April 21, 2004

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score

ROMEOVILLE, Ill.-The Lewis University softball team clinched the No. 2 seed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament with a doubleheader sweep of league foe Wisconsin-Parkside Wednesday.

Mary Jaszczak and Kristen Porzel hurled complete-game shutouts in game 1 and 2, respectively, as Lewis (36-10, 16-2 GLVC) beat the Rangers 5-0 and 2-0.

Jaszczak (14-4) held UWP (26-17, 10-8 GLVC) to four hits as she recorded her third straight shutout. She has seven shutouts this season and is tied for fifth all-time at Lewis for most shutouts in a single season. She has not allowed a run in her last 24.1 innings and has given up just nine hits in that span.

The Flyers began their scoring with two runs in the third inning of game 1. Christina Willis led off with a slap single and advanced to second when Robin Martz singled up the middle. Elaina Ktistou sacrificed the pair over and Kristy Vanek walked two batters later to load the bases with two outs. Amy Roberts then blooped a ball between the second baseman and right fielder for a double and scored Willis and Martz.

Lewis added two more runs in the fourth inning. Amy Yusko stole home on the back end of a double steal with Willis to give the Flyers a 3-0 lead. Willis later scored on a two-out single by Crystal Bowen.

Stacy Davis doubled to right field to lead off the sixth inning and was pinch run for by Beth Shelus. After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt, Shelus scored on an RBI groundout from Martz that completed Lewis' scoring in the opening game.

Porzel's victory was her third shutout of the season and second in a row. She improved her record to 7-1 by holding the Rangers to three hits while striking out four.

Both of the Flyers runs in the nightcap came in the third inning. Martz singled down the left field line to start the rally. Ktistou dropped her team-leading 18th sacrifice bunt to put Martz on second with two outs. Bowen then came through with her second two-out RBI base hit of the day on a single back up the middle. Bowen stole second and was brought home on an RBI single by Vanek. The RBI upped Vanek's team-leading total to 28.

With hits in both games, Martz extended the nation's longest current hitting streak to 28 games. With 63 hits this season, she also moved into third all-time at Lewis for hits in a single season. She needs six more hits to break the single-season record of 68 shared by Jill Karwoski and Mandy Driscoll.

Ktistou stole her 20th base of the season in the opener to move within two stolen bases of breaking the school's single-season record. Katie Schaefer set Lewis' single-season mark with 21 thefts in 2001.

With only two regular-season GLVC games remaining, the Flyers can finish no lower than a tie for second with SIU Edwardsville (12-4 GLVC). Since Lewis swept its meeting with SIUE, the Flyers hold the tiebreaker over the Cougars. Lewis still has a shot at the conference's No. 1 seed, but Northern Kentucky must lose two of its last six conference games for that to happen. That is unlikely as the Norse play three of the league's bottom four teams to end its regular season.

Lewis will play its final home games of the season in a doubleheader against Quincy, April 25. The first game is scheduled for noon.