ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Lewis University softball team extended its win streak with eight with 9-8 and 4-2 wins over Rockhurst Sunday (April 23) on senior night. 

TEAM RECORDS
Rockhurst: 18-22 overall, 11-8 Great Lakes Valley Conferece | Lewis: 30-15 overall, 12-8 GLVC

SUMMARY

GAME 1: Lewis 9, Rockhurst 8
Lewis took control of the game early with six runs in the bottom of the second inning. Gabi Nilles (North Aurora, IL/West Aurora) started the scoring with a single to first base, which scored Meghan Bontrager (Milford, IN/Northridge) and Carrie Anderson (Roscoe, IL/Hononegah Community).

Delaney Garden (Carpentersville, IL/Harry D. Jacobs High School) then reached on a fielder's choice, which scored Maggie Joutras (Shorewood, IL/Providence Catholic High School) and a throwing error led to Nilles scoring and Garden reaching second. Back-to-back doubles to left center by Kristen Graham (Mapleton, IL/Illini Bluffs High School) and Jalyn Powell (Tolono, IL/Unity) made it 6-0 before the end of the inning.

The Hawks battled back with a three-run home run in the third and added two more runs later in the inning, making it a 6-5 game. 

Garden helped her own cause in the bottom of the fifth with a triple, which scored Nilles and Bontrager. Powell added a single that drove home Garden to make it 9-5.

A home run in the sixth inning for the Hawks made it a 9-6 game. They continued battling back in the seventh inning as an error gave them new life and a double and single made it a 9-8 game with the tying runner on first. However, Bontrager saved the day with a running catch in center field near the fence to preserve the Flyer win.

Garden had three hits and three RBI at the plate, while Powell (2 RBI) and Graham had two hits each. Garden (13-5) earned the win, allowing five earned runs over seven innings, striking out eight.

Game 2: Lewis 4, Rockhurst 2
Rockhurst hit a pair of solo homers in the top half of the first inning to pull ahead 2-0, but that would be the only runs of the contest they would score.

Graham came back in the bottom of the first inning, scoring a run on an error by the first baseman who dropped the ball trying to tag a runner off in a rundown.

The Flyers evened the score in the second when Nilles doubled, scoring Bontrager. A sacrifice fly from Payton Wuske (Frankfort, IL/Lincoln-Way East) that scored Graham made it 3-2 in the third. Later in the inning Joutras drew a walk with the bases loaded to add an insurance run.

Rockhurst would not get another runner on base the remainder of the game.

Powell had another two-hit game to lead the Flyer offense. Allie Wondrasek (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way West High School) (9-4) picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits in seven innings.

UP NEXT
Lewis will look to continue its streak of 11 wins in its last two games when it travels to Rolla, Mo. to take on Missouri S&T Saturday April 29 for a doubleheader beginning at noon.