INDIANAPOLIS - Junior outfielder Paige McPhearson went 6-for-7 and knocked in eight runs as the IU Indianapolis softball team split a Horizon League doubleheader with Oakland at the IU Indy Softball Complex on Friday (Apr. 10). The Jaguars rallied from behind to win game one 8-4 before falling in the nightcap, 9-5. Senior Alexa Holman earned the win in the circle with a complete game as the Jaguars pounded out 25 hits in the two games. 

"I just felt like I was seeing the ball well and I felt like I could put it in play and was just doing what I had to do," McPhearson said of her big day.

Game #1 - IU Indy 8, Oakland 4
McPhearson went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers in the game one win, including a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the sixth as part of a six-run rally. After drilling a solo shot in the fifth, McPherson lined a bullet on a full count just over the fence in right to give the Jaguars a 7-4 lead. The Jags played add-on later in the inning when Molly Kable scampered home from third after having reached on an infield hit and moved up on Kennedy Cowan's single. 

Oakland struck first in the first inning when Maggie Murphy drove a homer over the centerfield fence, only to see the Jaguars tie the game in the bottom half on Kable's RBI single. Both starters settled in from there until Oakland took a 3-1 lead in the fifth, including a bases loaded hit by pitch to push a run home. McPhearson countered by driving the first pitch of the bottom half of the inning well beyond the fence in right for her fourth homer of the season. Oakland extended its lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth before the Jaguars sent 10 batters to the dish in the bottom half. 

Holman started the rally with a solid single, followed by Kinsey Pfeiffer's pinch hit double to center. Mae Munson followed with a bunt single, turning the lineup over to Adeline Blackwell. Blackwell followed with a solid single to make it 4-3 before McPhearson unloaded on the go-ahead grand slam. 

"I saw the ball coming inside and I said, 'oh boy, that's it right there'," McPhearson said. "I just took a big hack at it."

Holman allowed four runs and struck out two in the complete game victory while Kenna Bommarito took the loss for Oakland, yielding eight runs and striking out six in five innings of work. Blackwell went 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot while Kable was 2-for-2 and a walk. Holman and Munson also had multi-hit games in the opener. 

Game #2 - Oakland 9, IU Indy 5
The Jaguars tried similar come-from-behind antics in game two, but fell short after initially trailing 5-1 in the fourth inning. The Jags only damage in the first three innings came on a McPhearson RBI single in the third, scoring Piper Stephens from second.

Oakland hung a three spot on IU Indy starter Clara Phariss in the fourth inning, starting the rally with a bunt single and then sacrificing the runner to second. After a single put runners on the corners, the Golden Grizzlies pulled off a double steal to sneak a run home. Later, Murphy smashed a two-run single back up the middle to make it 5-1. 

The Jaguars took advantage of some wildness in the circle to get even in the bottom half, beginning with walks to Callie Dickerson and Holman to start the inning. Stephens followed with an infield hit to load the bases before Munson reached on a bloop to left field that resulted in a force out at third base. Blackwell followed with an RBI double and McPhearson ripped a two-run single to right to tie the score. 

Oakland tacked on a run in the fifth and another in the sixth on Murphy's RBI double. 

McPhearson went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in while Stephens was 2-for-4 with two runs scored in game two. Phariss was saddled with the loss, allowing six runs over four innings before yielding to Dickerson in relief. Bommarito collected the win in relief for Oakland, working the final 3.1 innings without allowing a run. 

The two teams will conclude the three-game series on Saturday, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the IU Indy Softball Complex.