ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The 13th-ranked UIndy softball team (49-15) capped its stay at the NCAA DII Midwest Regional Sunday with a pair of clutch wins, sending the Greyhounds to their first Super Regional berth since 2015. Needing to twice defeat Illinois Springfield to keep their season alive, the Hounds did just that, downing the Prairie Stars by scores of 11-8 and 11-3.
 
Playing at the spacious Lou Brock Sports Complex*, the Hounds racked up 23 hits in all, including 11 of the extra-base variety, to dispose of the Stars and end their season. Awaiting the Greyhounds at the Super Regional will be top-seeded Grand Valley State (47-8). UIndy will travel to Allendale, Mich., to take on the Lakers in a best-of-three series scheduled for May 16-17.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After forcing a second game with a win earlier in the day (see below), the Hounds run-ruled UIS in the minimum five innings. Junior Lauren Honkomp (23-5) went the distance in the circle, limiting the Prairie Stars to four hits, three runs (one earned) while striking out six.
 
It was the offense that was the story, however. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the third, the Greyhounds fired up the carousel with three doubles in a four-hitter span to retake the lead. Brooke Montgomery, Gianni Iannantone and Cathy Skaggs all recorded doubles in short order, with the latter coming around on an RBI knock by Taylor Danielson for the third and final run of the frame.
 
Things got worse for the Stars in the fourth when the Greyhounds hung a seven-spot on the board to essentially clinch it. Kamrie Foster delivered the biggest blow with a two-run, opposite-field double.
 
Skaggs, Iannantone and Taylor Podschweit each contributed three hits in the capper. Skaggs had two doubles and three runs, Iannantone racked up two runs and two RBIs, while Podschweit had a pair of ribbies and a run scored.
 
In addition, Iannantone upped her RBI total to 58 on the year, good for the third-highest single-season total in program history.
 
GAME 1
The Greyhounds generated five extra-base hits on the way to an 11-8 win, their highest run total in this postseason (to date) and highest since April 27.
 
A pair of first-inning triples – one from Hanna Burris and one from Skaggs – staked the Hounds to an early 2-0 lead. After UIS took a brief 4-2 edge in the third, UIndy exploded for six runs in the fourth to take control. Ten Greyhounds came to the plate in the frame, including Podschweit, who sent a screamer over the 18-foot fence in deep center field for a two-run homer. Iannantone chipped in a base-loaded, three-run double.

Sophomore pitcher Halie Waters battled through five-plus innings to get the win and move to 23-9 on the season. Sophomore Haylie Foster came on to finish the game in the circle, tossing the final two-plus frames.
 
Montgomery racked up two hits, two runs and four RBIs; Burris scored three times, while Iannantone led the club with three driven in.
 
 
* Originally scheduled to take place at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, today's games were moved to the turf field at nearby Lindenwood University due to significant precipitation in the area yesterday.