ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's softball team fell to Ferris State 12-7 in eight innings in the first game of its doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at the Lewis Softball Field in Romeoville, Ill. The second game of the doubleheader was canceled due to rain.

The Flyers (8-7) scored three runs on four hits and a walk in the opening inning after the first two batters were retired. Katie David (Mapleton, Ill./Illini Bluffs) drove in the first run with a double to right scoring Kristin Kavalauskas (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) and sending Elexis Swartzentruber (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) to third. Sara Serena (Kankakee, Ill./Kankakee) followed with a single up the middle to score Swartzentruber and then Amy Bukovsky (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic) dropped a single down the right field to drive in David.

The Bulldogs (7-3) scored five times on five hits and an error in the fourth inning. Amara Zukowski tied the game with a two-run single to right center and later in the inning Kaitlyn Orme put Ferris State in front with a single to second which scored Zukowski and Kodi Ramirez.

The Bulldogs added to their lead in the fifth on Abby Mitchell's solo home run to left center to make it 6-3.

Lewis chipped away at the lead in the fifth. Cierra Taylor (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) led off the inning with a double to right center, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Kavalauskas' groundout to second.
Serena made it a one-run game in the sixth hitting her first home run of the season to left center with one out in the frame.

The Flyers tied the game in the seventh as Kavalauskas singled to left to drive in Olivia Magaldi (Mishawka, Ind./Penn) with the tying run. Ferris State elected to intentionally walk Swartzentruber to load the bases with one out, but David popped out to shallow left and Serena struck out swinging to send the game into extra innings.

The Bulldogs erupted in the eighth scoring six runs on four hits. Zukowski drove in Jessica Tucci with the go-ahead run doubling inside the third base bag. Zukowski scored two batters later on a fielder's choice to second as Jessica Lofthouse (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) tried to get the out at the plate but Zukowski slid around the tag to make it 8-6. Justice Ruggles singled on a ball in the 56 hole that was deflected by Taylor allowing Kylie Winkels to score and then Ali Magiera lined a three-run homer over the fence in center to cap the inning.

Lewis got a run back in the bottom of the frame as Maggie Joutras (Shorewood, IL/Providence Catholic High School) singled up the middle to drive in Serena but that was the only run, they could muster.

The Flyers were outhit in the contest 14-10 with Kavalauskas and Serena picking up two hits and two RBI apiece. Taylor, Swartzentruber, David, Bukovsky, Joutras and Magaldi had a hit apiece.

Braylyn Burdick (Boonville, Ind./Boonville) got the start in the circle and allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout. She pitched to five batters in the fourth before being replaced by Anna Gustafson (Elkhart, Ind./Penn). Gustafson suffered the loss allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits with a strikeout and four walks to fall to 1-2 on the season. Payton Wuske (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) got the final out of the eighth retiring the first hitter she faced on one pitch.

Lewis continues its nine-game homestand on Saturday hosting Southern Indiana at noon at the Lewis Softball Field.