The Illinois Springfield softball team will host the University of Indianapolis for a Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) doubleheader at noon on Saturday at the UIS Softball Field. The games will be part of the program's Alumni Day celebration, welcoming former players back to campus.

Illinois Springfield (24-15, 12-8 GLVC)
The Prairie Stars split both of their GLVC doubleheaders this past week, showing several bright spots on both sides of the ball. Rosie Bartletti delivered standout performances in the circle, earning wins against Maryville and No. 21 McKendree to improve to 14-6 on the season.

Bartletti opened the weekend with a one-hit shutout against Maryville, leading UIS to a 3-0 victory. The Prairie Stars scored early behind a pair of back-to-back triples. UIS fell in the second game of the series after Maryville scored five runs in the third inning to secure a 6-1 win. Starting pitcher Taylor Zawacki contributed offensively with a 2-for-3 performance and a run scored. Addyson McClure pitched the final five innings, allowing just three hits and preventing further scoring.

Against McKendree on Monday, Bartletti struck out 14 batters and earned a complete-game victory in game one. In the second contest, she kept the Bearcats off the board through four innings before exiting in the fifth after allowing two runs. She took the loss in the 8-4 decision.
Bartletti now ranks second in the GLVC in wins (14), fourth in total strikeouts (155), eighth in earned run average (2.58), and second in strikeouts looking (57).

Ella Brinkley continues to lead the UIS offense with a .418 batting average, which ranks fourth in the GLVC. She has totaled 41 hits this season. Zawacki is also a consistent contributor, batting .367 with 40 hits.

Indianapolis (26-16, 12-8 GLVC)
Indianapolis enters the weekend tied with UIS in the conference standings at 12-8. The Greyhounds are coming off a 1-3 stretch in GLVC play, splitting with Missouri-St. Louis and dropping both games to Maryville. However, they regained momentum in non-conference action on Wednesday with a pair of run-rule victories over Cedarville, winning 9-0 in five innings and 11-2 in six.

Cheyenne Eads and Jayden Casebolt earned the wins in those contests. Eads leads the conference with 136.0 innings pitched and owns a 13-9 record. She ranks fourth in the GLVC with a 2.21 ERA and is third in the league in strikeouts with 157, just ahead of Bartletti.

Offensively, the Greyhounds are led by Cara Cooper, who is batting .415 with 56 hits (GLVC No. 6), and Brooklyn Willis, who holds a .396 average and 55 hits.

The Greyhounds hold a 22-11 advantage in the all-time series, but the Prairie Stars have an opportunity to make up ground at home with just a few weeks remaining in the regular season.

Alumni Day
Saturday will serve as Alumni Day at the UIS Softball Field, where the program will recognize its alumni and celebrate their continued connection to Prairie Stars softball.

Follow Along
Catch the action live on the GLVC Sports Network or track real-time statistics via the links available on the UIS softball schedule page.