LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University softball concluded its season-long six-game homestand here Sunday afternoon by dropping both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against the University of Illinois-Springfield at Bearcat Field.
 
The Prairie Stars opened the doubleheader with a 7-5 win, before turning a 6-5 lead after six innings into an 11-7 win in the nightcap to earn the doubleheader sweep.
 
With the two losses, McKendree falls to 10-13 overall and 2-6 in the GLVC, while UIS improved to 18-8 overall and 2-4 in the GLVC.
 
Sunday's game concluded the Bearcats longest homestand of the season as McKendree went 3-3 on the homestand as they swept a doubleheader against Minnesota-Moorhead, split a doubleheader with Quincy and was swept in a doubleheader by UIS.
 
GAME 1 – UIS 7, McKENDREE 5
In the opener, the Bearcats outhit the Prairie Stars, 9-6, but the Bearcats left 11 runners on base to UIS' three runners left on base. UIS also recorded six stolen bases in the win.
 
Junior catcher Morgan Andrews (Creal Springs, Ill./Marion) and junior second baseman Skyler Davis (Muncie, Ind./UT-Martin) each had two hits, while freshman shortstop Heaven Lawrence (Marion, Ill./Marion) drove home three of McKendree's five runs.
 
UIS got the scoring started in the opener by using a hit by pitch, a stolen base, an error and a sacrifice fly to plate an unearned run and take a 1-0 lead against sophomore pitcher Ellie Quaethem (Washington, Mo./Washington).
 
The Bearcats had an excellent chance to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second as they loaded the bases with one out thanks to two walks and Andrews getting hit by a pitch, but UIS' Payton Long would get out of the jam by striking out the final two Bearcats of the inning to leave the bases loaded.
 
The Prairie Stars lead grew to 3-0 in the top of the third inning as they used a walk, a passed ball, a wild pitch, and RBI triple by Danielle Dennis to plate two runs.
 
UIS added another run in the fourth on an RBI single up the middle off the bat of Zoie Bowman to give the Prairie Stars a 4-0 lead.
 
The Bearcats would come back in the bottom of the fourth and plate three runs to pull within 4-3. The big hit in the inning was a bases-loaded double by Lawrence. Lawrence's hit was one of the three in the inning for the Bearcats as sophomore leftfielder Natalie Schellert (Wentzville, Mo./St. Dominic) and freshman centerfielder Austen Vickery (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Community).
 
UIS would add three more runs in the sixth as they scored three runs on one hit, which was a 2-run triple by Bowman. The other run came home on a sacrifice fly.
 
Once again, the Bearcats would respond in the bottom of the sixth as they used one hit and two UIS errors to plate two unearned runs against UIS relief pitcher Courtney Blackwell. The hit was an RBI double by Davis, while the other run came home on an error on a ball hit off the bat of freshman designated player Sydney Bires (Carlinville, Ill./Gillespie).
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Andrews led off with a double to left, but she would be stranded at second as UIS brought in Reagan Miles to preserve the win as she retired all three Bearcats she faced, including ending the game with back-to-back strikeouts of Vickery and Lawrence.
 
Queathem (6-6) took the loss in the circle for the Bearcats as she tossed her eighth complete game of the season and allowed six hits and seven runs (six earned), while walking two and striking out 10. In 67.2 innings this season, Quaethem has recorded 74 strikeouts and has walked just 14.
 
Bowman had two of UIS' six hits and three of their RBI's.
 
Long (7-4) earned the win for UIS as she tossed four innings and allowed five hits and three runs, while striking out six and walking three. Miles earned her second save as she retired all three of the batters she faced in her one inning of work in the seventh.
 
GAME 2 – UIS 11, McKENDREE 7
Much like the opener against the Prairie Stars, the Bearcats outhit UIS, 12-11, including junior rightfielder Olivia Stansbury (Lafayette, Ind./Purdue Fort Wayne) and junior third baseman Kelsey Sachs (Troy, Mo./Troy Buchanan) each had three hits, while Stansbury scored two runs and had 2 RBI. In addition to Stansbury and Sachs, Lawrence and Bires each had two hits.
 
Both teams struggled with runners on base as UIS stranded eight and McKendree left seven on base in the nightcap. Both teams also committed two errors in the game.
 
UIS would jump in front 1-0 in the top of the second thanks to a walk, a passed ball, a single, a stolen base and an error by Lawrence at short.
 
The Prairie Stars pushed their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third inning thanks to a 2-run single by Carolyn Franke off of Bires, who started in the circle for the Bearcats.
 
UIS added a fourth run in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-0 lead in the game thanks to a pinch hit RBI single by Taylor Zawacki off of fifth-year senior reliever Makenzie Carter (Anna, Ill./Lindenwood-Belleville), who took over Bires in the circle at the start of the fourth inning.
 
McKendree would finally dent the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth thanks to an RBI single by Sachs, which plated Andrews, who led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a bunt and reached third on a wild pitch. The hit by Andrews came after Franke dropped a fly ball in foul territory for an error.
 
UIS would add two more runs in the sixth on a 2-run homer off the bat of Jillian Mathis to take a 6-1 lead.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bearcats added four runs to pull to within 6-5 thanks to an RBI single by Bires and, an RBI ground out by Andrews, a wild pitch Addyson McClure and a passed ball by UIS catcher Grace Harris.
 
The Prairie Stars, though, would break the game open in the top of the seventh as they scored five runs on three hits and a Bearcat error to push in front 11-5. The big hit in the inning was a 2-run double by Dennis.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bearcats made things interesting as they loaded the bases and had the tying run at-bat when Payton Long would end the game by striking out Sachs. Prior to Sachs' strikeout, the Bearcats would plate two runs on a 2-run homer over the fence in center by Stansbury. The homer by Stansbury was her eighth of the season. Following Stansbury's homer, graduate student first baseman Paige Hayden (Independence, Mo./Fort Osage) reached on a single up the middle, while Bires then hit a single to right and then Andrews walked to load the bases with one out. Long, though, would strike out Schellert and Sachs back-to-back to end the game.
 
Mathis paced UIS with three hits and 3 RBI in the nightcap, while Dennis had two hits, scored three runs and had 2 RBI.
 
Bires (2-3) took the loss in the circle as she pitched 3.1 innings and allowed five hits and three runs (two earned), while walking three and striking out three.
 
Miles (6-1) picked up the win for UIS as she tossed five innings and allowed five hits and one run, while striking out three and walking none. The next two pitchers for UIS – McClure and Kayana Diederich – tossed 1.1 innings and allowed seven hits and four runs, while walking one and striking out two.
 
The Bearcats will return to action next weekend with back-to-back GLVC doubleheaders on Saturday, March 26 in Liberty, Mo., against William Jewell and Sunday, March 27 in Kirksville, Mo., against Truman State. Both doubleheaders begin at 12 p.m.