WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Lewis University's softball team dropped its second straight tough luck loss as it fell to St. Cloud State 1-0 on Tuesday afternoon at the Auburndale Softball Complex in Auburndale, Fla. The Flyers drop to 9-6 while the Huskies move to 8-7.
SCSU scored its run in the fourth as Sydney Trees led off the inning with a single in the 56 hole, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Jasmin Estrada's pinch hit two out single back up the middle.
Lewis was retired in order for the first three innings until
Delaney Garden (Carpentersville, Ill./H.D. Jacobs) broke up the perfect game with a sharp single to center leading off the fourth. She would advance around to third but she and
Kristin Kavalauskas (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) were left stranded.
Garden pitched out of a jam in the sixth as she worked around a lead-off single and error to start the sixth. She got a strikeout, a flyout and a lineout to keep the game at a one-run deficit.
The Flyers had a chance to tie the game in the sixth as
Gabi Nilles (North Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) led off the inning with a single to center and then stole second. She was still on second with two outs when
Evie Calderon (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) hit sinking liner to left that the left fielder knocked down but couldn't catch. The ball didn't get far enough away for Nilles to score as Lewis left the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
The Flyers got a lead-off single in the seventh to bring the winning run to the plate but were unable to tie the game as Trinity Junker retired the next three hitters to end the game.
Lewis had four hits in the contest with Garden, Calderon, Nilles and Bontrager recording one each. Garden was the tough luck loser as she pitched a complete game allowing the one run on five hits while striking out a career-high 10 batters and didn't walk anyone. She falls to 4-2 on the season.
The Flyers were scheduled to take on Lake Erie in their second game on Tuesday but that game was canceled due to rain.
Lewis wraps up its Spring Break trip on Wednesday as it takes on Concordia-St. Paul at 9 a.m. (CST) and Sioux Falls at 11:15 a.m. (CST).
