Game #1 box score

Game #2 box score

St. Louis, MO – The Prairie Fire bounced back nicely from a pair of losses to open the season earlier this month with a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday at Harris-Stowe State University.

Knox blanked the Hornets 6-0 in the first game and then claimed a 7-4 victory in the nightcap. 

The Prairie Fire began the 2012 season with a pair of losses on March 3 at St. Ambrose University.  The offense had a big day on Wednesday after scoring just one run in the season-opening twinbill.  Knox banged out six hits in the first game and five in the second.

Sophomore Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington) tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out nine in the opener to earn the victory in the circle.  She got some help from the defense, which turned two double plays.  Sophomore hurler Anna Lemen (Cincinnati, OH, Cincinnati Country Day) earned the win in the second game.

Knox (2-2) got on the board in the first game with two runs in the second inning. One of the runs scored on a single by senior Amanda Wollrab (Knoxville, IL, Knoxville). The Fire plated another run in the third inning when first-year player Jenna Butler singled home Eisha for a 3-0 lead.  Knox  scored three more times in the sixth, highlighted by Butler's second RBI of the game on a single and a run-scoring single by junior Avecena Hollingsworth (Tigard, OR, Tigard).

The Prairie Fire again took an early lead in the second game with a pair of runs in the second inning.  The Knox advantage grew to 7-0 thanks to a five-run third inning.  The Hornets scored three runs in the bottom of the third frame to cut the deficit to 7-3.

Eisha was 3-for-5 with three RBI at the plate and the Knox hitters benefitted from seven walks by H-S pitching. 

Lemen threw a complete game.  She gave up three earned runs on seven hits in seven innings pitched and struck out three for her first victory of the season.

Harris-Stowe (2-8), which plated its final run in the bottom of the seventh inning, outhit Knox 7-6 in the second game.  Both teams had several opportunities to add more runs.  The Prairie Fire left 12 runners on base while Harris-Stowe stranded nine.

Knox plays next at Iowa Wesleyan College (4-15) on March 24.  The first game of the doubleheader against the Tigers begins at 1:00 p.m.

Follow Prairie Fire athletics on Twitter