LOUISVILLE, KY --- The Prairie Stars continued a six-game GLVC road trip with a twin bill at Bellarmine, and fell twice to the Knights by scores of 8-0 and 2-1. Illinois Springfield falls to 10-20 on the season and 2-10 in the GLVC with the losses. UIS picked up just six hits on the day and the lone run came off the bat of
Amanda Gosbeth, who picked up her fifth homerun of the season.
GAME ONE: BELLARMINE 8, ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 0The opening game was much closer than the final score made it out to be, as UIS surrendered six runs in the final two innings, and four of the Knights' runs on the game were unearned. Bellarmine took the lead in the second inning on a two-out single before tagging on another run in the fourth after a leadoff error got a rally started.
Ashli King singled in the first inning and
Molly Manietta singled with one-out in the second but neither time did the Prairie Stars advance the runner to second. After the Manietta single, ten straight Prairie Stars were retired until
Hannah Kain drew a walk in the sixth inning. That was the final baserunner for UIS as the Knights scored three in the fifth and three in the sixth to win 8-0 in six innings.
GAME TWO: BELLARMINE 2, ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 1Although the bats didn't show up for the Prairie Stars, sophomore
Rachel Goff kept UIS in the game with her arm, throwing six strong innings and taking the tough loss. Goff surrendered six hits but gave up a two-run homerun in the bottom of the first which turned out to be enough. After working out of a jam in the first, Goff retired nine of the next ten batters before working around two singles in the fifth and putting the Knights down in order in the sixth.
Offensively, the Prairie Stars also benefitted from the long ball, scoring on a homerun from Gosbeth to straight away center field. The blast was Gosbeth's fifth of the season, which leads the team and ties her with King for the lead with 15 RBI.
UIS put runners on in the final three innings but were unable to capitalize. The Prairie Stars totaled just four hits in the game and drew one walk.
With the loss, UIS falls for the tenth straight time in GLVC play. They will finish up a six game road trip at McKendree on Tuesday before coming home for 14 straight home games.
