AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Lewis' softball team extend its winning streak to a season-high six games defeating Bemidji State 5-4 in nine innings and Malone 8-2 on Monday morning in Auburndale, Fla. The Flyers improve to 10-5 on the season.
Game 1 – Lewis 5 Bemidji State 4 (9 innings)
The Beavers (7-6) scored four runs before an out was recorded to begin the game. Elaina Christiansen led off with a triple to right and scored on Lisa Kossan's single to left. A walk to Lexi Derrick put runners at first and second for Olivia Tucker. Tucker hit a three-run homer to left on the seventh pitch of the at-bat to make it 4-0.
Katie David (Mapleton, Ill./Illini Bluffs) relieved
Anna Gustafson (Elkhart, Ind./Penn) retiring three of the five hitters and worked out of two on one out jam to keep the deficit at four.
The Flyers chipped away in the bottom of the first.
Cierra Taylor (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) and
Jessica Lofthouse (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) both walked to begin the inning. Taylor advanced to third on a passed ball and later in the at-bat Lofthouse stole second.
Kristin Kavalauskas (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) drove in Taylor with a ground out to second and Lofthouse went to third. Lofthouse would later score on a wild pitch.
Lewis loaded the bases with two out in the inning but left the bases loaded on a fielder's choice to third to end the inning.
The Flyers scored again in the second as
Olivia Magaldi (Mishawka, Ind./Penn) and Taylor drew back-to-back walks to open the inning. They both advanced on Lofthouse's grounder to short and then Magaldi scored on Kavalauskas' infield single to second. Lewis would leave two in scoring position though.
The Flyers tied the game in the third on
Carrie Anderson's (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) first collegiate home run to center with one out in the inning.
Both sides threatened over the next four innings but neither scored as the game went into extra innings.
Bemidji State left the go-ahead run at third while Lewis stranded the winning run at second in the eighth.
The Beavers had the go-ahead run in scoring position in the ninth, but she was retired in a rundown between second and third on a sacrifice bunt attempt. David then retired the next two hitters to keep the game tied.
The Flyers scored the winning run in the bottom of the frame. Magaldi was placed at second to start the inning, went to third on a sac bunt from Taylor and scored on Lofthouse's infield single to short.
Lewis was outhit in the contest 6-5 but received seven walks in the contest. David had two hits in the contest while Kavalauskas drove in two runs.
David picked up the win in the contest to improve to 6-2 on the season. She allowed no runs on three hits while striking out 15 in nine innings of work.
Game 2 – Lewis 8 Malone 2
The Flyers scored four runs on three hits and two Pioneer errors in the top of the first. Taylor and
Maggie Joutras (Shorewood, IL/Providence Catholic High School) scored on a throwing error by the shortstop to make it 2-0. Two pitches later
Sara Serena (Kankakee, Ill./Kankakee) hit a two-run homer to center for her second of the year.
Malone (0-4) got two runs back in the third on a two-run homer off the bat of April Howser with one out in the inning.
Lewis answered with four more runs in the fourth. Magaldi singled to center leading off the inning and scored three pitches later on Taylor's home run to left. Later in the inning, Serena drove home Kavalauskas and
Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) with a two-run double to center to cap the scoring.
The Flyers outhit the Pioneers 12-4 in the contest and were led by Taylor and Serena with three apiece while Swartzentruber and
Morgan Weber (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) had two hits each. Serena drove in four runs in the contest.
Serena won her third straight in the circle allowing two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts in the complete game effort to improve to 4-2 on the season.
Lewis is back on the diamond on Tuesday morning taking on Northwood at 8:15 a.m. (CDT) and Ohio Dominican at 10:30 a.m. (CDT) in Auburndale, Fla.
