LEBANON, Ill. | Bearcat Field - McKendree University softball (RV) (29-16, 15-7 GLVC) split its weekend with a win over both Lewis (RV) and Indianapolis, claiming a walk-off victory in 12 innings against the Flyers and a run-rule win over the Hounds on Sunday in game two. The Bearcats powered through two wins while narrowly dropping a contest to both Lewis and Indy, claiming the weekend opener versus the Flyers in extras and dominating the closing game over the Greyhounds with a five-inning victory. McKendree sits third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings following the weekend action while ranking second in the league in overall win percentage. Senior Day celebrations were held following the Saturday doubleheader, as the Bearcats celebrated four outstanding seniors in Heaven Lawrence, Jenna Roth, Sarah Roth, and Paige McAllister. The Bearcats finish out the regular season over the next two weekends, first with Rockhurst coming to Lebanon on April 18 before heading to Quincy and Upper Iowa on April 25 and 27.

Game 1 vs Lewis (RV) | W, 4-3 12inn.
The Bearcats and Flyers battled as two of the best teams in the GLVC on Saturday, going back and forth to kick off the contest. Lewis went up 2-0 in the first on a homer before the Bearcats put together a strong bottom half of the first. Junior outfielder Laynee Tapp kicked things off with a single and advanced on a sac bunt by junior pitcher Sami Huck. Tapp then moved on for the score on an error, cutting the deficit to one run. Junior shortstop Lauren Harris then got on base, which was followed up by freshman catcher Morgan Spodarek hammering a homer for the lead at 3-2. 

McKendree and Lewis then went into a defensive battle with no runs over the next four innings before the Flyers tied it in the sixth with one run. Defense became the name of the game for the five and a half innings following the game-tying run, making it all the way to the bottom of the 12th. With one out in the 12th, Spodarek came back to the plate, and with a 2-2 count, connected on another ball, sending it out of the ballpark for the walk-off win. 

Huck notched the complete game victory with eight strikeouts, marking her 12th win of the year. With the walk-off home run, Spodarek recorded her first collegiate multi-homer performance.

Game 2 vs Lewis (RV) | L, 6-4
The second game of the weekend saw the Bearcats in a deficit early, going down 6-0 by the third inning, but battled back in the fourth. First, freshman infielder Paisley Twait launched a ball to right center for McKendree's first run and hit of the contest in the fourth inning.

The sixth inning then saw two more runs for the Bearcats, which was started off by a Huck single on a 0-2 count. Harris then fired a double out to left center to advance Huck to third.
Spodarek then continued some heroics as she knocked a double down the line to score Harris and Huck, making it a 6-3 ball game. In the seventh, the Bearcats didn't stop pushing, as Huck battled with two outs during a five-pitch at-bat, bashing a homer to center to cut the deficit to two runs. McKendree was not able to muster the tying runs, falling in seven.

Following the doubleheader against the Flyers, the Bearcats celebrated Senior Day with four outstanding seniors in outfielder Heaven Lawrence, infielder Jenna Roth, infielder Sarah Roth, and pitcher Paige McAllister.


Left to Right: #10 Sarah Roth, #27 Paige McAllister, #8 Jenna Roth, #7 Heaven Lawrence

Game 1 vs UIndy | L, 4-3 10inn.
The Bearcats looked to jump back into the win column in the first leg of the UIndy doubleheader, which quickly turned into a pitching duel. Scoring was null, forcing another game on the weekend into extras for both the Bearcats and Hounds, until the 10th inning as Indy tallied four in the top end.

The bottom half of the 10th saw a string of base runners for McKendree, first with Tapp and Huck both knocking singles before Harris reached on a fielder's choice. The fielder's choice put Tapp on third and Harris on first with Spodarek at the plate. The freshman catcher, once again, blasted a shot out to right center, making it a one-run hole for the Bearcats. McKendree saw a small window over the next three batters but was unable to push across the tying run. 

Huck put up major numbers in the circle with her efforts, punching out 16 batters overall, a career mark at McKendree and her fifth double-digit strikeout game of the campaign. 

Game 2 vs. UIndy | W, 14-3 5inn.
McKendree's weekend finale was a sprint for the Bearcats following the first inning, as UIndy held a 3-0 advantage after the opening half. The Bearcats quickly built up a lead with six runs in the second inning, led off by junior infielder Ali Grenzebach's homer to center, as it scored Roth to make it a 3-2 game. Huck then pushed through the tying run with a single as junior hurler Ellie Vetter made it home. Spodarek then helped tally the game-winning scores with a double to push Huck and Tapp through to home, putting McKendree in the lead at 5-3. The second inning was rounded out with a run scored by Harris and a single by Twait, which scored Spodarek, making it a 7-3 game. 

The remaining McKendree insurance scores came in the fourth inning, first with a double by Vetter to push through Grenzebach and Roth for a six-run lead. Tapp singled next for Lawrence to score and push it to a 10-3 lead. Huck and Harris added a pair of doubles to produce a trio of runs as Huck's double scored Tapp and Vetter while Harris' pushed Huck home. The scored subsided after Harris reached home on a errant pick off attempt from the catcher, allowing her to score the 14th and final run for McKendree.

Vetter earned the win from the circle in five innings as she improved to 14-3 on the season.