The University of Illinois Springfield softball team hosts their last home games of the season this weekend against UMSL and McKendree as all three teams vye for a spot in the conference tournament. The Prairie Stars play the Tritons on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m. On Sunday against McKendree, the Stars will recognize their four seniors after the 12 p.m. doubleheader
UIS (25-21, 9-9)
The Prairie Stars went 2-2 over the past weekend, splitting a series against both William Jewell and Rockhurst.
Against William Jewell, UIS dropped the first game 0-5 as the Cardinals scored all five runs in the first inning. In Game Two of the series the Stars found themselves down by one run in the seventh inning. UIS hit five singles in the inning to bring in four runs and take the lead. Jewell hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh but it was too little too late as UIS won 4-2 to earn a split. Against Rockhurst on Sunday, UIS was able to take the first game, 5-3, behind 3 RBIs from Isabella Wilson. In Game Two of the series, the Prairie Stars found themselves up 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. Rockhurst trimmed the lead down in the fifth and then took a commanding 8-5 lead in the sixth, where the game would finish as UIS split another series.
The Prairie Stars are 5-11 at the UIS Softball Complex this season. UIS is hitting .289 as a team while scoring 210 runs. Five Stars currently hold a batting average above .300, as Ella Brinkley (.400) and Isabella Wilson (.386) both appear in the top-10 for batting average in the conference. The UIS pitching staff currently holds a 3.89 ERA while allowing 170 earned runs. Opponents have a .348 batting average against the Prairie Star pitchers. Alexis Carroll (8-4) and Rosie Bartletti (7-7) have the most wins on the pitching staff.
UMSL (21-23, 8-10)
The Tritons went 3-1 last weekend, splitting with Upper Iowa before they swept Truman State.
UMSL and Upper Iowa played in two one-run games, as both were able to earn one win each. UMSL jumped out to a big lead in Game One, but UIU were able to keep scoring until they eventually took the lead in the seventh inning. UMSL loaded the bases in the seventh before hitting a walk-off single to win the game 8-7. The second game was a pitchers duel which saw Upper Iowa win 2-1. Sunday's series against Truman State saw two more low scoring games, as the Tritons were able to win 1-0 and 4-2 behind impressive pitching performances.
The Tritons are 4-6 in road games this season. UMSL is hitting .297 as a team while scoring 187 runs. Five Tritons have a batting average above .300, with three being above the .340 mark. The Triton pitching staff has a 3.31 ERA on the year, allowing 136 earned runs. Opponents have a .260 batting average against UMSL pitchers. Ashley Borowitz (11-12), Katie Schaake (5-5), and Lexi Sherrick (5-6) are UMSL's three main pitchers.
McKendree (28-17, 11-7)
The Bearcats had a perfect 4-0 weekend as they swept both Truman State and Upper Iowa.
Only one of McKendree's four wins during the weekend was a close game. In Game One of the Truman State series, McKendree jumped out to a six-run lead in the first inning. The Bulldogs fought their way back, but couldn't fully overcome the deficit as McKendree won 7-6. In Game Two the Bearcats won 10-2, behind a six-run fourth inning. On Sunday against Upper Iowa, McKendree was able to dispatch the Peacocks quickly as they won 8-0 and 12-2.
The Bearcats are 4-4 on the road this year. McKendree is hitting .284 as a team while scoring 184 runs. Only two Bearcats have a batting average above .300, but Lauren Harris is the conference leader in the statistic with a .538 batting average. The Bearcat pitching staff has a 2.45 ERA on the year, allowing 105 earned runs. Opponents have a .237 batting average against McKendree pitchers. Ellie Quaethem (16-6) and Paige Mcallister (12-8) are two of the top pitchers in the conference.
How to Follow
Every conference game of the 2024 season will be streamed on GLVCSN and will have live stats that you can follow. Both the stream and live stat link can be found in the Softball section on the UIS Athletics website.