ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's softball team returns to the diamond this weekend as it hosts the 15-team Lewis Dome Invitational beginning on Thursday (Feb. 18) and running through Sunday (Feb. 21) at The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Des Plaines, Ill. The Flyers will play six games over the four-day event beginning with two on Thursday against Upper Iowa at 1:30 p.m. followed by a contest with Ursuline at 3:30 p.m.
Lewis will play single games on Friday and Saturday. Friday's contest will be against Hillsdale at 3:30 p.m. and on Saturday it will take on Northwood at 1:30 p.m. The Flyers wrapup the tournament on Sunday taking on Findlay at 12 p.m. and Ashland at 2 p.m.
Due to capacity restrictions at the Dome, a limited number of fans will be permitted to attend games. For the spectator rules and regulations please click on the above link.
Lewis is 2-2 on the season after opening last weekend at the Minnesota State Dome Tournament in Mankato. The Flyers dropped both contests against the Mavericks last Friday but rebounded strong on Saturday scoring a combined 26 runs on a combined 26 hits in the sweep of Concordia-St. Paul.
Katie David (Mapleton, Ill./Illini Bluffs) led the Flyers at the dish hitting .500 last weekend with two doubles and two runs batted in.
Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) went 4-for-9 at the dish with a double, a home run and six RBI while
Kristin Kavalauskas (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) hit .417 with a double, a home run and six RBI.
In the circle, David went 2-1 on the weekend. She suffered the loss in the season opener allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits against Minnesota State. She came back on Saturday to get the win in relief in game against the Golden Bears retiring six of the seven hitters she faced allowing just one hit. David got the start in game two against CSP allowing four runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in the 13-4 win.
Thursday's game will be the first game of the season for Upper Iowa. The Peacocks went 6-11 in the abbreviated 2020 season.
Ursuline enters Thursday's contest with a record of 0-4 during their season opening tournament at the Flagler Invitational in St. Augustine, Fla., two weeks ago. The Arrows lost two to Flagler 14-1 in five innings and 4-3, lost to 12th ranked Valdosta State 9-1 in six innings and to Georgia Southwestern State 10-3.
Hillsdale opened its season with a 3-2 win against West Florida at North Georgia's season opening tournament last weekend but have lost the last three games. The Chargers dropped an 8-0 decision to West Florida and were swept by North Georgia 18-2 and 12-2.
Northwood begins its season on Friday at the Lewis Dome Invitational taking on Illinois Springfield at 6 p.m. and Lindenwood at 8 p.m. The Timberwolves finished the abbreviated 2020 season with a record of 10-7 which included a 1-0 to the Flyers in Auburndale, Fla., last March.
Findlay opens its season as well this weekend as it takes on Upper Iowa and Illinois Springfield on Friday, Ferris State and Saginaw Valley on Saturday and finishes with Northwood and Lewis on Sunday. The Oilers went 12-6 last season which included a 6-3 loss to the Flyers at the Lewis Dome Invitational on Feb. 22.
Ashland starts its season at the Lewis Dome Invitational as well this weekend as the Eagles open up against William Jewell on Friday afternoon and then take on Hillsdale Friday evening. The Eagles will play a single game on Saturday against Illinois Springfield and then wrap up the tournament against Lewis on Sunday afternoon.
