Game 1: Upper Iowa 4, Parkside 3
Game 2: Parkside 6, McKendree 5
The Parkside softball team split its Friday trip to the Rosemont Dome, first falling in the close game to Upper Iowa and bouncing back to defeat a tough McKendree squad 6-5 on a freshman Meagan Maza walkoff single in the seventh inning.
 
The Rangers, who moved to 1-9 this season, will finish out the Rosemont Dome Tournament on Sunday with an 8 a.m. game against William Jewell.
 
Game 1 Recap
A 2-run sixth inning was the difference in game one for the Peacocks, who were able to hold off the Rangers in the end. UIU took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but redshirt-senior Alyssa Laxson's two-run double in the bottom of the first gave Parkside a 2-0 lead. After a pair of scoreless innings, the Peacocks tied it up 2-2 in the top of the fourth. Freshman Meagan Maza came through for the Rangers in the bottom of the fourth with a big RBI double to right center that scored freshman Tia Livernash, who reached on an error earlier.
 
UIU pushed across two runs with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to go up 4-3. Parkside brought freshman Eden Welling, the tying run, over to third base with two outs after a leadoff double, but couldn't get the clutch hit they needed.
 
The Rangers had a season-high four doubles in game one from Laxson, Maza, Welling and freshman CaroleAnn Goglin, but only finished with five hits. Senior Tijanne Ross started the game, going 4.0 innings allowing eight hits and two runs. Senior Kiley Akey finished for the Rangers, going 3.0 innings allowing three hits and two runs while suffering the loss.
 
Game 2 Recap
Game two went back-and-forth in the early innings, with each team scoring one run in each the second and third innings. ­After the Bearcats went up 1-0 in the second, Parkside answered with Livernash scoring on a wild pitch to tie it up. McKendree added another run in the third, but again Parkside responded, this time with a solo home run from sophomore Taylor Delgado, Parkside's first home run of the season.
 
After a scoreless fourth inning, McKendree took a 5-2 lead with three runs in the fifth. Parkside got one back in the bottom half of the fifth as Delgado came in on another wild pitch, then tied it up in the sixth inning with some 2-out magic. Junior Dani Evans came through with an RBI single with the bases loaded and junior Jadynn Powell came in to score on yet another wild pitch to tie the game up 5-5.
 
In the seventh, Laxson led off with a single, then Cassie Rutledge hit a bunt single and Livernash drew a walk to load the bases for Maza, who came through with Parkside's biggest hit so far this season.
 
Livernash finished 2-for-2 with two runs and Maza went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Delgado went 1-for-4 with two runs, a home run and an RBI out of the leadoff spot.
 
Ross got the win in game two, pitching the final 2.2 innings allowing no runs on two hits with a strikeout.
 
What's Next
Parkside will take the day off on Saturday before battling William Jewell at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning in the Rosemont Dome.