The Knox College softball team dropped a doubleheader at Grinnell on Wednesday, falling 10-0 in the first game and 7-4 in the second.
The Prairie Fire (8-28 overall, 2-12 in Midwest Conference) closes out the regular season at home on Saturday, hosting Ripon for two games. The first starts at 1 p.m.
In the second game, Knox trailed 1-0 after an inning, setting up an early challenge. In the top of the second, Kylie Thomson electrified the moment by doubling home Cheyanne Merkel to tie the score. Grinnell answered in the bottom half with a quick run and then tacked on another in the third, pushing the lead to 3-1. But Knox refused to fold, fighting back to even the game as the tension mounted.
In the top of the fifth, after Chelsea McKee and Janet Lentini reached base, Kara Burwell doubled to left, plating both and tying the game once again.
Despite tying the game, Knox saw Grinnell score four runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead.
Knox continued to battle in the seventh, as Merkel doubled home McKee and put the tying runs on base alongside Maddie Hicks. Still, Knox could not bring in the necessary runs to extend the game.
Merkel led the way with three hits, a run, and an RBI. Burwell added two RBI. Hicks had two hits, and McKee scored twice.
Earlier in the day, in the first game, Knox mustered five hits in a 10-0 defeat, with McKee recording two of them. A seven-run second inning gave Grinnell control early.
