Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (SAINT LEO, Fla., Feb. 22)- The McKendree University softball team closed out its weekend trip at the Saint Leo University Invite with two losses to the Lions. The Bearcats lost game one 11-0 in five innings, before falling in game two 7-1.

McKendree is now 1-3 overall and are scheduled to play a home doubleheader against Benedictine University-Springfield on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.

The Bearcats trailed 2-0 after two innings in game one, but gave up nine runs in the third and forth inning to fall 11-0. McKendree had two hits in the contest, one each from senior outfielder Erica Johnson (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) and sophomore third baseman Hanna Branch (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood), while senior pitcher Susan Goetze (Green Valley, Ill./Midwest Central) was tabbed with the loss to fall to 0-1 this season. She pitched three innings and had one strikeout.

McKendree held an early 1-0 lead in game two, but was unable to get offense when it needed it most in a 7-1 loss. Sophomore outfielder Jamie Doggendorf (Dittmer, Mo./Northwest) led off the first inning with a single and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. Senior first baseman Katie Nauman (Amboy, Ill./Amboy) reached on an error by the first baseman and Doggendorf came around to score to put the Bearcats in front 1-0.

Saint Leo scored two runs in the first and third innings to lead 4-1 and McKendree looked to cut into the deficit following a leadoff single by Johnson in the fourth. She advanced to second on a passed ball and later moved up to third on a groundout by senior shortstop Kate Mayes (Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville), but a strikeout ended scoring threat and the inning and the game stayed 4-1.

The Lions went on to score three runs in the sixth inning to extend their lead to 7-1, but Branch drew a one-out walk to put a runner on base in the top of the seventh for McKendree. She advanced to second on a ground out, but the game would end following a groundout to the second baseman.

Freshman pitcher Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) fell to 0-1 on the season and had two strikeouts in her first collegiate start. Johnson had two hits in the game two loss, while Doggendorf had one and a run scored.