LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University softball swept a doubleheader against Harris Stowe State University on Tuesday afternoon, posting two dominating 12-0 and 14-2 wins. The Bearcats improve to 14-5 overall as they begin conference play this coming weekend with outings against Indianapolis and Lewis.
In game one, Ellie Quaethem started in the circle for the Bearcats, striking out all 12 batters faced in her four innings pitched. Quaethem has delivered 110 strikeouts for the season to push her career total to 360 in her ninth win for the season. For the final fifth inning, sophomore Sydney Bires closed out the combined perfect game for the pitching duo with three straight ground outs to seal the win.
At the plate, McKendree swung away recording nine hits including three home runs and one double. Infielder Olivia Stansbury sent a two-run shot over the fence in the first inning and utility Macy Brown each hit a two-run homer capped-off the game in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run bomb to right center. The Bearcats managed to score in all four innings with three in the first, one in the second, four in the third, and four in the fourth.
Infielder Lauren Harris led with her three RBIs while infielder Skyler Davis, Stansbury, and Brown all recorded two RBIs a piece and infielder Heaven Lawrence and catcher Mollie Vetter both had one run batted in.
Nine runners scored for the Bearcats as well with outfielder Kira Thomas, Lawrence, Harris, Stansbury, Vetter, and Brown each owned one run scored. Infielder Reagan Cheely, infielder Kinsey Vergason, and Davis all made it home twice in the game.
In game two, the Bearcats did not let off the gas pedal in game two with 10 runs in the first two innings, leading 10-0 afterwards.
Harris pushed the first run home with a groundout RBI with Lawrence passing home plate in the bottom of the first. McKendree blasted through nine runs in its second inning as a flurry of hits and an array of advancements pushed runs home. Sapp rounded-out the inning with a three-run homer with Cheely and Stansbury reaching home.
Harris-Stowe got their first base and run of the double-header in the third inning of game two, scoring a pair of runs in the effort. The Bearcats led 10-2 after the top of the third.
McKendree managed four more runs in the third and fourth innings, leading 14-2. The Bearcats held on for the victory and double-header, improving to 14-5 this spring. Sophia Koesterer got the win in the circle with three innings tossed and four strikeouts while Bires finished out the game with two more innings with four strikeouts.
UP NEXT
McKendree softball will be against Lewis and Indianapolis to begin #GLVCsb play this week, hosting Lewis on Monday, March 20 at 12PM/2PM at Bearcat Field before heading to UIndy for a doubleheader on March 22.
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