The Illinois Springfield softball team (19-7, 3-1) earned a pair of wins at Quincy on Saturday, defeating the Hawks 6-2 in the opener before securing a 10-3 victory in the second game of the doubleheader. The Prairie Stars capitalized on Quincy's defensive mistakes and put together strong pitching performances in both contests.

"The team did an awesome job going over to Quincy and getting the sweep," said head coach Shannon Guthrie. "They came out ready and played hard in both games to get two big conference wins."

GAME ONE | W, 6-2
UIS took 3-0 lead in the opening inning of game one. Rebecca Neupauer singled and stole second. Rosie Bartletti followed with a single, and then Rebecca Neupauer scored on a double steal. Bartletti later scored on a Bailey Masching double. Masching crossed the plate on Emme Steward's RBI single.

The Prairie Stars extended the lead to 5-0 by the end of the fourth inning as Sidney Sawyer and Chloe Scroggins scored unearned runs on Masching's single after Quincy errors prolonged the inning.

The Hawks got on the board in the fifth inning with a solo home run.

In the seventh, Rachel McMullen added an insurance run with a single that drove in Steward. Quincy added another solo home run but could not close the gap. UIS maintained control and secured the 6-2 victory.

Alexis Carroll (5-3) delivered a complete-game performance for the Prairie Stars, pitching seven innings and allowing two earned runs on eight hits while striking out six. Masching finished with two hits and three RBIs, while Neupauer scored twice and added two stolen bases. Steward recorded two hits and an RBI.

"Lexi did a great job on the mound, and Bailey had another awesome day at the plate. Rebecca and Rosie getting on base to start the first inning puts a lot of pressure on the defense with their speed," Guthrie said. "Those two worked together to get the first run, and then Bailey and Emme both had solid RBI hits. That really set the tone for the day as our mix of speed and power led the way for the offense."

GAME TWO | W, 10-3
UIS continued its momentum with a strong offensive showing in the 10-3 win. Neupauer was hit by a pitch in the first inning and later scored on Masching's double. Masching also came around to score on an error, giving the Prairie Stars an early 2-0 lead.

The third inning saw Bartletti hit a home run, while Masching tripled. Olivia DeLuca reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 5-2. 

Steward added to the advantage in the fourth inning with a double that drove in two runs. The Prairie Stars added three more runs in the fifth inning, again taking advantage of a Hawks error to extend the margin to 10-3.

Calista Stahlhut (8-3) pitched a complete game for UIS, striking out 10 batters over seven innings while allowing three earned runs on six hits. Bartletti contributed a home run and scored three runs, while Masching scored three times and collected two RBIs.

"Game two was an awesome game for our entire team," Guthrie added. "The speed at the top of the lineup set up our power hitters perfectly. Bailey and Emme did a great job driving in runs and having great at-bats. Rosie was solid both at shortstop and with a huge home run. Calista threw the complete game and led our team on the mound, using our defense to get quick outs. It was fun to see Taylor Ford get a couple big hits, and the whole team had great energy all day long."

The Prairie Stars move to 19-7 overall and 3-1 in GLVC play, while the Hawks fall to 4-18 and 0-2 in conference action.

Up Next
UIS wll play both Rockhurst and Southwest Baptist at home next weekend.