SPRINGFIELD, IL – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) softball team rolled past Saginaw Valley State University with a 9-0 victory in five innings during Thursday's NCAA Tournament opener in the second NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.
 
"It was good to see us get back on track and enter the tournament with a bang," UIS coach Shannon Guthrie said. "This is a whole new season at this point and we want to make it a long one."
 
Ali Haesele (22-9) paced the Prairie Stars (37-16) at the plate and in the circle. The senior from Minier, IL went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run home run. Haesele struck out six batters, issued one walk and allowed three hits in five scoreless inning. She led off the first inning with a double to kick start the Prairie Star offense.
 
"Ali set the tone from the beginning, shutting down the Saginaw Valley State offense and then leading us off with a double. She really brought a little extra with her and was our spark on both sides of the ball."
 
Morgan Edwards drove in three runs, including two from a homer. Lakyn Wagoner went 2-for-2 with two doubles. Erin Stroup finished 2-for-2 with two RBI singles. Natalie Cokel went 2-for-3 while Hannah Kain smashed a triple. Calla Wickenhauser finished 2-for-3 with a run-scoring single. Bree Derhake and Haley Inman contributed singles, rounding out UIS's 14 hits.
 
"Every hitter in our starting lineup had a hit and that just shows our depth that anyone is capable of making something happen."
 
Meredith Rousse provided a double for Saginaw Valley State (28-26) while Julia Miller and Maddy Burgess both turned in singles. The Cardinals put together three hits.
 
Anna Conard (13-7) took the loss. She walked one batter and surrendered three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning. Mikayla Alexandrou recorded one strikeout and conceded two runs on six hits in one and two-thirds innings. Kasey Bagelmann yielded two runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. Elayne Young issued two walks and gave up two runs on three hits in one-third of an inning. Hannah Atwell retired both of the batters she faced including striking out one.
 
Stroup delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. Edwards cranked a two-run homer to give the Prairie Stars a 3-0 lead.
 
During the third, Stroup singled in a run and Edwards knocked in Wagoner on a fielder's choice.
 
Haesele crushed a two-run homer in the fourth to give UIS a 7-0 lead. Wagoner produced an RBI double and Wickenhauser added a run-scoring single.
 
The Prairie Stars battle sixth-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) (34-22) on Friday at 11 a.m. at the Land of Lincoln Softball Complex. UMSL posted a 4-0 win in the opening round of the regional against third-seeded McKendree University (38-17). Carly Kingery (18-7) struck out 10 batters en route to a no-hitter. She came within one batter of a perfect game. The Prairie Stars get an addition crack at Kingery and the Tritons after UMSL handed UIS a 2-0 two-hit loss in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament.
 
"UMSL is going to be a very tough opponent. They are playing really well right now. We are going to need to come out ready and continue to play our game. We need to focus on our game plan and bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I'm glad we get another shot at them after the GLVC Tournament. We are going to need to have short-term memory and continue to play the way we are capable."