McKendree University Athletics

FAYETTE, Iowa - McKendree University softball (32-19, 18-10 GLVC) captured three victories on the final weekend of the regular season, earning one game over Quincy on April 25 before sweeping Upper Iowa on April 27. McKendree collected the win over the Hawks in game one with an 8-1 final before going for the sweep over the Peacocks, 9-4 and 4-3. The Bearcats finished the regular season with its best conference winning percentage of the Tarter-era while tallying back-to-back 30-plus win campaigns and also going for a third-straight GLVC Championship appearance. McKendree will venture up to East Peoria, Illinois and the EastSide Center for the championship tournament taking place on April 30 through May 3. 

Game 1 @ Quincy | W, 8-1
The Bearcats looked to secure and solidify a postseason tournament spot with a few victories on the weekend, and began with a strong showing over the Hawks on Friday afternoon. McKendree posted three runs in the second inning, never looking back after the lead was obtained. In a bases-loaded scenario, junior outfielder Laynee Tapp pushed in the first run as she reached on a fielder's choice, allowing junior infielder Ali Grenzebach to get home. Junior pitcher Sami Huck then knocked a sac fly to score junior utility Ellie Vetter while junior shortstop Lauren Harris added an RBI-single to close out the initial scoring burst. McKendree ended the third with a 3-0 advantage. The Bearcats then used a three-run sixth inning to tack on further insurance scores with freshman catcher Morgan Spodarek blasting a double for Huck to score while senior infielder Sarah Roth then bashed a single to score both Spodarek and Harris.

The scoring ceased for the first contest in the sixth after Huck sent a two-run shot with Tapp scoring in the process. Quincy managed one run in the sixth but the Bearcats held the Hawks in the end for a seven-run win. Huck held the Hawks down with a complete game and eight strikeouts from the circle, marking her 13th win of the year.

Six Bearcats knocked a hit with two multi-hit performances in Huck (3) and Harris (2) while Huck led her squad with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Game 2 @ Quincy | L, 7-6 (11inn.)
McKendree looked to get the sweep in the latter matchup of the day, starting off with a 2-0 lead in the top of the first behind a single by senior outfielder Heaven Lawrence, which scored Roth and Harris. QU managed to cut the lead in the bottom end of the opening inning, as the Bearcats led 2-1 until the fifth. Quincy took the lead in the fifth, posting four runs for a 5-2 lead over the visiting Bearcats. 

McKendree then fought back to knot the game at five runs each in the seventh as Spodarek bashed a double to push Harris and Tapp across and then Roth singled to drive home Spodarek. In extras, the squad battled until McKendree took a one-run lead in the 11th with Roth tacking on a one-run single with Huck crossing home. 

QU took the game with a walk off in the bottom end of the 11th, 7-6 after loading the bases.

Game 1 @ Upper Iowa | W, 9-4
With the regular season finale upon the Bearcats, they looked to build momentum going into the postseason as they faced the Peacocks on Sunday. McKendree went down one run first, as UIU posted a score in the third but then the visiting Bearcats turned things up. The fourth saw McKendree put up five runs in the fourth, taking a 5-1 lead behind a career-first grand slam by sophomore outfielder Molly Bartz. The fifth then saw the Bearcats post two more runs for a 7-1 lead with Lawrence dropping a single into left with Roth scoring and then Bartz adding a sac fly to score Grenzebach. 

Upper Iowa scored a pair of runs in the back end of the fifth inning but McKendree held strong, keeping a four-run advantage. Lawrence bashed a double into right in the seventh to extend the lead as sophomore utility Katie Beagle made it around to home with Roth, putting the lead up to six runs at 9-3. McKendree held the Peacocks to a run in the seventh, securing the victory, 9-4. 

Huck earned her 14th victory of the season with an 11 strikeout performance while senior pitcher Paige McAllister closed out the game in the seventh.

Game 2 @ Upper Iowa | W, 4-3
McKendree's final contest of the regular season saw the Bearcats get in the lead quick with a two-run first inning on a single by Roth, which pushed Harris and Huck to score. Upper Iowa gained one back in the bottom half of the first as the Bearcats held a one-run advantage. McKendree built its lead in the third and fourth innings, first with a solo home run by Harris on a first-pitch play while Huck then doubled in the fourth out to left to drive in senior infielder Jenna Roth. 

The Peacocks attempted a comeback in the latter innings, cutting the Bearcat lead to just one run, 4-3, in the fifth but McKendree held out for the win in the final regular season bout. 

Vetter earned her 15th win of the season behind a complete game in the circle, striking out four in the win. 

UP NEXT
With the weekend performance, McKendree will head up to East Peoria for the 2025 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament on April 30-May 3 at the EastSide Center.

The first round of the tournament will take place on Wednesday, April 30. The first two days of the tournament will take place on two fields to support the true double-elimination championship bracket. 

For up-to-date information, visit the GLVC's Championship Central page.

April 30-May 3 | 2025 GLVC Championship Tournament | EastSide Center - East Peoria, Illinois