(LEBANON, Ill., April 9)- The McKendree University softball team got back on track Saturday with two wins over Saint Joseph's College (Ind.) in a doubleheader on Saturday.

The Bearcats improve to 19-21 overall and 13-9 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and will host Lincoln University (Mo.) on Wednesday, April 13 in a non-conference doubleheader at 2 p.m.

McKendree had to rally in game one, using a big five-run fourth inning to come away with an eventual 9-6 win. The Bearcats trailed 4-1 after two innings, but cut the deficit to 4-3 with two runs in the third inning. Tylin Stephens (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs High School) led off the inning with a double, and would score when Jamie Doggendorf (Dittmer, Mo./Northwest) reached on an error by the pitcher and moved to third. She came in to score later in the inning on a wild pitch.

McKendree found its swing in the fifth inning, scoring five runs on six hits to gain the lead. A bases loaded double by Hanna Branch (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) brought in Sara Radae (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville High School) and Stephens to take a 5-4 lead, and Doggendorf later scored on a wild pitch. A single by Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) brought in Branch, and another single later in the inning by Samantha Cameron (Dix, Ill./Centralia, Ill.) scored Gajewski for the final run of the inning and a 8-4 lead. A triple by Doggendorf in the fifth inning scored Radae to extend the lead to 9-5, and the Pumas would cut the score to 9-6 with a run in the sixth, but they were held off base in their final at bat for the McKendree win.

Holly Magre (Festus, Mo./St. Pius X) improved to 11-6 overall with the win and had seven strikeouts, while Gajewski and Doggendorf each had two hits and two runs scored. Doggendorf also had two RBI.

The Bearcats held a 4-1 lead in game two, but scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game 10-1. A two-run home run by Branch in the first inning put McKendree in the early lead, 2-0, but Saint Joseph's cut the deficit to 2-1 with a solo homer in the fourth inning. A triple by Branch in the fifth inning scored Stephens from second, and Gajewski brought in Branch with an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1.

A pinch hit homer by Liz Klussman (Washington, Mo./Washington) in the sixth extended the lead to 5-1, and a double by Stephens scored Radae to make the score 6-1. The Bearcats loaded the bases and Gajewski sent a pitch over the fence for a grand slam that ended the game 10-1 in the sixth inning.

Maci Ingram (Woodlawn, Ill./Nashville Community High School) improved to 5-7 overall and had six strikeouts in the victory, while Gajewski had three hits, five RBI and a run scored. Branch added two hits and had three RBI and two runs scored.