ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Lewis University's softball team split its doubleheader at Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday afternoon at the UMSL Softball Field in St. Louis, Mo. The Flyers took the opener 2-1 but fell in game two 3-2. Lewis is 8-6 overall and 1-3 in the GLVC while the Tritons are 6-10, 1-1 GLVC.
Game 1 – Lewis 2, UMSL 1
The Flyers struck first in the third inning as
Olivia Magaldi (Mishawka, Ind./Penn) led off the inning with a double and came into score one batter later as
Cierra Taylor (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) singled through the right side of the infield. Lewis had a chance for more, but
Kristin Kavalauskas (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) lined into a double play and
Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) fouled out to first to end the inning.
UMSL tied the game in the fourth on Jenna Towle's home run to right with one out in the inning.
The Flyers regained the lead in the sixth as
Katie David (Mapleton, Ill./Illini Bluffs) and
Sara Serena (Kankakee, Ill./Kankakee) hit back-to-back one out singles. After a pop out to shallow right,
Payton Wuske (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) came off the bench and delivered a pinch-hit single to right center that scored David with the go-ahead run.
Serena allowed a lead-off single in the bottom half of the inning but retired the next three hitters to keep Lewis in front.
The Tritons put the winning runs on base in the seventh on an error and a walk with one out in the frame. David, pitching in relief of Wuske, got back-to-back strikeouts to end the game to preserve the win.
The Flyers outhit UMSL 9-6 in the contest with Taylor, David and Serena combining for six of the hits. Serena picked up the win to improve to 3-1 on the season. She allowed a run on six hits with five strikeouts against two walks. David pitched the seventh to pick up her third save of the season.
Game 2 – UMSL 3 Lewis 2
The game was scoreless until the fifth when Magaldi hit a two-run home run to left center with two outs in the frame which also scored Serena.
The Tritons took the lead in the sixth. Towle led off the inning with a walk. Maddie Snemis came onto run for Towle and advanced to second on McKenzie Lamos' one out single to left. Haley Lameberson grounded into a fielder's choice back to the circle as Snemis was retired a third for the second out of the inning. Wuske had Corinne Daley down in the count 0-2 but Daley came back and hit a three-run homer to left to put UMSL in front.
Lewis got a lead-off single from Serena and she advanced to second on
Morgan Weber's (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) sacrifice bunt. The Flyers were unable to bring her home though as Wuske popped up to first and Magaldi struck out looking to end the contest.
Lewis had six hits in the second game and were led by Serena with two while Taylor,
Jessica Lofthouse (Oswego, Ill./Oswego), Swartzentruber and Magaldi had a hit apiece. Wuske took the loss allowing three runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts in the complete game effort to fall to 0-1 on the season.
The Flyers begin a 10-game homestand next Wednesday (March 17) hosting Ferris State at 2 p.m.
