ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team split its doubleheader against Drury on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at the UMSL Softball Field. The Panthers won game 1 11-1 in five innings and the Tritons took the second game 9-1 in five innings.
UMSL finishes the regular season with a record of 27-25 including 14-12 in the GLVC and clinched a spot in next week's Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament. The Panthers fall to 29-22, 17-9 GLVC and will be the number three seed in the tournament.
Game 2 – UMSL 9 Drury 1 five innings
Drury jumped on top with a run in the top of the first inning. Rylee Kolb led off the game with a single to right, stole second and scored on Taylor Hartsell's triple to right center. Hartsell was thrown out at home when she tried to score on an errant throw but
McKenzie Lamos gunned her down at the plate for the final out of the inning.
UMSL used a two-out rally in the home half of the first to take the lead.
Courtney Settles was hit by a pitch to start the rally and then after Victoria Garland missed a popup,
Gwyn Miller made them pay launching a two-run homer over the fence in left for her second roundtripper of the season.
The Tritons added to their lead scoring three runs on four hits and an error in the third. Lamos and Settles led off the inning with back-to-back singles and then Miller reached on a dropped fly ball by Kolb in right to load the bases.
Maddie Illingworth dropped a two-run single inside the right field line scoring Lamos and Settles.
Rebecca Littrel followed with a pinch-hit single to center scoring Miller. Illingworth tried to score from second but was thrown out at the plate by the centerfielder.
UMSL sealed the victory scoring four runs on three hits and three walks in the fourth.
Irene Travis singled through the right side of the infield scoring
May Pasqualini to make it 6-1. Later in the inning Miller walked with the bases loaded to bring home Travis. Illingworth capped the inning hitting a two-run double to left scoring Lamos and Settles to extend the lead to 9-1.
The Panthers got two on with two out in the fifth but
Katie Schaake retired Sophia Luetticke on a fly ball to right to end the game.
The Tritons had nine hits in the nightcap and were led by Illingworth with two while seven other players had one hit apiece. Schaake picked up the win to improve to 8-5 tossing five innings and allowing one run on seven hits with five strikeouts.
Game 1 – Drury 11 UMSL 1 five innings
Drury jumped on top with a run two batters into the first game. Kolb led off the game with an infield single and scored on Luetticke's triple to left center.
Ashley Borowitz retired the next three Panthers to limit the damage to one run.
UMSL got the tying run on base in the first and second innings but were unable to score.
Drury scored three in the third on RBI singles from Lauren Beier and AJ Agers and a throwing error allowed Luetticke to score. The Panthers got two more in the fourth on a solo home run from Gracie Thomas and Kolb scored on a wild pitch after hitting a one out triple.
Drury scored five runs on five hits in the fifth highlighted by Kolb's three-run home run to center to make it 11-1.
The Tritons had seven hits in game one and were led by Settles and Miller with two each. Borowitz took the loss giving up six runs, five earned, on nine hits with a walk and a strikeout.
UMSL will compete in the GLVC Softball Tournament next week at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria, Ill., starting next Thursday. Times and pairings will be announced on Sunday.
