MARION, Ill. — Parkside softball closed out the Oasis Sports D2 Tournament on Sunday with a split, rolling past Kentucky Wesleyan 10-1 in the morning before dropping a 5-4 decision in nine innings to Missouri-St. Louis in the finale at the Oasis Sports Complex.

GAME ONE VS. KENTUCKY WESLEYAN

Parkside jumped out early and never looked back in a 10-1 win over Kentucky Wesleyan, scoring in five different innings and backing it up with a steady outing in the circle.

The Rangers got on the board right away in the top of the first. Reese Valha came through with an RBI single to open the scoring, and Elodie Sullivan followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Parkside widened the gap in the second inning with three more runs, cashing in with productive at-bats and pressure on the basepaths. CICI Di Silvio lifted a sacrifice fly, Ava Swain delivered an RBI double, and the Rangers tacked on another run on a Kentucky Wesleyan error to take a 5-0 lead.

The offense stayed on the attack in the third as Peyton Klikno doubled to center to drive in another run, and Parkside put the game out of reach in the fifth when Mia Johnson launched a three-run home run to left to push the margin into double digits.

Holly Lowenberg earned the win in the circle, working five innings while allowing one run on six hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Offensively, Johnson went 2-for-2 and led the Rangers with three RBIs while also drawing two walks. Johnson and Megan Medlin each finished with two hits as Parkside totaled nine hits and five walks, continuing a strong finish at the plate. Defensively, the Rangers were sharp, turning two double plays and committing no errors.

GAME TWO VS. UMSL

Parkside carried that momentum into the afternoon, building an early lead and later forcing extras, but the Rangers ultimately fell 5-4 in nine innings to Missouri-St. Louis in a back-and-forth finale.

After a scoreless first, Parkside struck for three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Valha singled to set the table, and Isabel Aranda delivered an RBI single to open the scoring. Medlin followed with an RBI groundout, and Johnson capped the inning with an RBI double to give the Rangers a 3-0 advantage.

UMSL answered with two runs in the third to tighten the game, and the Tritons pulled even in the fifth when a runner came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-3. The game stayed locked through regulation, with Parkside getting key traffic from Johnson at the top of the order and Casey Jo Vermett continuing to battle in the circle.

In the eighth inning tiebreaker, UMSL pushed across the go-ahead run, but Parkside answered immediately. With the placed runner on second, the Rangers executed with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly from Valha to bring home the tying run and force the game into a ninth inning.

UMSL regained the lead in the top of the ninth with an RBI single, and Parkside had a chance to respond in the bottom half, but a pop-up and a pair of outs ended the comeback bid.

Johnson led Parkside offensively, going 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI, and two walks. Valha drove in a run and added the game-tying sac fly in the eighth, while Aranda added an RBI single. In the circle, Vermett went the distance in a gritty nine-inning effort, striking out 12 while keeping Parkside in position deep into extras.

Parkside is back in action next weekend with its first non-conference series of the season, traveling to St. Louis for a three-game set against Maryville beginning Friday, March 6 at noon CT.

To keep up with the Rangers all season long, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.