The University of Illinois Springfield softball team prepares for three separate home doubleheaders this coming week against two conference opponents and one midweek matchup against a regional opponent. The Prairie Stars welcome Southwest Baptist on Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m., Drury for a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 12:00 p.m., and Missouri Western State for a doubleheader on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
UIS (21-15, 5-5)
The Prairie Stars only played two games this past weekend, earning a sweep over Quincy on the road.
In Game One the Stars took an early lead on a sacrifice bunt. QU tied the game, but UIS took the lead back in the fourth on an RBI groundout. Two doubles in the seventh gave the Prairie Stars an insurance run and a 3-1 win. Rosie Bartletti improved to 7-4 with the complete game win. Game Two started with a bang as Ella Brinkley smacked a home run. Quincy scored two in the bottom of the first to take the lead. UIS scored in the second to tie the game. The Stars took a lead in the fourth as Addyson McClure hit an RBI single. Katie Pederson followed that up with a two-RBI single. UIS increased their lead in the fifth on a Taylor Zawacki RBI single. Adi Rumler hit a two-RBI single to make it 8-2 UIS. QU scored one run in the sixth, but UIS earned the 8-3 as Alexis Carroll improved to 7-4 on the season.
The Stars are 3-7 at the UIS Softball Complex this season. UIS is hitting .306 as a team while scoring 184 runs. Six Stars currently hold a batting average above .300, led by Ella Brinkley with a .421 average. Both Rosie Bartletti and Alexis Carroll have a 7-4 record in the circle this season.
Southwest Baptist (14-22, 3-9)
The Bearcats went 3-1 last weekend as they earned a split against Truman State and swept Upper Iowa.
Against Truman State the Bearcats scored two in the third and fourth innings to take a 4-1 lead and earn the win. In the second game, TSU scored five in the first two innings to take a commanding lead. SBU tried to respond in the late innings, but ultimately fell 2-5.
On Saturday the Bearcats welcomed Upper Iowa to Bolivar, where SBU earned a sweep of the Peacocks. In Game One, SBU scored eight runs in the first two innings on their way to an 11-6 win. In Game Two the Bearcats controlled the game and held the lead up until the last inning. In the seventh UIU was able to push across two runs and put the tying runner on third. The next Peacock lined out to the shortstop to give the Bearcats a 4-3 win.
The Bearcats are 4-7 on the road this season. SBU is hitting .290 as a team with 161 runs scored. Angelina Micone is hitting .404 on the season, with two other Bearcats holding an average of .330 or better.
Drury (19-18, 7-5)
The Panthers went 4-0 last weekend with sweeps of Upper Iowa and Truman State. DU is currently on a seven-game win streak as they get ready to travel to Quincy on Saturday before meeting UIS on Sunday.
Against Upper Iowa the Panthers took control early in Game One with four runs in the first two innings on their way to a 5-1 win. Game Two between the teams was full of hits, but neither team was able to score as they went into extra innings. In the tenth inning with runners on first and third, an RBI single pushed the Panthers to a 3-2 win to complete the sweep.
Saturday against Truman State featured two tight games with very few runs and hits for both teams. The Panthers won the first game 3-1 with a three-run fourth inning being the deciding factor. The second game only featured seven hits between the teams, as DU won 1-0 coming off a run in the first inning.
The Panthers are 5-2 in road games this season. As a team, Drury holds an average of .283 while scoring 170 runs. Four players currently have a batting average of .300 or better. Three Panther pitchers also have an ERA under 3.00 which includes 7-3 Bailee Nixon (2.49), 5-3 Kaley Adzick (2.52), and 4-4 AJ Agers (2.97).
Missouri Western State (20-12)
The Griffons are 6-6 in conference play (MIAA), but are currently on a three-game losing streak after going 1-3 last weekend. MWSU will play doubleheaders on both Friday and Saturday before coming to Springfield on Tuesday. The Griffons are 6-0 against GLVC opponents so far this season.
MWSU split on Friday afternoon against Emporia State with two close games. Game One went the way of the Griffons with a slender 3-2 decision. Emporia State took Game Two 8-5 as all of their offense came in the first five innings.
Washburn swept Missouri Western on Saturday in a pair of pitchers duels. Washburn took Game One 1-0 and Game Two 2-0.
The Griffons are 2-6 on the road this season. Five different Griffons hold a batting average above .300 as the team holds a .277 average while scoring 159 runs. Sydney Rader is MWSU's ace with an 11-4 record which includes 9 complete games, a 2.13 ERA, 97.1 IP, and 80 strikeouts.
How to Follow
Every home 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.