ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis' softball team upset No. 22 and defending national champion Southern Indiana 3-1 in the second game of its doubleheader at the Lewis Softball Field on Friday afternoon. The Screaming Eagles won the opener 6-3 in nine innings.

The Flyers improve to 20-28 overall and 10-14 GLVC while USI is 32-16, 18-6 GLVC. With the win Lewis keeps its hopes alive of returning to the GLVC Tournament for the first time since 2015.

Game 2 – Lewis 3 Southern Indiana 1
The Flyers took advantage of some timely hitting and a pair of errors to score a pair of runs in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. Jessica Lofthouse (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) started the inning with a one out single to left and advanced to second on an error by the left fielder. Cassie Shaw (Moline, Ill./Moline) moved her to third with a single up the middle to put runners on the corner for Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community). Swartzentruber layed down a bunt between the circle and the plate allowing Lofthouse to score on the squeeze play.

Dara Sanders (Crestwood, Ill./Mother McAuley) followed with a single to left to load the bases for Lauren Brennan (Cantonment, Fla./J.M. Tate). Brennan followed with a single to center to bring in Shaw. Swartzentruber tried to score from second when the ball got away from the center fielder but she was thrown out at the plate. Kristin Kavalauskas (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) reached on a throwing error but some confusion on the bases cost Lewis as Brennan was tagged out in a rundown between second and third.

The Screaming Eagles scored an unearned run in the fourth to cut the Flyer lead in half. Lewis nearly got out of the inning unscathed but were unable to complete a 6-4-3 inning ending double play.

The Flyers regained their two-run cushion in the sixth. With one out, Shaw doubled to the gap in right center and scored on Sanders two-out double to center.

That would be all the run support Shaw needed as she held the USI lineup to three hits in the nightcap while striking out five to pick up the complete game win to improve to 8-12.

Shaw led Lewis at the plate as well going 3-for-3 while Sanders was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Game 1 Southern Indiana 6 Lewis 3
The Screaming Eagles jumped out to the early lead with a run in the first on an RBI single from Caitlyn Bradley to score Jen Leonhardt.

The Flyers tied the score in the fourth. With one out, Cierra Taylor (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) singled up the middle and scored on Shaw's bloop single to right when the right fielder tried to make a diving catch.

USI regained the lead in the sixth on a solo home run off the bat of Allie Schubert to lead off the inning.

Lewis tied it again in the home half of the sixth. Taylor singled to second with one out and advanced to second when the second baseman dropped the throw on what would have been an inning ending 6-4-3 double play. Shaw followed with a single to center to score Taylor with the tying run. The Flyers had a chance to take the lead with the go-ahead run 60 feet away but back-to-back groundouts ended the inning.

The Screaming Eagles loaded the bases in the seventh but didn't score when Morgan Weber (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) robbed Haley Shouse of an infield single to end the inning.

Lewis had a chance to win it in the eighth but Swartzentruber's drive to center was held up the wind and stayed in the park.

USI retook the lead in the ninth on Courtney Schoolcraft's grand slam to left with two out in the inning on a 2-2 pitch.

The Flyers got a run back in the bottom of the frame when Lofthouse hit a double down the left field line to score Courtney Mahalik (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) and brought the tying run to the plate but a pop out and a strikeout ended the game.

Lewis had eight hits in the first game with Taylor, Shaw and Sanders contributing two each. Sanders was the tough luck loser allowing six runs, two earned, on 10 hits with seven strikeouts.

The Flyers wrap the regular season on Sunday hosting Bellarmine in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. Lewis will honor seniors Lauren Brennan (Cantonment, Fla./J.M. Tate), Dara Sanders (Crestwood, Ill./Mother McAuley) and Cassie Shaw (Moline, Ill./Moline) after game two of the twinbill.