SPRINGFIELD, IL --- There was no lack of drama for the Prairie Stars in a doubleheader sweep of Bellarmine University, as Illinois Springfield (19-15, 5-5) used back-to-back walk-off home runs to sweep the Knights (15-21, 3-9) by scores of 1-0 and 3-2. Katie Wooldridge blasted her first career home run in the bottom of the seventh to score the games' only run. Roughly two hours later, Amanda Gosbeth connected to dead center field, carrying the Prairie Stars to a 3-2 win.

GAME ONE: ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 1, BELLARMINE 0
In a game dominated by pitching, the Prairie Star offense found a way to pull off the victory. Ali Haesele faced just 23 batters in her third shutout of the season, facing the minimum through the first 20 batters. Haesele rung up the Knights six times against just one walk, and allowed three hits on the day. Two of the batters who reached, were then taken off bases by two extraordinary 2-4-3 double plays.

The Prairie Stars threatened in the first with a single and stolen base from Erin Stroup but she was left stranded. Allison Rose singled in the second while BriAnna Edgar, Madi Torry, and Alexa Brown each followed suit in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, but UIS couldn't get anything rolling offensively besides the singles.

Not allowing a baserunner to second base all game, Haesele continued to roll, retiring eight straight Knights after retiring the first two in the seventh. Back-to-back singles put Haesele in her first jam of the day, but she induced a pop up to Gosbeth in foul ground to end the threat.

In the bottom half, looking extra innings in the face with two-outs and nobody on, Wooldridge sent a 1-0 pitch into the batting cage in left field for her first career home run and second Prairie Star walk-off home run of the season.

Haesele improved to 11-4 on the season and tallied her third shutout.

GAME TWO: ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 4, BELLARMINE 3
Unlike the first game, Bellarmine got their offense going early, using two singles and two walks in the top of the first to take a quick 1-0 lead. Jaycee Craver, who relieved Rachel Goff in the top of the first, worked around a leadoff double in the second and help the Knights at bay, working around baserunners in every inning.

The Prairie Stars tied the game in the third when Gosbeth doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning and game into score on a squeeze from Stroup.

Still tied at one in the fifth, Stroup had enough of the bunting and drove her third home run of the season to left field, giving UIS a 2-1 lead.

Craver, who had held the Knights scoreless since the top of the first, surrendered a tough luck run in the top of the seventh and Brown lost her footing on a potential game-ending fly ball in the gap. The tying run scored but Craver struck out the final batter of the inning, leaving the bases loaded.

In the bottom half of the inning, Gosbeth wasted no time ending the game, sending the second pitch of the at-bat over the center field wall for her second homerun of the season, giving the Prairie Stars a 3-2 win. It was Gosbeth's second walk-off hit of the season, the other coming against Saginaw Valley.

Craver (5-7) picked up the win in relief, throwing 6.1 innings, giving up just one earned run and striking out a season-high seven batters. 

These two wins marked the fourth and fifth walk-off hits for the Prairie Stars this season, the others coming against Northwest Missouri, Saginaw Valley, and Quincy.

UIS will take on Southern Indiana on Sunday with first-pitch slated for 12:00 pm, weather permitting.