Pride earn second-straight doubleheader split in home set against Graceland
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Continuing their first conference weekend of the 2026 season, the Clarke University softball team was able to split another doubleheader, this time against Graceland University with a 2-1 game one win before dropping the finale 5-1.
The Pride were carried by a strong pitching performance from Emma Slayback in game one as she earned her fifth win of the season in complete game fashion, allowing one earned run on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts as she was able to pitch around traffic on the bases in all but two innings, leaving eight runners left stranded on base throughout the game.
CU left a little meat on the bone offensively as well, leaving eight runners on base throughout the game as well, but were able to bring runners across the plate enough with a single run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead then answering the Yellowjackets run in the top of the fifth to regain the lead at 2-1.
In the second inning, Lauren Hefel led off the inning with a double then was moved over to third by Oakleigh Harman with a groundout then driven in by a Kynadee Harris infield single as the run in the fifth inning started similarly with a Kaylie Holtam leadoff double, moved to third on a Harlee Makue-Vasconcellos bunt single then brought home by a Harman sacrifice fly.
Slayback was able to close out the seventh inning despite a leadoff single and a second baserunning reaching to make it two runners on with one out but a strikeout and a ground ball to Harris for the unassisted putout ended the Clarke win at the 2-1 final score.
Game two got off to a similar start for the Pride, scoring a single run this time in the bottom of the first inning as Holtam scored on a Hefel fielder's choice ground ball, but fifth and sixth innings from Graceland that produced five total runs allowed GU to come from behind for the win.
After recording three hits in the first inning, Clarke was unable to produce any other offensive innings with more than a single hit as they were limited by Yellowjackets' starter McKenna Kelley, who produced a similar performance to Slayback in game one, allowing one earned run on six hits and two walks while striking out two.
Clarke softball will be off from game action after a busy eight-day stretch until Saturday, Mar. 21 when they play their first Heart of America Athletic Conference road games in Peru, Neb. when they play Peru State College for a 1:00 p.m. CT starting doubleheader.