Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Galesburg, Ill.  The Prairie Fire split a doubleheader against Robert Morris University-Springfield in the first games of the season at the Knox Softball Field on Saturday.
 
Robert Morris - Springfield 8  Knox 0
 
RMU scored two runs in each of the first two innings for an early 4-0 lead and held the Knox offense in check in the first game of the twinbill.  
 
The Prairie Fire tallied only two hits off of Robert Morris hurler Abi Van Winkle – a double by junior Kayla Behrens (Moline, IL, Moline) and a single off the bat of senior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington).
 
Knox had its best chance to score in the bottom of the fifth after RMU stretched the lead to 7-0.  The Prairie Fire had runners on second and third with two out, but a line-drive smash by senior Alyssa Bleidorn (Batavia, IL, Batavia) was snagged by the Robert Morris shortstop.
 
Van Winkle did not strike out a batter and walked one in the complete game shutout for the Eagles.  Sophomore Karli Shields (Naperville, IL, Neuqua Valley) suffered the loss for the Prairie Fire.  Shields (1-7) allowed six earned runs, 10 hits, five walks, and struck out six.
 
 
Knox 3  Robert Morris 2
 
Eisha pitched a complete game and drove in the winning run for the Prairie Fire.
 
Eisha smacked an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning that snapped a 2-2 tie and gave Knox the lead for good.  She then retired Robert Morris in order in the top of the seventh for her first win in the circle.  
 
The Prairie Fire (1-11) drew 10 walks in the game.  Knox cashed in on RMU's wildness with a pair of runs on back-to-back walks to Shields and first-year Samantha Nordstedt (Skokie, IL, Niles North) with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning for a 2-0 lead.
 
The Eagles answered with two runs in the top of the sixth to draw even with Knox.  Eisha retired the first two hitters before allowing three straight singles to load the bases.  Laci Porter drove in both Robert Morris runs in the inning with another single to tie the game 2-2.  Eisha limited the damage by getting the next hitter to ground out.
 
First-year Kaly Davidson (Needham, MA, Needham) singled to lead off the sixth, but she was forced out at second base on a pop-up to right field by junior Rhiannon Neuville (Eugene, OR, South Eugene).  The right fielder bobbled the ball, but she recovered with a good throw to second to retire Davidson.  Bleidorn sacrificed Neuville to second, setting up the two out hit by Eisha that brought Neuville around to score the go-ahead run.
 
Eisha (1-4) recorded three straight ground ball outs in the seventh inning to earn the win in the circle. She gave up two earned runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and no walks.  Two pitchers for Robert Morris (4-9) combined to surrender only three singles to Knox, but the 10 walks allowed and an error in the sixth inning proved costly.
 
The Prairie Fire are looking to put together their first winning streak of the season on Sunday when Iowa Wesleyan College visits the Knox Softball Field for a doubleheader.  The first game is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m.