Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (Springfield, Ill.) – The Missouri S&T Lady Miner softball squad dropped a pair of games at Illinois Springfield 11-2 in six innings and 9-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Land of Lincoln Softball Complex in Springfield, Ill. S&T had difficult time keeping the Prairie Star bats in check as they scored multiple runs in six of the 12 innings on Saturday.

UIS (19-20, 10-14 GLVC) broke on top first in the opening game with a run in the second inning. With one out Jordyn Amos singled, went to second on a walk to Alexa McClaughry then both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt from Mandy Smith. Amos came into score on a wild pitch.

S&T (10-27, 5-19 GLVC) had a chance to tie the game in third when Shelby Michaelis (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) doubled to left center, but was left stranded on second. The Prairie Stars broke it open in the home half of the third scoring four runs on four hits and took advantage of a Lady Miner error to make it 5-0.

S&T got two of those runs back in the fourth. Cailey Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Victoria Culbertson (Nevada, Mo./Nevada) came into run for Baker and went to second on a wild pitch. Adrienne Kruse (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) then walked on a 3-1 pitch to put the first two hitters on base. Lori Badalamenti (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland ) then reached on a throwing error on her sac bunt attempt which allowed Culbertson and Kruse to score. That would be all the Lady Miners got though as back-to-back strikeouts and a popout ended the frame.

UIS answered scoring two runs each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to end the game.

S&T was outhit in the contest 13-3 and led by Michaelis, Andi Davis (Blue Springs, Mo./Archbishop O'Hara ) and Dana Lawson (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) with one each. Becca Strope (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville) pitched the first two-plus innings allowing three runs on two hits while walking three and striking out one to take the loss.

The second game was scoreless until the fourth inning when the Lady Miners broke on top. Baker led the inning off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch.
The lead was short lived though as the Prairie Stars answered with three in the home half of the inning to take the lead.

They extended their lead with another in the fifth to make it 4-1. Lawson cut the lead in half in the sixth homering to center field with two outs. UIS countered that run with five runs on five hits in the home half of the sixth to push the lead to 9-2.

S&T added another run in the seventh when Michaelis singled home Davis for the final run.

The Lady Miners had seven hits in the nightcap and were led by Lawson with two. Bethany Rader (Memphis, Mo./Scotland County ) took the loss allowing five runs, four earned, on nine hits while walking two and striking out two.

S&T returns to action on Friday when it plays host to Lewis University in a GLVC doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.