ST. LOUIS – A day after clinching a spot in next weekend's GLVC Tournament, the University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team secured the second seed in the conference tournament as it split its final home games of the regular season against McKendree on Sunday afternoon at the UMSL Softball Field. The Bearcats won the opener 8-0 in six innings while the Tritons took game two 7-1.
UMSL will take on seventh seeded Rockhurst next Thursday (May 4) at 3 p.m. at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria, Ill. The Tritons and Hawks split their doubleheader on April 2 as Rockhurst won game 1 7-5 but UMSL took the nightcap 5-0.
Game 2 – UMSL 7 McKendree 1
McKendree (29-14, 15-9 GLVC) took the early lead in the second game just three batters into the contest. With one out, Lauren Harris tripled down the right field line and scored on Olivia Stansbury's single back up the middle.
That would be the last Bearcat to reach base as
Annie Scaramuzzi set down the next 20 hitters she faced with 11 of those outs coming via strikeout. She held McKendree to just two hits and didn't walk a batter.
The Tritons (30-18, 16-8) took the lead in the bottom of the first. With one out,
Courtney Settles singled through the right side of the infield and scored on
McKenzie Lamos' two-run homer to center.
Jenna Towle made it 3-1 in the second as she hit her first home run of the season over the fence in right center.
UMSL put the game away in the fourth sending nine batters to the plate scoring four runs on four hits and two Bearcat errors.
Megan Brown led off the inning with a walk and was run for by
Corinne Daley. Scaramuzzi singled through the left side of the infield to put runners at first and second.
Jamie Widule reached on a sacrifice bunt as Kinsey Vergason dropped the throw at first which allowed Daley to score on the play. Widule stole second and the catcher's throw went into center field allowing Scaramuzzi to score to make it 5-1.
With two out,
Anna VanGundy drove in Widule with a single up the middle and advanced to second on the throw home.
Irene Travis drove in the final run of the frame with a single to center.
The Tritons outhit McKendree 8-2 in the nightcap and were led by Settles with two while Travis, Lamos, Brown, Scaramuzzi, Towle and VanGundy had one apiece. Scaramuzzi improved to 6-3 with the complete game victory and matched her career-high with 11 strikeouts.
Game 1 – McKendree 8 UMSL 0 six innings
The Bearcats jumped on UMSL starter
Ashley Borowitz to start the opener. Heaven Lawrence swung at the first pitch and singled to left and then Harris swung at the first pitch she saw and hit a two-run home run down the right field line that hooked inside the foul pole.
The Tritons got their first two runners of the game on in their half of the first on back-to-back singles from Travis and Settles but couldn't get them home.
McKendree extended its lead in the third. With two out, Harris tripled to right center and scored on Stansbury's two-run home run to right center. Macy Brown drove in Reagan Cheeley and Skylar Davis with a single to right to make it 6-0.
The Bearcats final two runs came in the sixth on Harris' second two-run home run of the contest as she hit it to straight away center field.
UMSL was unable to get anything going against Ellie Quaethem as she held the Tritons to just three hits and a walk in the contest. Travis, Settles and Widule had the hits for UMSL. Borowitz took the loss giving up three runs on three hits with two strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.
