Publish Date


The UIS softball team fought hard in two tightly contested matchups on Friday but came up just short, falling 9-7 to Central Missouri and 7-6 to Northwest Missouri State. Despite strong offensive efforts and late-inning pushes, the Prairie Stars were unable to complete their comebacks in the opening day of the Alvy Early Memorial Classic.

Game One vs. Central Missouri | L, 9-7
  • The Prairie Stars wasted no time getting on the board in their first game of the weekend, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Ella Brinkley led off with a single, followed by an Isabella Wilson walk. Jacy Watts then delivered a three-run homer to give UIS the early advantage.
  • Central Missouri quickly responded, cutting the deficit to 3-1 with a solo home run off Rosie Bartletti in the second inning. The Jennies took control in the third, capitalizing on three hits, a walk, and a UIS error to pull ahead 4-3. Their momentum continued into the fourth, where they tacked on two more runs to extend their lead to 6-3.
  • UIS continued to battle, keeping the game within reach. The Prairie Stars chipped away at the deficit, closing the gap to 9-6 by the end of the sixth inning. Despite adding another run in the seventh, their rally fell just short in the 9-7 final.
  • Ella Brinkley paced the offense with a 2-for-4 performance, while Isabella Wilson reached base in all of her at-bats, finishing 2-for-2. Watts' first-inning home run remained the only extra-base hit for UIS.
  • Kate Feld took the loss in the circle, moving to 0-1 on the season.

Game Two vs. Northwest Missouri State | L, 7-6
  • The Prairie Stars found themselves in another tight contest against Northwest Missouri State. Ella Brinkley led off with a single but was erased on a fielder's choice, leading to a quick 1-2-3 first outing for UIS. The Bearcats applied early pressure with a single and a stolen base, but Addyson McClure worked around it with a pair of strikeouts.
  • UIS struck first in the second inning as Rosie Bartletti reached on a fielder's choice, stole second, and came home on an error off the bat of Jaden Watts. Northwest Missouri State answered in the third, using a combination of singles and a sac bunt to even the score at 1-1.
  • A Bearcats double, stolen base, and single in the fourth put them ahead 2-1, but UIS quickly responded. Back-to-back singles from Taylor Zawacki and Malia Bender, followed by a Bartletti single, set the table. Watts reached on another error, and Bender stole third before scoring on a defensive miscue, tying the game at 2-2.
  • Northwest Missouri State's offense heated up in the fifth, stringing together three singles and capitalizing on an error to push their lead to 6-2. Brinkley's double and an RBI single from Isabella Wilson helped UIS cut the gap to 6-4.
  • A sixth-inning run extended the Bearcats' lead to 7-4. UIS kept fighting in the seventh, with Bartletti driving in Wilson to pull within one, but the Prairie Stars couldn't complete the comeback, falling 7-6.
  • Addyson McClure fell to 2-1 with the loss.

Up Next
UIS resumes early-season play at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic tomorrow, facing Washburn at 11:00 a.m. and Missouri Southern at 1:30 p.m.