WINTER HAVEN, Fla. | The Spring Games - McKendree University softball (15-10) closed out its final pair of days in Florida with a split in results for its final four games, defeating Saint Anselm and Southwest Minnesota State while falling against Northwood and Caldwell. The Bearcats went 5-3 overall in their spring break action, recording a 5-2 mark against first-time opponents. McKendree begins its Great Lakes Valley Conference slate this weekend, heading off to Kansas City for battles with Rockhurst and WIlliam Jewell on March 16 and 17.
March 12 vs. Northwood
The Bearcats returned to play after a one-day break at The Spring Games, taking on Northwood to open the Tuesday slate. McKendree took the lead in the third inning via the first run of the day as senior outfielder
Taylor Witges popped up, allowing junior infielder
Sarah Roth to reach home. The lead held for McKendree until the fifth inning when Northwood put up one run via dropped pop-fly.
Northwood tallied the winning run in the seventh, taking the game, 2-1, over the Bearcats
Junior hurler
Paige McAllister (6-4) threw 6.2 innings with five strikeouts in the effort.
March 12 vs. Saint Anselm
The Bearcats recovered in the latter matchup on Tuesday, bombarding the Hawks of Saint Anselm behind a slug-fest by sophomore infielder
Lauren Harris and graduate infielder
Olivia Stansbury. McKendree and Harris began in the first inning with a 1-0 lead behind the sophomore's solo shot.
In the fifth inning, Harris found a spot beyond the outfield fence, again, with a three-run bomb, which scored Witges and junior utility
Heaven Lawrence. The sixth led to a similar result with Harris knocking a double to score Lawrence and Witges, once again.
Stansbury wrapped up the sixth-inning scoring with a double of her own, which brought home Harris.
Senior pitcher
Ellie Quaethem (8-4) got the win and a complete game with six strikeouts.
March 13 vs. Southwest Minnesota State
McKendree found another win over a new opponent in Southwest Minnesota State, taking the first game of the final day by a 3-0 count. The Bearcats got work done early with a 2-0 after the second inning as Lawrence reached home in the first after graduate Catcher
Payton Baxter reached via fielder's choice while Harris knocked an RBI-single to get junior infielder
Jenna Roth across home plate.
Senior infielder
Reagan Cheely sent out a sac fly in the fifth inning to score Harris, locking up the game for the Bearcats. McAllister (7-4) got the complete game victory in the circle with four punch-outs and the shutout.
March 13 vs. Caldwell
The Bearcats looked to close out their spring break travels with a win over the seventh new adversary of the weekend in Caldwell, and got to scoring quickly with two runs in the first. Harris started things out with a double to score Roth before Stansbury dropped in an RBI-single to score Harris. The Bearcats led 2-0 after the opening half inning.
Caldwell came back with two runs in the bottom half of the opening inning, tying the game 2-2. Scoring became sparse after the first inning, with the game-winning run being scored in the third inning by Caldwell, who then held off a potent Bearcats offense to win the contest. Quaethem (8-5) struck out six over six innings of work against Caldwell.
UP NEXT | GLVC
March 16 | DH @ Rockhurst | Kansas City, Missouri |
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March 17 | DH @ William Jewell | Liberty, Missouri |
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