May 3, 2009

Box Score

GLVC Championship: No. 6 Northern Kentucky 10, No. 5 Lewis 2 (6 inn.) in PDF Format

East Peoria, Ill. - With the Great Lakes Valley Conference Softball Championship on the line, Lewis University head softball coach George DiMatteo handed the ball to senior hurler Courtney Lyons (San Pedro, Calif./San Pedro) in the Flyers' showdown against No. 6 seeded Northern Kentucky.

Unfortunately for Lyons and the Flyers, it was her fifth straight appearance in the tournament and the Norse touched her for seven runs, including a grand slam by freshman Ashley Gates, on their way to the 10-2 victory in six innings at the EastSide Centre's Mizuno Field on Sunday afternoon.

"NKU came out with their bats blazing today," DiMatteo said. "A couple of girls beat us and they hit the ball very well. They were due to explode."

With the victory, Northern Kentucky improves to 31-21, while the Flyers drop to 38-18. Lewis now awaits word on a possible berth in the NCAA Regional Tournament.

The Norse also received a three-run homer from second baseman Rose Broderick and a two-run shot from center fielder Gretchen Lorenz.

NKU starting pitcher April Ehlers (18-12) earned her second-straight win over the Flyers, as she allowed two runs and four hits in six innings of work. Lyons provided the offensive damage for the Flyers, as she collected a pair of solo home runs off of Ehlers.

Despite the loss, DiMatteo was pleased with his squad's performance in the tournament.

"We're 20 games over .500 and we're very hopeful that we will receive a bid in the upcoming NCAA Softball Regional," DiMatteo said. "I'm very happy with the way we played this weekend."

A Catholic University sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis offers nearly 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, accelerated degree completion options for working adults, various aviation programs and 22 graduate programs in nine fields. The mid-sized university is being honored for the fifth consecutive year by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. For more information please visit www.lewisu.edu.

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