ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Lewis University softball team held off Northwood 7-6 Saturday (Feb. 20) at The Dome At The Parkway Bank Sports Complex. The Flyers moved to 5-3 on the year with the win, while Northwood falls to 1-2.
 
The Timberwolves tallied three runs in the top of the first inning with two of those being unearned runs, but the Flyers responded with five runs in the bottom of the second inning.
 
Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) started the inning with a single and Katie David (Mapleton, Ill./Illini Bluffs) drove her in with a double. After an out, Payton Wuske (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) singled to put runners on the corners and Amy Bukovsky (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic) singled in David. After a ground out advanced the runners, Cierra Taylor (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) singled home Wuske and Bukovsky. Jessica Lofthouse (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) reached on an error, which led to the fifth run of the inning scoring, Maggie Joutras (Shorewood, IL/Providence Catholic High School), who was running for Taylor.
 
Northwood got a run back with a RBI single by Mikala Gronb in the top of the third, but two runners were stranded on base when Wuske struck out the final batter of the inning. David led off the bottom of the third with a ground rule double, but was stranded on third.
 
The Timberwolves tied the game in the top of the fourth on a Julia Gross double with two outs, but was thrown out going to third base to end the inning.
 
Swartzentruber gave the Flyers the lead back in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff homer. The Flyers extended their lead in the sixth when Lofthouse singled home Bukovsky, who singled to open the inning.
 
Northwood got a run back in the top of the seventh with a pair of doubles, but the final runners were stranded on base on a strikeout by David.
 
David went 3-for-3 for the Flyers at the plate with two doubles and pick up the save in the circle with two strikeouts in two innings pitched. Bukovsky and Swartzentruber both added a pair of hits with two runs scored each. Leverson (1-0) earned the win in two innings on the mound, allowing two hits and one earned run, while Shayna Frank (0-2) picked up the loss, allowing five hits and four earned runs in 1.2 innings.
 
The Flyers are back in action in Rosemont with games Sunday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. against Findlay and Ashland.