Publish Date


The UIS softball team kicked off its season at the Music City Classic in Smyrna, Tenn., on Friday, securing victories over Cedarville and Ohio Dominican. The Prairie Stars took control late in both games, defeating Cedarville 6-2 in their opener before pulling away for a 7-3 win over Ohio Dominican.

"We were all really excited to get out and play together today," said starting pitcher Rosie Bartletti, a junior from Springfield. "All of the hard work and hours we put in this winter definitely paid off. This team continues to impress me, and I am thrilled to be a Prairie Star!"

Game One vs. Cedarville | W, 6-2
  • The Prairie Stars leaned on dominant pitching and aggressive baserunning to claim their first victory of the season.
  • Rosie Bartletti kept Cedarville's offense in check, recording 12 strikeouts to join an elite group of just five UIS pitchers to achieve this milestone in a game. Supported by stellar defense, Bartletti allowed minimal damage through five innings. 
  • UIS broke the stalemate in the fifth inning when Ella Brinkley singled, advanced on an error, and stole two bases before scoring the first run. Isabella Wilson followed with two more stolen bases before crossing home on a Malia Bender single. Taylor Zawacki, who also swiped a base after drawing a walk, scored on Bender's hit to give UIS a 3-0 lead.
  • Cedarville responded in the sixth inning, scoring two runs to cut the lead to 3-2. However, the Prairie Stars extended their lead in the final frame. Malia Bender delivered a clutch RBI triple, driving in Zawacki and Wilson. Bender later scored on a Bartletti RBI groundout.
  • Zawacki entered the circle in the seventh inning to close out the game, adding two strikeouts to her stat line.
Game Two vs. Ohio Dominican | W, 7-3
  • UIS carried its momentum into game two, where senior pitcher Addyson McClure kept the Prairie Stars steady in the circle. She retired three straight batters in the second, including one via strikeout, as both teams moved quickly through innings. A lightning delay in the fourth temporarily halted play, but once action resumed at 5:20 p.m., UIS wasted no time capitalizing.
  • Rosie Bartletti jump-started the offense with a single, stolen base, and advancement to third on a wild pitch before Jacy Watts drove her in with an RBI single. Ella Brinkley launched a three-run homer, giving UIS a commanding 4-0 lead.
  • UIS turned a double play in the fifth before Ohio Dominican took advantage of a wild pitch and an error to score an unearned run. McClure ended the threat by making a play at first, stranding two Panthers.
  • Rebecca Neupauer and Bartletti kept the momentum going in the sixth with back-to-back singles and stolen bases. Jaden Watts walked to load the bases, and Neupauer scored on a wild pitch. Lily Hurt drew a walk to reload the bases, but UIS couldn't add to its lead.
  • Ohio Dominican cut the deficit to 5-3 in the bottom of the inning, scoring on a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly. UIS responded in the seventh when Wilson walked and Zawacki singled, with both advancing on a flyout. Wilson scored on a throwing error, and Zawacki crossed home on a passed ball to push the lead to 7-3.
  • Zawacki then took the circle in the seventh, shutting the door to secure the Prairie Stars' second win of the day.
"Our energy was great today," said Coach Guthrie. "Our pitchers kept us in every game until we were able to get our offense going. Rosie and Addyson both had great starts, and it was fun to watch Taylor shut them down in the seventh inning of both games. Ella had the hit of the day with an absolute bomb to right field, which gave us the momentum to finish it out in game two. I thought we responded very well after the rain delay and came back stronger than we started."

Up Next
UIS, now 2-0, will look to carry this momentum into Saturday's games at the Music City Classic. UIS is slated to play No. 17-ranked Trevecca Nazarene at 10:30 a.m. and Ashland afterwards at 12:30 p.m.