SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The fans that braved windy conditions (15-20 mph from the South) and temperatures in the mid-60's here Sunday afternoon witnessed back-to-back strong pitching performances by both McKendree and Drury in its Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at Thompson Field.
 
In Sunday's doubleheader, Drury picked up a 2-0 win behind a complete game one-hit effort in the circle by Kristina Bettis and then in the nightcap, Drury won the game 1-0 on a walk-off single by Camryn BeDell in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
Sunday's second game featured a pitching duel between McKendree sophomore Ellie Quaethem (Washington, Mo./Washington) and Drury's Karsyn Smith as those pitchers combined to allow just six hits and one run, while walking one and striking out a combined 11 in a game that a little less than 90 minutes to complete.
 
Pitching ruled the day in Sunday's doubleheader as the Bearcats were shutout in back-to-back games for the first time this season and the first time since Indianapolis blanked the Bearcats in back-to-back home games on April 19, 2019.
 
The Bearcats offense, which entered the game averaging nearly eight hits and five runs per game, was shutdown by Drury's pitching as the Bearcats finished with just four hits in two games, with three of those hits coming in the nightcap against Smith.
 
With the two losses, McKendree falls to 16-20 overall and 8-12 in the GLVC, while Drury improves to 28-11 overall and 14-4 in the league. With four more league doubleheaders remaining in the season, the Bearcats are currently 10th in the league standings. The top 8 teams in the final league standings earn a spot in the 2022 GLVC Tournament.
 
GAME 1 – DRURY 2, McKENDREE 0
Sunday's first game featured a pitching duel between Bettis, who is one of the top pitchers in Division II softball and freshman Sydney Bires (Carlinville, Ill./Gillespie).
 
In the game, Bettis and Bires combined to allow just seven hits and two runs, while walking three and striking out nine in a game that last 88 minutes.
 
The Bearcats lone hit came in the fourth inning as junior second baseman Skyler Davis (Muncie, Ind./UT-Martin) reached on a one-out single to right. Davis was just the second baserunner for the Bearcats in the game as Bettis walked freshman shortstop Heaven Lawrence (Marion, Ill./Marion) to open the game. The walk was the 27th of the season for Lawrence.
 
All the offense Bettis and Drury needed came in the fifth inning as Kailye Luna walked to open the inning and after she moved to second on ground out, she would eventually score on an RBI infield single by Rylee Kolb.
 
That hit by Kolb was just the fourth allowed by Bires in the game.
 
The Lady Panthers gave Bettis an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as they used two hits and a Bearcat error on junior catcher Morgan Andrews (Creal Springs, Ill./Marion) to plate an unearned run and take a 2-0 lead in the game.
 
Bettis would retire the Bearcats in order in the seventh to end the game.
 
Bires (2-5) pitched one of her better games of the season as she allowed six hits and two runs (one earned run) in six innings of work, while walking two and striking out two.
 
Bettis (17-2) tossed a complete game one-hit shutout as she faced three over the minimum for a seven-inning game as she walked one and struck out seven.
 
Lauren Beier and Gracie Thomas each had two hits to pace Drury in the win.
 
The Lady Panthers left six runners on base, while McKendree stranded three and Drury recorded four stolen bases in the game.
 
GAME 2 – DRURY 1, McKENDREE 0
Much like the first game, Sunday's nightcap also was a pitcher's duel between Quaethem and Smith.
 
Quaethem (10-7) was the hard luck losing pitcher in the nightcap as she tossed 6.1 innings and allowed six hits and one run, while striking out five and walking none. Quaethem now has 115 strikeouts and 20 walks in 106.2 innings this season.
 
The Bearcats offense collected three hits in the nightcap as junior third baseman Kelsey Sachs (Troy, Mo./Troy Buchanan) rapped a two-out double to right in the second inning, while Lawrence and junior rightfielder Olivia Stansbury (Lafayette, Ind./Purdue Fort Wayne) recorded back-to-back singles to open the third inning.
 
Following Stansbury's single in the third, Smith would retire the next 12 McKendree hitters in order as she didn't allow another base runner the remainder of the game.
 
The Bearcats had a chance to score a run in the third thanks to those back-to-back two-out singles by Lawrence and Stansbury, but Smith would get out of the jam after Lawrence was thrown out trying to reach third on Stansbury's hit to center.
 
While the Bearcats were retired in order from the fourth to the seventh, Drury's hitters managed just two baserunners from the third to sixth inning against Quaethem.
 
After the Bearcats went down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, the Lady Panthers came to bat in the bottom of the inning and after opening the inning with a ground out, Reagan Hight reached on a single, moved to second on a single by Luna and would score on BeDell's walk-off single to right.
 
Smith (5-3) tossed a complete game and allowed three hits and no runs, while walking one and striking out six as she faced just two hitters over the minimum for seven innings.
 
Abby Tiemann had two of Drury's six hits in the nightcap.
 
In the nightcap, Drury left six runners on base and the Bearcats stranded just two.
 
The Bearcats will return to action next Saturday, April 16 as they travel to Evansville, Ind., for a doubleheader against the University of Southern Indiana. USI is currently 30-8 overall and 16-0 in the GLVC on the season. The doubleheader is scheduled for a 12 p.m. first pitch.