(SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 11)—The McKendree University softball team saw its 2018 season come to a conclusion Friday afternoon with a 13-11 loss to Saginaw Valley State University in an elimination game of the NCAA Division II Midwest Region 2 bracket at the Land of Lincoln Junior Olympic Softball Complex in Springfield, Ill.
 
The Bearcats took a 10-4 lead after three innings of play, but the Cardinals rallied with a seven-run outburst in the top of the fourth inning to move in front to stay. McKendree brought the tying run to the plate in each of the final two innings but could not complete the comeback in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bearcats finish their season with an overall record of 38-18.
       
"I thought bounced back well from Thursday's game," said McKendree head softball coach Ashley Fleming, referring to the Bearcats' 4-0 loss to the University of Missouri-St. Louis in opening-round action on Thursday. "We put up some runs early as our offense got back in a groove. But Saginaw is a great-hitting team – that's why they were able to make it to regionals – and showed that as they battled back. They swung the bats well also and our pitching staff just didn't have its best stuff today. I give them a lot of credit."
 
In addition to the 24 combined runs, the two teams combined for 36 hits in Friday's contest. Sophomore shortstop Caitlyn Lowry (St. Louis, MO/Notre Dame) and freshman outfielder Shelby Summer (Washington, IL/Washington) each had three hits to lead the Bearcats' attack. Senior designated player Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest), senior catcher Rebecca Franke (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) and senior second baseman Tylin Stephens (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) each had a pair of hits against the Cardinals. Franke scored three times in the outing.
 
Gajewski belted her 16^th home run of the 2018 season, a two-run shot to center field in the bottom of the third inning. That allowed Gajewski to tie the Bearcats' single-season home run mark she now shares with Angie Maue, who had 16 homers during the 2006 campaign. Gajewski also had a two-run double along with a pair of walks.
 
Saginaw Valley (29-26) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before McKendree responded by plating four runs in the bottom of the frame. Stephens led off with an infield single but was erased when Franke reached on a fielder's choice. Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) walked before Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) followed with an RBI single to score Franke with the tying run.
 
Freshman third baseman Haegen Boyer (Eddyville, IA/Eddyville) then produced an infield single to load the bases before an error on a ball hit by freshman outfielder Konnor Arrowood (Fulton, MO/South Callaway) brought home a pair of runs to give the Bearcats a 3-1 advantage. Summer capped the four-run outburst with a run-scoring single to plate Boyer.
 
The Cardinals added a run in the top of the second to pull within 4-2 before McKendree scored twice in the bottom of the inning to stretch its lead to 6-2. Stephens and Franke opened the inning with back-to-back infield singles before Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) ripped a two-run double to the gap in left-center field to give the Bearcats a four-run cushion. A two-run rally in the top of the third helped Saginaw Valley pull within 6-4 when McKendree put together its second four-run inning of the contest to take its largest lead of the afternoon.
 
Stephens was in the middle of the rally once again when she reached on a one-out error by the Cardinals. Franke then reached on a fielder's choice, but another Cardinals' misplay enabled Stephens to score and open the four-run inning for the Bearcats. Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) stepped in next and lifted a fly ball deep over the fence in center field for a two-run homer that allowed her to tie the McKendree single-season record and give the Bearcats a 9-4 cushion. Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) then reached on a two-base error and scored when Lowry produced an RBI single to push the lead to six runs.
 
In the top of the fourth inning, Saginaw Valley sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring seven times to regain the lead at 11-10. The Cardinals tacked on two insurance tallies in the top of the sixth to command a 13-10 lead. McKendree answered in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a pinch-hit single off the bat of senior Paige Fleeman (Salem, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) to trim the Bearcats' deficit to two runs. McKendree eventually loaded the bases but Saginaw Valley wiggled out of the jam to maintain its two-run lead.
 
McKendree looked to rally in its final at-bat as Lowry led off with a single. However, the Cardinals were able to register the final three outs to advance on in the elimination bracket.
 
"I'm proud of the way we played all the way until the final out," said Fleming. "I told our team to remember the things we accomplished this year. One of our goals was to reach the NCAA regionals, and they did just that. Our seniors left a great mark on this program, and I know our returning players will build on that."