UU ends season with 4-game winning streak

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The Urbana University softball team ended the season on a high note with a doubleheader sweep of Cedarville on Tuesday at UU Softball Field. The Blue Knights (8-35) won 3-1 and 3-2 over the Yellow Jackets (25-29), and capped the season with a four-game win streak.

Game 1

Making her final appearance in a Blue Knight uniform, Cortney Moore tossed a complete-game gem to carry UU to victory. The senior righty scattered seven hits, walked three and recorded three strikeouts in her fourth win inside the circle. Cedarville’s only run came in the final inning.

The Blue Knights scored all three runs in the third on four hits. Senior shortstop Nikki Holthaus led off the frame with a walk and junior second baseman Courtney Stewart followed with an infield single. Two batters later, senior first baseman Katelyn Edwards delivered an RBI double to left center to give UU the game’s first lead.

Moore kept it going with a perfectly-executed safety squeeze bunt that went for a hit, and then freshman right fielder Jenna VanHoose provided a clutch two-out single to push across the third run.

The Yellow Jackets made a threat in their final at-bat, scoring a run on three consecutive hits and putting the tying run on base with two outs. Fortunately, Moore and the Blue Knights were able to hang on by inducing a game-ending fly out.

Freshman third baseman Learic Kinser led UU with two hits and freshman center fielder Savannah Sturgill also singled.

Both teams recorded seven hits with one defensive error apiece.

Game 2

With the score tied 2-2, Moore sent the Blue Knights home with a walk-off sac fly in her final career at-bat which scored Kinser in the bottom of the eighth. It was the first extra-inning contest of the season, and also the final game for UU.

Moore earned her second win of the day inside the circle after throwing three-and-two-thirds innings of scoreless relief. She entered with one out in the fifth and escaped a bases-loaded jam. From then, Moore mowed down the visitors by retiring nine straight.

Both teams scored a run in the first inning and then UU plated one in the second for an early 2-1 lead. Stewart led off the first for UU with a single and led the way with three hits. She came around two batters later on Edwards’ RBI single.

The left-handed swinging Stewart kept her bat going with an RBI single in the second inning. The junior closed out the year with a team-high .385 batting average in the leadoff spot.

UU held the one-run lead until the fifth. Stewart got the start inside the circle and cruised through four innings, while also fielding her position well with five putouts. But the Yellow Jackets were able to string together a few hits and an RBI double tied the game.

The game remained tied until Moore’s eighth-inning heroics. Kinser had UU’s only other hit as both teams were limited to six total base knocks.

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