ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's softball team dropped both ends of its doubleheader against Lindenwood on Saturday afternoon at the Lewis Softball Field. The Lions won the opener 6-4 and the nightcap 3-2 in nine innings.
Game 1 – Lindenwood 6, Lewis 4
Lindenwood (30-6, 17-3 GLVC) jumped on top with a two-out rally in the first inning. Amanda Weyh walked with two outs and scored on Whitney Wendel's home run to left field. The Lions extended their lead with a solo home run to right center off the bat of Irelynn West leading off the second inning.
Lewis (20-20, 7-13 GLVC) tied the game in the sixth with three runs on three hits and an error.
Gabi Nilles (North Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) scored the first run when
Jalyn Powell (Tolono, Ill./Unity) reached on an error by the third baseman and then
Sara Serena (Kankakee, Ill./Kankakee) tied it with a triple to right to drive in Powell and
Delaney Garden (Carpentersville, Ill./H.D. Jacobs).
Lindenwood regained the lead in the seventh with three runs on three hits and an error. Taylor Bushman led off the inning with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Weyh's single up the middle. Wendel hit her second home run of the contest to make it 6-3.
The Flyers got a run back in its half of the seventh as
Payton Wuske (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) doubled to left with two out to score
Maggie Joutras (Shorewood, Ill./Providence Catholic High School) who singled to lead off the inning.
Lewis was outhit in the contest 11-6. Garden, Serena, Joutras, Wuske,
Meghan Bontrager (Milford, Ind./Northridge) and
Evie Calderon (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) had a hit apiece. Garden took the loss allowing six runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts and a walk to fall to 9-8 on the season.
Game 2 – Lindenwood 3, Lewis 2 nine innings
The Lions jumped out to the lead in game two on Whitney Kinser's two-out single to right center scoring Megan Clark and Riley Luetkenhaus.
The Flyers cut the lead in half in the fifth. With Nilles on second and Garden on first, Serena singled to right center to drive in Nilles. Lewis had a chance to tie the game with runners on the corner but a strikeout ended the inning.
The Flyers tied it in the bottom of the seventh. Nilles led off the inning with a double to left center and advanced to third on groundout by Garden. Powell tied the game with a triple down the right field line. Lewis had a chance to win the game but Powell was caught off a third on a ground ball to second for the second out of the inning.
Lindenwood regained the lead in the ninth on Morgan Gersch's single to center that scored Wendel.
Lewis had a chance to tie the game in its half of the ninth but Serena's pop up to short ended the game.
The Flyers outhit Lindenwood 13-11 in the nightcap. Powell and
Carrie Anderson (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) led Lewis with three hits while Nilles added two. Garden, Serena, Calderon and Wuske had one each. Wuske took the loss allowing three runs, two earned, on 11 hits with five strikeouts and four walks.
Lewis continues its 10-game homestand next Wednesday (April 20) hosting Purdue Northwest in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at the Lewis Softball Field.
