KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team's chances of qualifying for the GLVC Tournament took a major blow Sunday as the Screaming Eagles' four-game win streak came to an end with a pair of conference losses to host Rockhurst University.

USI (13-32, 5-14 GLVC) lost the first game, 8-1, before seeing a seventh-inning rally end with the tying run at third base in a 3-2 game-two setback.

The Eagles opened the first game by capitalizing on a pair of Rockhurst errors to score a run in the top of the first inning and take a 1-0 lead.

Rockhurst (17-17, 7-11 GLVC), however, reeled off three straight singles en route to a three-run third inning. The Hawks continued the onslaught in the fifth inning as they scored four times to take a commanding 7-1 lead.

Freshman pitcher Hadley Clark (Owensboro, Kentucky), who was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in her two outings leading up to today's contest, was charged with the loss after giving up seven runs off nine hits in 4.2 innings of work.

In game two, the Hawks took advantage of a lead-off error to plate two runs in the bottom of the third inning. A lead-off double in the sixth inning led to Rockhurst's third run and a 3-0 lead heading into the final frame.

Back-to-back hits to lead off the seventh inning got the Eagles going offensively. Senior shortstop Ally McKinley (Sullivan, Indiana) started the rally with a single to rightfield, while sophomore second baseman Amanda Brendel (Salem, Illinois) doubled to rightfield to put runners at second and third with no outs.

McKinley scored two batters later when junior designated player Sara Loete (Pekin, Illinois) grounded out to second base. Loete picked up her team-leading 23rd RBI of the season and her 77th in her two-year career at USI.

Following a walk to sophomore pitcher Dawn McClellan (Valparaiso, Indiana), sophomore third baseman Dani Finkelstein (Windsor, Colorado) stroked an RBI-single into the right-centerfield gap to score Brendel and move McClellan to third base.

Following a pitching change, Rockhurst reliever Heather Robertson struck out junior catcher Tara McConnell (Henderson, Kentucky), who was in the game as a pinch-hitter, to end USI's rally and give the Hawks the one-run victory.

McClellan (5-13) was charged with the loss despite giving up just one earned run. Overall, she allowed three runs off six hits in 6.0 innings of work.

USI ends its eight-game road trip Tuesday when it visits Oakland City University for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader in Oakland City, Indiana. The Eagles host Saint Joseph's College in a GLVC doubleheader next Saturday before closing out the regular season next Sunday against the University of Indianapolis.