Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Mar. 23, 2014)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside softball team belted out 22 hits and tallied 15 runs but it was not enough to keep pace with host University of Illinois Springfield, dropping both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division doubleheader. The Rangers were unhinged by a walkoff hit in game one, falling 7-6 before suffering a 13-9 setback in game two.

Visiting UW-Parkside (1-11, 1-7 GLVC) opened the scoring in game one, plating a run in the top of the first inning. Kira Cooper led off the game with an infield single before scoring on a Kirsten Luevano base hit. The Prairie Stars (14-11, 5-5 GLVC) tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second before UW-Parkside scratched across a pair in the top of the fourth.

A Kalli Gosser double to right center field with two outs brought in Cooper and Lexi Sotiros, giving the Rangers the 3-1 lead. UIS answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning before the Rangers netted the score at 4-4 with a run in the fifth.

Alexis Simone opened the fifth with a double before getting replaced on the basepaths by pinch runner Therese Jender. Jender advanced to third on a groundout before scoring on a Colleen Cummings RBI fielder's choice.

Parkside reestablished the lead in the sixth, getting an RBI single from Luevano while Diane Gordon belted a sacrifice fly to score Gosser for the 6-4 lead.

Illinois Sprngfield retaliated in the seventh, tying the game with a two-out single from Shannon Ballegeer before T Lamb scored Ballegeer with a walkoff single to end the game, 7-6 in favor of the Prairie Stars.

Cooper led the Ranger offense, finishing three-four-four and scoring three runs. Gosser was two-for-three with a pair of RBIs while Luevano was two-for-four with 2 RBIs.

Carly Dundee suffered the loss, yielding four runs in 3 2/3 innings of action while UIS's Alex Smith earned the complete game win, striking out four.

In game two it was host UIS scoring first, claiming a 1-0 advantage after one inning of action. UW-Parkside answered with a pair of runs in the second but the Prairie Stars poured on six more in the bottom of the frame, seizing the 7-2 lead.

Four hits plated a pair of runs for Parkside in the second with Cummings belting an RBI double while Samantha Magruder singled up the middle to score Simone, who reached base with an outfield single.

UW-Parkside added two more runs in the third with Simone driving in Gosser before Megan Holderby drew a bases load walk to score Luevano to cut the gap to just three runs. Illinois Springfield's advantage ballooned to 8-4 with a run in the bottom of the third before the Rangers reclaimed the lead with a five-run outburst in the fourth.

Luevano belted a two-out single to score Morgan Dastych before Holderby once again tallied an RBI walk to close the deficit to just one run. Magruder gave Parkside the lead the next at-bat, singling up the middle to score Cummings and Simone for the 9-8 lead.

Illinois Springfield tied the game with a run in the bottom of the fourth before adding three runs in the fifth inning. The Prairie Stars concluded the scoring with a run in the sixth and held on for the 13-9 win to secure the sweep.

Parkside belted out 13 hits on the game with Luevano and Simone both finishing three-for-four.

Dundee was saddled with the loss, tossing 2 1/3 innings in relief, yielding one earned run and striking out two. Smith claimed the win, pitching 3 1/3 innings in relief and allowing just one hit.

The Rangers are slated to return to the diamond on Wednesday against Grand Valley State University.