(LIBERTY, Mo., April 7)—The McKendree University softball team clawed its way to a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon at William Jewell College. The Bearcats were edged 2-1 in the opener by the Cardinals before some late heroics helped McKendree rally for a 7-6 win in game two.
 
McKendree, which received votes in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II rankings, is now 25-10 on the season and moved to 11-5 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. Up next for the Bearcats will be a twinbill against Truman State University on Monday. The location and first pitch for the games will be determined Sunday afternoon.
 
Sophomore infielder Caitlyn Lowry (St. Louis, MO/Notre Dame) provided the late fireworks for McKendree when she blasted the go-ahead, two-run home run with one out in the top of the seventh inning of the nightcap that put the Bearcats in front for good. Lowry's fourth homer of the season also helped McKendree end a three-game winless streak.
 
Freshman Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) had four hits in the nightcap, while Lowry finished the contest with two hits, two runs scored and three RBI. Senior infielder Tylin Stephens (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) and senior catcher Rebecca Franke (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) each added three hits on the day, including two each in the second contest. Junior right-hander Maci Ingram (Woodlawn, Ill./Nashville Community) also shut down the William Jewell bats in the final two innings of game two to earn the win in relief.
 
In the nightcap, senior Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) gave McKendree its first lead of the contest with a two-run home run over the right field fence for a 2-0 advantage. William Jewell (20-14, 7-7 GLVC) answered with two runs in the bottom of the third to knot the score at 2-2. The Bearcats then batted around in the top of the fourth inning to grab a 5-2 lead. Sophomore Hannah Murphy (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt North) doubled to lead off the frame and came around to score on an RBI double off the bat of Lowry. Two batters later, Franke singled up the middle to plate Lowry for a 4-2 Bearcat advantage. Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) capped the outburst with a run-scoring single to stretch the McKendree lead.
 
The Cardinals surged in front by scoring four times in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-5 lead. That score stood until the top of the seventh inning when McKendree mounted its comeback bid. Senior Paige Fleeman (Salem, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) came up as a pinch-hitter and singled with one out. Lowry stepped in next and drilled her two-run home run over the center field fence to push the Bearcats back in front.
 
Ingram, who struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth inning, faced four William Jewell batters in the bottom of the seventh, striking out three more to clinch the comeback win for McKendree. Ingram improved to 2-1 in the circle.
 
In the opener, the host Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning before McKendree pulled even in the top of the sixth when Fleeman drove in the equalizer when she bounced into a fielder's choice. But William Jewell pulled ahead for good by scratching out a run in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good. The Bearcats did put the potential tying run on base in its final at-bat, but the Cardinals held on to win game one.