The William Jewell softball team split a double-header with No. 25 Southern Indiana on Sunday afternoon at the Spratt Sports Complex. The Cardinals dropped the first game 13-9 and followed with a wild 5-4 win in eight innings. Jewell moves to 9-13 overall, 3-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference while USI falls to 19-9, 7-1 in league play.

In the game one slugfest, USI jumped out on top with five runs in the top of the second on five hits and two Cardinal errors, forcing Jewell make a pitching change. Taylor Friesen entered and got the final out but not before the damage was done.

Jewell did not go quietly though as they responded with seven runs of their own. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases with one out for Morgan Olson. Olson walked to force in the first Cardinal run. Megan Barnes then singled to center field to scored two followed by a single from Madi Giles to again load the bases. A fielder's choice from Nona Pauline plated another Cardinal run but it was sophomore Brooke Bernard with the big blast, a three-run home run to right center gave Jewell the 7-5 lead after two complete.

The Screaming Eagles retook the lead following a solo home run by Grace Clark in the third inning, followed by a sacrifice fly, and another two-run home by Lexi Reese to grab the 9-7 advantage after three and a half frames.

Jewell scored a run in the bottom of the inning, before the Eagles expanded their lead in the top of the fifth following an RBI single and home run from Clark, her second of the day.

Olson made it 11-9 with a solo blast in the sixth but a two-run shot in the seventh put the game out of reach as USI took the victory 13-9.

Neither starting pitcher was able to make it through two innings as Taylor Friesen took the loss for the Cardinals to fall to 1-3 while Sarah Owens (7-1) got the win for USI, also in relief.  

Giles and Phoebe Dabbour led the Jewell offense with two hits. Bernard was tops with three RBI while Olson and Giles each crossed the plate twice.

After the offensive explosion in game one, the nightcap began as a pitcher's duel for the first half of the contest as Owens and the Card's Shelby McGraw battled through the first three innings with no score. Owens gave up just two hits while McGraw allowed none during that time.

The Eagles got on the board with a solo home run from Haley Hodges to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth.

The Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the inning as Phoebe Dabbour singled followed by a double from Anna Biondo put two in scoring position for Aerin Creamer. After the ball was put in play with a ground ball to shortstop, Dabbour took off from third base which drew the throw from USI's Reese. The throw sailed wide and allowed both runners to score and gave Jewell a 2-1 lead.

Both teams went quietly in the fifth before Reese blasted a two-run home run to push the Eagles back in front 3-2, forcing a pitching change. Like she did in the first game, freshman Anna Biondo, who started at third base came on to pitch in relief of McGraw.

After hitting her first career home run the previous day, senior Megan Barnes led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot over the left field wall to tie the game at three. Giles then reached base after be hit by a pitch followed by a single from Bernard to give Jewell a big threat but two fly outs ended the rally and forced extra innings.

In in the eighth the Eagles seemed to have won the game as Reese hit her third long ball of the day to take a 4-3 lead. In the bottom half of the frame however, McGraw doubled and came all the way around to score on an errant throw by the USI left fielder to tie the game at four. A ground out and fly out preceded an at-bat by Barnes. A ground ball to third base seem to end the ending but another error resulted with Barnes standing on second base. Giles then came through with a single up the middle off the glove of the USI second baseman which scored Barnes to give Jewell the walk off victory.

McGraw went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs, on five hits, with two strikeouts while Biondo struck out three and allowed one run in 2.1 innings of relief to take the win.

Barnes led the Jewell offense in game two with two hits, one RBI, and two runs scored. Dabbour, and Bernard each also had two hits.

Up next the Cardinals will take a short break from GLVC play as they host Southwest Baptist on Tuesday, for a double-header beginning at 2:00 p.m.