ROSEMONT, Ill. – Lewis' softball team opened its 2019 season with a split at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill., on Friday morning. The Flyers (1-1) dropped a 2-1 decision to Ashland in the season opener and then defeated Wisconsin-Parkside 5-2 in their second game of the morning.

Game 1 – Ashland 2 Lewis 1
The Eagles (1-0) scored a pair of first inning runs on a two-out double by Halle Dorko to break on top. Lewis had a chance to cut the lead in half in its half of the first but Sara Serena (Kankakee, Ill./Kankakee) was robbed of a hit by Bree Gill.

The Flyers cut Ashland's lead in half in the fourth. Morgan Weber (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) led off the inning with a triple down the right field line and then Serena followed with a double down the left field line to drive in Weber. Lewis had a chance for more but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.

After giving up the two early runs Dara Sanders (Crestwood, Ill./Mother McAuley) held Ashland scoreless over the final six innings retiring 11 of the final 12 hitters she faced.

Lauren Brennan (Cantonment, Fla./J.M. Tate) led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and moved to a second on a sacrifice bunt from Sanders. Maddy Beck (Racine, Wis./Case) drew a pinch-hit walk to put the winning run on base. A strikeout resulted in the second out of the inning and then Cierra Taylor (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) was robbed of a game-tying hit on a great diving catch in shallow left center by Emma Lawson.

The Flyers had five hits in the contest with Weber picking up two of them. Serena, Brennan and Sanders combined for the other three.

Sanders was the tough luck loser allowing two runs on five hits in a complete game effort. She struck out four and walked two in the contest.

Game 2 – Lewis 5 Wisconsin-Parkside 2
Lewis scored all five runs in its half of the third highlighted by Olivia Magaldi's (Mishawka, Ind./Penn) grand slam to left field. The Flyers sent eight batters to the plate as Taylor started the rally by hitting a ball back to the circle that deflected off the pitcher into right center for a double. Jessica Lofthouse (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt as Taylor scored from second on the play. With one out, Serena singled and Brennan walked to load the bases for Magaldi. She hammered a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left for her first home run of the season.

The Rangers (0-12) loaded the bases with no one out in the fourth but Taylor Boelte (Rockton, Ill./Hononegah) retired the next three hitters to keep Parkside off the board.

The Rangers cut into Lewis' lead in the fifth scoring twice on an RBI single from Cassie Walek and a ground out by Morgan Sikon.

Parkside brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth and seventh innings but Serena was able to keep them from scoring to secure the victory.

The Flyers had eight hits in the contest with Magaldi leading the way with two. Taylor, Weber, Serena, Beck, Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) and Paige Glass (Herscher, Ill./Herscher) had one each.

Boelte picked up the victory allowing two runs on six hits with a strikeout and three walks in five innings of work. Serena went the final two innings allowing three hits and a walk with a strikeout to get her first save of the season.

Lewis is back in action at the Dome in Rosemont on Saturday taking on Findlay at 9 a.m.