East Peoria, IL - As the 15th-ranked McKendree University Softball team pulled up to Eastside Centre in their bus on Wednesday afternoon, it didn't take long to spot the flags in left center field and how sharp they were blowing out to left center field. In a matchup of seven combined GLVC Pitchers of the Week, power would still find its way to being a key part of this one, as the Bearcats (41-12) used a pair of big innings to pull away from the UIS Prairie Stars (32-19), winning 11-4 and advancing onto the Winner's Bracket at the GLVC Tournament.
Both UIS's Rosie Bartletti and McKendree's Sami Huck had settled in early, with the game still scoreless, and in fact, hitless, through the first two innings. Both pitchers had allowed a single walk each, but that was all.
Enter the third inning. After a hit by pitch turned the lineup card over for the Prairie Stars, three straight hits would follow, the latter being an RBI single. On the next two plate appearances, it would be an RBI groundout and a two-run double that suddenly had UIS half way to run rule.
The Bearcats knew they had plenty of softball in front of them to make up this now 4-0 gap. In the position of head coach Heather Tarter, how immediately they responded was simply the cherry on top. A leadoff walk drawn by Molly Bartz immediately turned fortune towards McKendree, but a dropped ball in the outfield allowed Addie Clark to reach and put two Bearcats on the bases with no outs and the top of the order due up. Huck would single to load the bases. Lauren Harris, based on pitch locations in this particular at-bat, was not being pitched to - she took an RBI walk to go up 1-0. Then, enter Jasmine Myers, who roped a grand slam over the left center field fence to flip the game on its head, officially, and frankly as quickly as possible, erasing that 4-0 deficit, now leading 5-4.
With Ellie Vetter in relief of Huck, it seemed that the big Bearcat third gave them the confidence they needed. Vetter and the McKendree defense would not allow a single UIS run to go up on the scoreboard the rest of the way.
That being said, neither did the Prairie Stars. The game then took on a bit of a 'return' to a pitchers' duel, now between Vetter and Calista Stahlhut, with neither side able to add on in a tight one-run game.
The Bearcats had one last chance to add insurance in the bottom of the sixth, and add it they did. A leadoff single from Huck set the tone for the rest of the inning. A fielder's choice that Harris reached on, plus back-to-back singles from Myers and Paisley Twait, opened the door for Laynee Tapp, whose RBI double, coupled with Trista Moore's two-run single, had unfurled the game and given McKendree an 11-4 lead.
With three defensive outs to get and the Prairie Stars needing seven runs to tie, the Bearcats were in control. Alas, UIS would load the bases thanks to a walk and pair of singles, but it was a two-strikeout inning from Vetter and flyout to Moore in left that ended the game and allowed McKendree to stay in the winner's bracket headed into Thursday.
The win, the Bearcats' 41st, also ties the single-season program record, set back in the NAIA era during the 2007 season, a team that finished (41-14).
McKendree could play two games on Thursday. They'll start with a mid-afternoon first pitch against Missouri S&T (top two teams in the GLVC in home runs). A win puts them further in the winner's bracket and off the rest of the day, but a loss would mean a short turnaround and a 'traditional' doubleheader against whomever loses between UMSL and Drury in the morning.
SHE SAID IT - QUOTES FROM HEATHER TARTER
On if she exactly thought there would be 15 combined runs by game's end
"No, I didn't. The best thing about our girls is, we didn't have the best first couple innings coming out, but we were able to adjust, getting that leadership from that senior class. We really cut down on the strikeouts. We did a really good job of being patient against what we were given."
On what sort of conversation there was after going down 4-0 in the third
"Obviously, I was on them a little bit. We just seemed flat coming out after playing a different type of pitcher this past weekend. I just had to remind them who we are, what we do, and just being confident."
On what a swing like the one Jasmine Myers had for the grand slam can do for a team
"Oh absolutely, that's everything. That turned this thing around. We had the girls get on base, be scrappy, find ways to put pressure on them. We have all the confidence in the world that they're going to be patient in that situation."
SHE SAID IT - QUOTES FROM JASMINE MYERS
On if she thought hitting a home run was a possibility given the wind
"No, not at all. It was more about just being disciplined, getting something in the gap, and scoring a run. I ended up getting the pitch that I wanted and I took care of what I needed to take care of."
On how much of coming back from down 4-0 was the mental side of the game
"I mean, it all comes down to the support we have behind us. It's very important to us. We love it, and that was a big part of how we were able to score six runs - the dugout, in general."
On how important it is to have fun in games, especially this time of year
"It's very important. We try to have as much fun as possible, just so we can keep it loose. It's really great, because even when we're down, it doesn't seem like we're down."
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
2026 GLVC Tournament
vs. #2 Missouri S&T Miners (36-15)
Thursday, May 7th | 2:00 PM
at Eastside Centre - East Peoria, Illinois - Field #2
Watch Live ($) (GLVCSN)
Live Stats (Sidearm Sports)
