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East Peoria, Ill. - Lewis University junior catcher
Mary Giancarlo (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) has always enjoyed this time of year, as she entered this weekend's Great Lakes Valley Conference Softball Tournament with a .418 career batting average during the month of May.
That streak of success continued on Friday (May 6), as Giancarlo went 2-for-3 with four RBI to help the No. 25 Flyers to the 8-0 (6 inn.) victory over Northern Kentucky to advance to the winner's bracket at the Eastside Centre.
"Mary is seeing the ball very well right now," Lewis head softball coach
George DiMatteo said. "She's very confident at the plate and she's definitely in the zone."
Lewis faces Missouri-St. Louis (31-18) at 3 p.m. on Saturday (3 p.m.) for the right to advance to the GLVC Championship contest on Sunday.
Lewis senior pitcher
Diana Pickrum (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) earned her eighth complete-game shutout of the season. Pickrum (15-4) allowed four hits and struck out six batters to earn the victory.
"(Diana) threw her heart out today," DiMatteo said. "She was ready to pitch."
Lewis exploded for five runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Giancarlo. The Flyers also received a RBI fielders choice by senior second baseman
Kayla Smith (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard North) (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard North) and RBI double by sophomore center fielder
Jayme Hefler (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West).
The Flyers tacked on another run in the fifth inning, as Smith (1-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI) drove in freshman designated player
Alyssa Moseley (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean) from second base with a RBI single. Moseley went 3-for-3 at the dish against NKU with two runs scored. Giancarlo added her second RBI double of the afternoon to plate Smith from first base to extend Lewis' lead to 7-0.
The final tally of the game came in the sixth on a RBI single by sophomore shortstop
Michelle Vucsko (Chicago, Ill./Marist) (Chicago, Ill./Marist).
"It was a tremendous performance from top to bottom today," DiMatteo said. "We were clutch all the way around and when you beat a team like Northern Kentucky, it's a huge achievement."
