LEBANON, Ill. -- No. 6 Missouri S&T softball battled through two tough matchups Friday at the NCAA Midwest Regional, falling to No. 2 McKendree 6-3 before dropping a hard-fought 8-7 contest to No. 7 Rockhurst to conclude its historic 2026 season.
Game 1 – No. 2 McKendree 6, No. 6 Missouri S&T 3
No. 6 Missouri S&T softball battled No. 2 McKendree Friday morning in the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal round, but ultimately fell 6-3 at Bearcat Field.
The Miners struck first in the opening inning after Claire Lopez (Olathe, KS/Olathe Northwest) worked a leadoff walk and later came around to score on an RBI single from Molly Fitzgerald (Crystal Lake, IL/Marian Central Catholic), giving Missouri S&T an early 1-0 lead.
McKendree answered with a five-run second inning, using five hits to take control of the contest before adding another run on a solo home run in the fourth inning. Despite the deficit, Missouri S&T continued to battle offensively throughout the game.
In the fifth inning, Taylor Nelson (Hailey, ID/Phillips Exeter Academy) delivered a historic moment for the Miners, blasting a two-run home run to center field to cut the deficit to 6-3. The homer also gave Nelson the Missouri S&T single-season RBI record, surpassing Olivia Young's previous mark of 58 set during the 2018 season.
Lopez led the Miners offensively with two hits and two runs scored, while Fitzgerald added two hits and an RBI. Kaylee LaChappell (Oswego, IL/Oswego),
Jordyn Davis (Broken Arrow, OK/Broken Arrow), and Nelson also recorded hits in the contest.
Mia Miller (Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) provided strong relief work in the circle, allowing just one run across 4.2 innings while striking out three after entering in the second inning.
Game 2 – No. 7 Rockhurst 8, No. 6 Missouri S&T 7
Missouri S&T closed out its 2026 season Friday evening after a hard-fought 8-7 loss to No. 7 Rockhurst in an elimination game at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
The Miners showed resilience throughout the contest, overcoming an early three-run deficit and later building a 7-4 advantage midway through the game before Rockhurst rallied late.
After Rockhurst scored three runs in the first inning, Missouri S&T answered in the second behind an RBI single from Claire Lopez (Olathe, KS/Olathe Northwest) and a sacrifice fly from Taylor Nelson (Hailey, ID/Phillips Exeter Academy) to cut the deficit to one.
The Miners exploded for four runs in the third inning to take control.
Keira Jones (Richmond Hill, GA/Richmond Hill) delivered an RBI single before Missouri S&T capitalized on multiple Rockhurst errors, with
AJ Agers (DeSoto, MO/St. Pius X) driving in two runs to give the Miners a 6-4 lead.
Missouri S&T added another run in the fourth inning after Trista Grobe (DeSoto, MO/DeSoto) reached on an error that allowed Kaylee LaChappell (Oswego, IL/Oswego) to score, pushing the lead to 7-4.
Rockhurst responded with three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game before a solo home run from Emily Berry in the sixth inning proved to be the difference.
Lopez paced the Miners offensively with two hits and two RBI, while LaChappell added two hits and two runs scored. Jones recorded a hit, RBI, and two walks, while Grobe added a hit and RBI. Missouri S&T showed patience throughout the contest, drawing 11 walks as a team.
The Miners conclude the 2026 season with a 37-19 overall record after earning their third NCAA Midwest Regional appearance in program history and setting a new program record with 22 GLVC victories during the regular season.
