The UIS softball team (27-11, 11-5) swept its doubleheader against Lincoln (17-16, 3-11) on Saturday afternoon, winning the first game 4-3 and the second game 3-2 in a ten-inning matchup.
In game one, UIS edged past Lincoln with a crucial three-run fifth inning. Lincoln initially took the lead in the fourth with an RBI single up the middle. UIS responded in the fifth, starting with Chloe Scroggins walking and advancing on a wild pitch. Calista Stahlhut then hit a triple, bringing Scroggins home. Jillian Lane, running for Stahlhut, scored on a single by Hailey Niebrugge, followed by Bailey Masching's single that allowed Jaden Watts to score and put UIS up 3-1.
Lincoln tied the game in the seventh inning with two unearned runs. The first runner advanced on an error and scored on a sacrifice, and the next came home on a groundout to even the score at 3-3. However, UIS secured the win in the bottom of the seventh when Rosie Bartletti tripled, followed by two walks. Koral Keehner delivered the walk-off single, clinching the game 4-3.
Calista Stahlhut (11-4) delivered a complete-game performance, pitching seven innings with four strikeouts, allowing eight hits and three runs, only one earned. At the plate, Stahlhut excelled with three hits, including a triple, and contributed one RBI. Rosie Bartletti added a run and a triple, along with a stolen base, while Koral Keehner made a notable impact with two hits and one RBI.
"Calista had a terrific game and led us on the mound and at the plate with three hard line drives," said head coach Shannon Guthrie. "Koral also had great at-bats and the big hit for the walk-off winner to score Rosie. The team battled hard all game and kept the momentum to come out on top of the thriller."
In game two, UIS pushed its win streak to four games with a 3-2 victory in extra innings. Bailey Masching put UIS on the board early with a solo home run to left field. The Prairie Stars extended their lead to 2-0 in the third inning when Rosie Bartletti singled and scored on a groundout by Masching.
Lincoln scored in the fifth inning after a triple and an error, narrowing the gap to 2-1. The Blue Tigers tied the game in the sixth inning when an RBI single made it a 2-2 game. Batters went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, top of the seventh, and bottom of the seventh. In the top of the eighth, Lincoln got two on, but Bartletti recorded the needed strikeouts to get out of the inning. UIS went down in order in the bottom of the eighth, and Lincoln had the same fate in the top of the ninth, this time with two strikeouts from Bartletti.
In the tenth inning, Chloe Scroggins reached base with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a sacrifice. Bartletti then delivered a game-winning single, finalizing the score at 3-2.
Bailey Masching had a standout performance with a home run and two RBIs. Bartletti (9-5) not only excelled at the plate but also in the circle, striking out six batters over the final four innings and allowing only one hit. Alexis Carroll was effective as the starter, recording eight strikeouts across six innings and yielding just one earned run.
"Lexi started strong on the mound to lead us and did a nice job through six," Guthrie said. "Bailey started the game off with a huge home run to put us on top early. Rosie did an outstanding job coming in relief and shutting the door. It was fun to see her get the walk-off hit to score Chloe after a great game of battling by both teams.
"The team worked well together and battled the whole day to get two big walk-off GLVC wins. We had key at-bats from several players and people who came in big situations to help us get two big wins. They grinded it out and kept applying pressure until they got the big hit."
With the doubleheader sweep, UIS improved to 27-11 and 11-5 in conference play, while Lincoln fell to 17-16 and 3-11 in the GLVC. The Prairie Stars are home again tomorrow, with a doubleheader against UMSL starting at noon.
