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 A big second game behind Christine Ulses’ five RBIs allowed the Truman Softball team to salvage a split with the University of Illinois-Springfield .

The Bulldogs lost a tight first game 3-2 but won the second game 9-0.  The team will be back in action at home on Wednesday against Drury University (Mo.) at 2:00 p.m.

Richelle vanGennip took care of business to start the first game as she got eight of the first nine outs via strikeout.

  vanGennip unfortunately was tagged with the loss despite fanning 13 Prairie Stars in the first game, one off her career high.

Brooke Carroll was able to coax a two-out bases loaded walk after vanGennip ran the count full in the fifth.  UIS was able to load the bases on two Bulldog errors.

Truman was able to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning as Laura Miller dropped a single into left field to plate both Emily Huntze and Erica LaCombe with two outs.

In the seventh, a double, walk and a single loaded the bases again for the Prairie Stars and Carroll was able to deliver again.  After a pitching change to bring in Kristen Krause, Carroll drilled a pitch off the left center field wall to score two runs that held up for the game winning RBIs.

The Bulldogs put their first two runners on in the bottom of the seventh and had them in scoring position with one out but a foul out and groundout ended the game.

 In the second game, Beth Schnurbusch was able to get out of a sticky first inning in which the Prairie Stars loaded the bases again but left them all stranded after a groundout.

An RBI double by LaCombe gave Truman the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning and the Bulldogs added three more in the fifth on Ulses’ three-run homer to left.

The ‘Dogs were able to get the walk-off run-run win in the sixth as five Truman players crossed the plate.  Two UIS errors and four Bulldog hits opened the flood gates in the inning with the final blow coming from Ulses, who drove in the final two runs with a single.

Schnurbusch picked up her second win of the season while allowing just four hits in the shutout.

Truman (14-20 overall) will host their second straight non-conference opponent on Wednesday afternoon as the Drury Panthers will be in town for a 2:00 p.m. start.

Courtesy Truman State University