ROSEMONT, Ill. – McKendree University softball continued play here Friday in the Midwest Regional Dome Invitational hosted by Lewis University by suffering a third straight one-run loss in the day's first game against Wisconsin-Parkside, 6-5, before being no-hit in a 9-0 loss in the the nightcap against ninth-ranked Grand Valley State at the Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
 
With Friday's two losses, the Bearcats fall to 0-4 in the event and drop its record to 3-5 overall on the season. They will conclude the event on Saturday with games against Purdue-Northwest and Saginaw Valley State University.
 
GAME 1: PARKSIDE 6, McKENDREE 5
The Bearcats took a 5-2 lead following an RBI single from graduate student first baseman Paige Hayden (Independence, Mo./Fort Osage) and a two-run single from junior third baseman Skyler Davis (Muncie, Ind./UT-Martin) in the top of the fifth inning against the Rangers.
 
Parkside (1-9), though would get a run in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch from fifth-year senior pitcher Makenzie Carter (Anna, Ill./Lindenwood-Belleville) to pull within 5-3.
 
The Rangers, who lost 4-2 to the Bearcats at last weekend's Music City Invitational hosted by Trevecca Nazarene, would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth thanks to an RBI single by Dani Evans and added a second run later in the frame on a wild pitch from sophomore Katie Nuetzel (Hereford, Ariz./Buena), who replaced Carter in the circle after walking Eden Welling to load the bases.
 
In the top of the seventh, junior leftfielder Morgan Andrews (Creal Springs, Ill./Creal Springs) led off with a double and would eventually steal third, but was left stranded when Tijanne Ross, the second Ranger pitcher of the game, would force junior second baseman Kelsey Sachs (Troy, Mo./Troy Buchanan) to fly out to end the inning.
 
Parkside would record two straight singles and then drew a walk to load the bases with no outs in the seventh, before Meagan Maza delivered a game winning single that was just past the reach freshman shortstop Heaven Lawrence (Marion, Ill./Marion) to give the Rangers the 6-5 win.
 
McKendree would strike first in the game on an RBI double by Davis, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with 4 RBI in the game, in the top of the second.
 
UWP would come right back and tie the game in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch by Carter.
 
The Bearcats retook the lead in the top of the third as Lawrence, who opened the frame with a single, would score on a double play grounder off the bat of Andrews. Lawrence scored before the third out of the inning was made on the double play.
Parkside tied things up again in the bottom of third on a solo home run over the fence in left center by Taylor Delgado.
 
For the game, the Bearcats would outhit the Rangers, 11-10, as along with Davis' 2-for-4 effort at the plate, Hayden added three hits in four at-bats, while Lawrence and Andrews had two hits each for the Bearcats.
 
Three of McKendree's 11 hits were doubles and the Bearcats were also 3-for-3 on stolen bases in the loss.
 
Tia Livennash and Maza each had two hits for Parkside, while Delgado and Livernash scored two runs each.
 
Nuetzel (1-2) took the loss for the Bearcats in the circle as she pitched nearly an inning and allowed four hits and one run, while walking one and fanning none. Carter, who lowered her season ERA from 25.20 coming into the game to 10.00 on the season, pitched into the sixth inning as she tossed 5.1 innings and allowed six hits and five runs (four earned), while walking three and fanning three. She also threw three wild pitches on the day.
 
Ross (1-1) picked up the win relief for Parkside as she tossed 2.2 scoreless innings and allowed two hits and had one strikeout. Kiley Akey started the game as she went 4.1 innings and allowed nine hits and five runs, while walking two and fanning three.
 
GAME 2: #9 GRAND VALLEY STATE 9, McKENDREE 0 (5 INNS.)
In the second game of the day against Grand Valley State, the Bearcats managed just three baserunners in the game against the Lakers (2-0).
 
Davis was the first baserunner as she walked with one out in the second inning, but would be erased on a double play off the bat of Sachs. The next baserunner was came in the fourth inning as GVSU hurler Hannah Beatus would hit Hayden with two outs in the frame and the final baserunner for the Bearcats came in the fifth as freshman shortstop Austen Vickery (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) drew a two-out walk, before Beatus would strike out freshman pitcher Sydney Bires (Carlinville, Ill./Gillespie) to end the game and record the no-hitter.
 
Beatus (1-0) would walk two and strikeout out five in her five no-hit innings of work for the Lakers.
 
Sophomore Ellie Quaethem (Washington, Mo./Washington) took the loss (2-2) in the circle for the Bearcats as she pitched just one inning and allowed four hits and four runs (two earned runs), while striking out one. Bires would pitch the final three innings for the Bearcats.
 
GVSU got all the offense they needed in the bottom of the first as they sent eight hitters to the plate and scored four runs four hits and a McKendree error.
 
The Lakers added two more runs in the second inning to push its lead to 6-0 and then scored three more times in the third inning thanks to three hits to push its lead 9-0.
 
GVSU would put two runners on base in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a hit and a fielder's choice and those two runners eventually were in scoring position with no outs thanks to a passed ball, but Bires would strikeout out pinch hitter Paige Ligork and forced Alexis McCullough and Megan Koenigshof to ground out to leave those runners stranded.
 
While the Bearcats didn't record a hit, GVSU finished with 11 hits as Hannah Hollister went 3-for-3 at the leadoff spot, while Kelsey Komorous added two hits. Seven of the nine Laker starters recorded a hit in the game.
 
The Bearcats will conclude action in the event with a 9 a.m. game on Saturday, Feb. 26 against Purdue-Northwest and will then face Saginaw Valley State later in the day on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.