LEBANON, Ill. | Bearcat Field - McKendree University softball (23-13, 6-2 GLVC) split its doubleheader against Lewis on March 29, taking game one, 4-3, to hand the Flyers their first league loss of the spring, but dropped the latter contest of the day, 5-4. The Bearcats remain third in the league standings following the first pair of games this weekend with their Easter weekend opponents sitting ahead of them. McKendree battles the fifth-ranked Greyhounds on Saturday afternoon with the last matchup between the Bearcats and UIndy coming in the 2023 regular season when the squads split the doubleheader.
GAME 1 vs. Lewis
The Bearcats rode a five-game winning streak into the first contest of Friday and grabbed a lead in the first half of the game, looking to extend the streak. Sophomore catcher
Mollie Vetter blasted a double to right center, scoring junior
Heaven Lawrence on the hit. McKendree led 1-0 after the second inning before Lewis tied it in the top of the third. The Bearcats battled to go up 3-1 by the fourth as graduate infielder
Olivia Stansbury knocked a single to score junior infielder
Sarah Roth while the fourth inning found senior outfielder
Taylor Witges doubling to score Lawrence.
Lewis found a pair of runs in the seventh inning, forcing extra innings with a tie at three runs a piece. In the ninth, McKendree tallied runners with Lawrence and senior outfielder
Jordan Sapp reaching base. Vetter then popped up in the infield, creating an attempted force-play at first base by the Flyers which then allowed Lawrence to reach home for the victory, 4-3.
Senior pitcher
Ellie Quaethem earned the win in the circle with seven strikeouts, improving to 13-5 on the spring.
GAME 2 vs. Lewis
McKendree handed the Flyers their first GLVC loss of the season to begin the day and looked to continue its own streak in the second contest of the afternoon. The Bearcats looked to be doing just that early on with a 3-0 lead by the third inning as sophomore infielder
Lauren Harris hit two line-drive homers, starting in the first with a solo shot and again in the third behind a two-run shot. Freshman outfielder
Molly Bartz scored in Harris' second homer to help push the advantage to three runs.
Lewis nabbed one back in the fourth to make it 3-1 but the Bearcats added a response run with Witges hitting a single to bring in Roth. The Flyers found their way into a bases-loaded situation, hitting a grand slam to take a lead. McKendree was unable to collect a stretch of hits to regain the lead.
Junior pitcher
Paige McAllister tossed the full seven innings in the effort.
UP NEXT
March 30 | 12PM / 2PM vs No.5 UIndy | Bearcat Field - Lebanon, Illinois |
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