Softball Notches Pair of Wins vs. UIS

Game 1: Truman 8, Illinois Springfield 0 || Box Score (5 innings)
Game 2: Truman 9, Illinois Springfield 1 || Box Score (5 innings)
2014 Schedule || 2014 Season Stats || Career Stats

COLUMBIA, Mo. - - The Truman softball team used timely hitting and two more dominant pitching performances to improve to 4-0 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Monday, as the Bulldogs earned two run-rule victories against Illinois Springfield at Battle High School.

Playing for the second straight day at Columbia's BHS complex due to unplayable field conditions in Kirksville, the Bulldogs (10-3, 4-0 GLVC) jumped all over UIS (7-7, 1-3 GLVC) at the outset of both games to apply quick pressure on the Prairie Stars. Meanwhile, the early runs stood up easily for Truman, with Kindra Henze and Kelsea Dorsey combining to give up only one run in 10 innings of work.

The Van Nostrand sisters – senior Jessica and freshman Alexis – combined for six RBI, while senior Kelsey Bollman tallied a pair of multi-hit games.

Truman returns to action on Wednesday afternoon, taking its eight-game winning streak to Jefferson City for a 2 p.m. double-dip with former MIAA-rival Lincoln.

Game 1 Recap – Truman 8, Illinois Springfield 0 (5 innings)
Jessica VanNostrand drove home three, while both she and Cate Simon went yard with back-to-back blasts in the fourth, as Truman rolled 8-0 in a run-rule five-inning game one against UIS.

After Kelsey Bollman and Cate Simon reached with two outs in the bottom of the first, VanNostrand delivered a two-RBI double to right-center for an early 2-0 lead. Simon doubled home Andrea Klipsch in the third, before Klipsch got in on the action with an RBI single in the fourth to push Truman's lead to 4-0. Bollman then brought home Danielle Lewellen with an RBI groundout in front of Simon and VanNostrand's long-distance shows for an 8-0 edge.

Kindra Henze (5-1) faced only two more than the minimum in her five inning complete game shutout, striking out six. She needed just 64 pitches to get through 17 UIS hitters and never let a Prairie Star touch second base.

Game 2 Recap – Truman 9, Illinois Springfield 1 (5 innings)
A five-run fifth inning, capped by a three-run RBI single by Alexis VanNostrand, propelled the Bulldogs to a second run-rule victory of the day, as Truman capped Monday's action with a 9-1 victory.

As in game one, Jessica VanNostrand opened the scoring in the first with a two-run double, as she scored Lewellen and Simon for a 2-0 lead. UIS posted a back-to-back double and triple to get on the board in the second, but Truman rebounded with a Lewellen RBI infield single in the home half to regain a 3-1 edge. A pair of doubles by Andrea Klipsch and Kelsey Bollman added one more run in the third, before Truman capitalized on a critical UIS miscue in the fifth.

With two outs and nobody on, Bollman singled through the right side. Then, two pitches later, the Prairie Stars had a chance to get out of the inning, but the squad misplayed a routine pop-up in the infield, allowing Simon to reach and Bollman to move to third. A four-pitch walk to Jessica VanNostrand preluded a two-RBI single to right-center by Whitney Richardson.

Another four-pitch walk to Liz Leath loaded the bases for Alexis VanNostrand, who singled home two. On the play, however, VanNostrand pressed the issue, advancing to second and drawing a throw that allowed Leath to scamper home and finish the game at 9-1.

Kelsea Dorsey struck out seven and allowed just three baserunners in her five innings, as she improved to 5-2 on the season.

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