bottom of the fourth to lead 8-0 heading into the fifth.

Junior centerfielder Erica Johnson (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) reached on a one-out single up the middle, but was unable to score to end game one. Freshman pitcher Holly Magre (Festus, Mo./St. Pius X) fell to 0-2 overall with the loss.

The Bearcats gave up single runs in the first and third innings of game two to trail 2-0, but cut the deficit in half in the fifth inning. Freshman rightfielder Dani Schoenbacher (Tamaroa, Ill./Pinckeyville) reached on a walk in the fifth inning, and advanced to second on a single by senior leftfielder Caitlin Stredde (Pingree Grove, Ill./South Elgin), but the Truman State leftfielder committed a fielding error that brought Schoenbacher in to score and Stredde to advance to second.

McKendree was unable to tie the game in the inning, and the Bulldogs extended the lead with two runs in the bottom of the frame, 4-1. The Bearcats couldn't strike again in the contest to drop game two. Stredde, Schoenbacher, and junior shortstop Kate Mayes (Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville) each had hits for McKendree in game two, and sophomore pitcher Taylor Barnouski (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) fell to 0-2 with the complete game loss.