(SAINT CHARLES, Mo., March 19)- The McKendree University softball team split its Great Lakes Valley Conference opening doubleheader on Saturday against Maryville University.

The Bearcats are now 6-8 overall and 1-1 in the GLVC and will travel to Saint Louis, Mo., to play No. 4 University of Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday.

McKendree trailed in game one, but scored four runs over the final three innings to earn a 5-3 win.

The Bearcats trailed 2-0 entering the third inning, cut got on the board on a double by Hanna Branch (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) that scored Katie Nauman (Amboy, Ill./Amboy) from second to make the score 2-1. The McKendree offense got going in the fifth inning and scored three runs. Ashley Scheffler (Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central) scored on a throwing error to tie the game, 2-2, and Branch followed with a single that drove in Kate Mayes (Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville) to take a 3-2 lead. Rebecca Franke (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) followed with a double to score Branch and jump out to a 4-2 lead.

The Saints scored a run in the sixth inning to come within one, but McKendree added a run in the sixth inning on a groundout to second by Klussman that scored Branch and held on to win.

Branch led McKendree at the plate with three hits, two RBI and two runs scored, while Susan Goetze (Green Valley, Ill./Midwest Central) improved to 1-3 overall and had five strikeouts.

In a second game that had a combined 28 hits, a rally in the seventh inning came up short for the Bearcats in a 12-9 loss.

McKendree scored two runs in the first inning of game two. Branch singled to score Mayes from third and Nauman later scored on a error by the pitcher during an Erica Johnson (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) at bat.

The Saints countered with three runs in the bottom of the first and six runs in the second inning to jump out to a 9-2 lead, but McKendree added a run in the third inning on a single by Branch that scored Scheffler to cut the score to 9-3.

Maryville added two more runs in third inning to extend its lead to 11-3, but the Bearcats cut the deficit to 12-6 heading into the seventh inning. A single by Mayes scored Caty Ponce (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville), and Scheffler followed with a single that scored Doggendorf to make the score 12-8. A single by Nauman scored Mayes, but the rally ended on a ground out that closed out the game 12-9.

Nauman had four hits in game two, with two RBI and a run scored, while Stoszkus fell to 3-1 with the loss.