University of Illinois Springfield softball team split a doubleheader on Friday afternoon in its home opener in Chatham, Ill. The Prairie Stars and Ohio Dominican played a pair of one-run games in a competitive day of action.
 
UIS jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opener, but Ohio Dominican had a five-run sixth inning that gave it an 8-7 victory.
 
Seven different Prairie Stars scored a run in the game, and Danielle Dennis and Kayana Diederich each had one run, one hit, and one RBI in the game. Carly Chovanec had two hits to lead the offense.
 
In the second game, UIS jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and then held on for a 3-2 victory.
 
Courtney Blackwell threw five shutout innings, allowing just two hits. Reagan Miles got the final six outs for the save. The Panthers had the tying and winning runs on base in the seventh, but Miles got her fourth strikeout of the game to seal the contest.
 
Ashley Klinzing had one run, one hit, and one RBI, and Chovanec had one run and one hit. Ella Brinkley and Carolyn Franke had the team's other RBI, and Kayana Diederich was the other Prairie Star to cross the plate.
 
UIS is now 11-3 on the season. The Prairie Stars are back in action on Saturday with a noon doubleheader at Spartan Park against Hillsdale.