TOURNAMENT HOMEPAGE
The Illinois Springfield softball team is set to host its annual Springfield Invite this weekend at Spartan Sports Park in Chatham, Ill., and the UIS Softball Complex on campus. The Prairie Stars will play five games, beginning with a Friday doubleheader against Purdue Northwest at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Saturday's schedule includes two games against Lake Erie at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., with the tournament finale set for Sunday at 11 a.m. on the UIS home field.Illinois Springfield (5-7)
UIS comes into the weekend after splitting a doubleheader with Thomas More and dropping two games to Findlay earlier this week. The Prairie Stars fell 4-3 in a close game against Thomas More before bouncing back with an 11-6 victory. Against Findlay, UIS generated plenty of offense but dropped both contests, 14-9 and 10-9.
Ella Brinkley leads UIS at the plate, batting .436 with 17 hits and 10 RBIs this season. Isabella Wilson (.387) and Rosie Bartletti (.379) have also been key contributors offensively. In the circle, Addyson McClure leads the team with three wins.
Purdue Northwest (1-5)
The Pride picked up their first win of the season at an indoor invitational at Lewis on Feb. 20-23, defeating Bemidji State 7-0. Freshman Abbey Bond pitched a complete game shutout, allowing six hits while striking out six.
At the plate, Kylie Dugan leads Purdue Northwest with a .381 batting average, followed by Emma Fair (.316) and Jadyn Ramer (.313).
Lake Erie (0-4)
The Storm opened their season at a tournament on Feb. 8-9, suffering two losses to No. 8 North Georgia and two to West Florida.
Peyton Powers leads the team offensively, hitting .429 with a .556 on-base percentage. Emma Spahr has the team's only extra-base hit this season, a home run against West Florida. Kai Mortensen, Lily Turkowski, Sydney Murray, and Addison Nugent, have made starts and could see action against UIS.
Quincy will also compete in the tournament, facing both Purdue Northwest and Lake Erie.
Follow Along
Live statistics and a free stream will be available on the GLVC Sports Network for all UIS games at the Springfield Invite.