ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team split its doubleheader against Upper Iowa on Saturday afternoon taking game one 8-7 but fell 2-1 in game two at the UMSL Softball Field. The Tritons are 19-23, 6-10 GLVC while the Peacocks are 16-26, 6-10 GLVC.
Game 1 – UMSL 8 Upper Iowa 7
UMSL jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of first inning runs.
May Pasqualini led off the game with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Irene Travis reached on a dropped fly ball by the center fielder to put runners at second and third for
Courtney Settles. Settles hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Pasqualini.
McKenzie Lamos followed with a single back up the middle that was deflected by the second baseman to score Travis.
The Tritons extended their lead with a four-run second. Settles walked with the bases loaded to force in a run as
Megan Russell scored to make it 3-0. Lamos cleared the bases hitting a triple down the right field line that scored
Katie Schaake, Travis and Settles.
Upper Iowa chipped away scoring three runs in the third to cut UMSL's lead in half. Kylie Doty lined an RBI double to left center that scored Ari Charles. Later in the inning, Taylor Sedam hit a fly ball down the left field line that was initially caught by Travis but she collided with
Simia Spahiev jarring the ball free allowing Laila Pelds and Doty to score.
The Peacocks got two more in the fifth on Addyson Alber's two-run home run to center field.
Upper Iowa took the lead in the top of the seventh with a two out rally. Charles hit a ground ball to
Gwyn Miller at second. Miller made a diving stop but her throw to first went through Settles glove allowing Alber to score the tying run. Emily Pomeroy scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
UMSL rallied in its half of the seventh. Travis led off the inning with a double to left and Settles walked. With one out,
Jamie Widule worked a walk to load the bases.
Lexi Sherrick was hit by a pitch to bring home Travis with the tying run and then
Ashley Borowitz walked it off hitting a single through the left side of the drawn in infield to bring home Settles with the winning run.
The Tritons outhit the Peacocks 8-6 in the contest and were led by Travis and Lamos with two hits apiece. Lamos drove in four runs in the contest. Borowitz picked up the win to improve to 10-12 in the circle. She allowed seven runs, three earned, on six hits with four strikeouts in the complete game effort.
Game 2 – UMSL 2 Upper Iowa 1
The second game was a pitcher's duel between Schaake and Abby Buckman.
UMSL took the early lead with a run in its half of the first. Settles hit a one out double to left and scored on Lamos' single to right.
Upper Iowa took the lead in the third on Pelds two-run double to the right center gap scoring Hannah Bridgewater and Rae VanMilligan.
The Tritons threatened in the sixth inning as its first two runners reached on a single and a fielder's choice. Borowitz advanced both runners with a groundout to the right side. Pasqualini was robbed of a hit as VanMilligan snared her line drive for the second out of the frame and a strikeout ended the inning.
UMSL got the tying run in scoring position in the seventh but back-to-back lineouts to VanMilligan at third ended the game.
The Tritons finished with seven hits in game two and were led by Settles and Russell with two each. Schaake went the distance giving up two runs on three hits with eight strikeouts. She didn't allow a hit after the third inning.
UMSL is back at home on Sunday afternoon hosting Truman State in a doubleheader at 12 p.m. at the UMSL Softball Field.
