ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Lewis University softball team earned a split in its doubleheader at Illinois Springfield, winning 6-5 in the opener but dropped the finale 8-0 in five innings on Friday (April 19). The Flyers fall to 16-26 on the season and are 7-13 in the GLVC while the Prairie Stars improve to 22-20, 11-10 GLVC.
Game 1 – Lewis 6 Illinois Springfield 5
Lewis scored all the runs it would need in the opener on two swings of the bat. Illinois Springfield scored a run in the first to take the early lead but
Cierra Taylor's (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) grand slam in the third propelled the Flyers to a 4-1 advantage.
The Prairie Stars got a two-run homer in their half of the third to cut the lead to 4-3 and retook the lead with two unearned runs in the fourth.
Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) put Lewis back in front hitting a two-run homer to right center with one out in the fifth.
Cassie Shaw (Moline, Ill./Moline) allowed just one hit over the final three innings and set down the final eight hitters she faced to earn the win and improve to 6-11 on the season.
Taylor led the Flyer attack with three hits and was a triple shy of the cycle in the opener.
Kristin Kavalauskas (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) added two hits while Swartzentruber,
Jessica Lofthouse (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) and
Maddy Beck (Racine, Wis./Case) had a hit apiece.
Game 2 – Illinois Springfield 8 Lewis 0 Five Innings
UIS jumped out on top in the first thanks to a two-out single to plate the first run. The Prairie Stars then added to their lead with four runs in the third with three of those coming on three straight hits with two out. UIS tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Jaycee Craver held the Flyer bats in check limiting them to just two hits in the contest. Swartzentruber and
Lauren Brennan (Cantonment, Fla./J.M. Tate) had the hits for Lewis.
Shaw took the loss in game two allowing five runs on six hits and three strikeouts.
The Flyers are back in action on Saturday taking on McKendree at 12 p.m. in Lebanon, Ill.
