MANKATO, Minn. – Lewis University's softball team dropped two on its final day at the Portolite and Field Turf Minnesota State Invitational on Sunday. The Flyers fell to Missouri Western 8-0 in five innings in the opener and then came up short in a 6-5 loss to Minnesota State in the afternoon contest.
Game 2 – Minnesota State 6 Lewis 5
Lewis (0-4) fell behind 4-0 in the home half of the third as the Mavericks (4-1) scored four runs on four hits highlighted by Torrey Richards two-run single to left center and Kylie Sullivan's two-run triple to center.
The Flyers rallied in the fifth scoring five runs on five hits.
Sara Serena (Kankakee, Ill./Kankakee) and
Evie Calderon (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) hit back-to-back doubles to drive in the first two runs.
Jalyn Powell (Tolono, Ill./Unity) followed with a single to bring home Calderon with the third run of the inning. After a pitching change,
Payton Wuske (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) tied the game with a single to right center to bring in Powell and later in the inning Wuske scored on an error by the center fielder to take the lead.
The Mavericks tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the fifth on a single from Hailey Forshee and then took the lead in the sixth on Sydney Nielsen's single to drive in Sydney Nelson with the winning run.
Lewis was retired in order in the seventh to end the game.
Eight different Flyers had a hit in the contest with Serena, Calderon, Powell and Wuske driving in the runs. Delany Garden suffered the loss in the circle allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts in the contest.
Game 1 – Missouri Western 8 Lewis 0 Five Innings
In the first game on Sunday the Griffons scored in four of the five innings while holding Lewis to just three hits. MWSU scored a run in the first, added two more in the second, one in the fourth and then scored four times in the fifth for the run rule victory.
Calderon,
Carrie Anderson (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) and
Gabi Nilles (North Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) accounted for the Flyer offense with a hit apiece.
Kaelyn Leverson (Atlanta, Ill./Olympia) got the start in the circle and allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits with two strikeouts but walked five batters in the contest. Serena pitched the final 1.1 innings allowing five runs on five hits with two walks.
Lewis returns to the diamond on Thursday (Feb. 24) as it takes on Saginaw Valley at 3:30 p.m. and Wayne State University at 6 p.m. at The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill.
