Romeoville, Ill. - The Lewis University softball team won their home doubleheader today against Truman State University, with a final score of 16-11 in the first game and 3-2 in the second game.
GAME ONE
Truman's Emily Wood put the visitors up on the scoreboard first with a first pitch home run. The Flyers failed to record any hits or runs at the bottom of the first, closing an inning that caught the hosts by surprise.
The visitors took over the game during the top of the fourth inning as Wood got her second home run of the game, and Shayna Bufford and Jayda Long ran to the home plate to add two additional runs. Truman would close their side of the inning up 6-0, but the Flyers responded at the bottom of the fourth. After a hit by Katie Jensen (Warrenville, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South) went down the right field, the Flyers' Nicole Magdaziasz and Erica Hoffman (Hebron, Ind./Boone Grove High School) advanced to the home plate, opening the score for the Flyers.
After holding the visitors scoreless in the top of the frame, a home run by Morgan Spodarek (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) at the bottom of the fifth inning, followed by runs from Chloe Konhorst, Ariana Trausch (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove High School) and Teagan Berkshire (/Lincoln-Way Central) brought the game to a tie at six runs each. The Flyers didn't stop there, as a home run by Anna Frajford, followed by runs from Kristen Graham (Mapleton, Ill./Illini Bluffs High School), Magdaziasz, and Hoffman, who were occupying all the bases, resulted in a grand slam, making the Flyers have the lead of the game with a score of 10-6, completing the comeback. Spodarek would add one more run to end the bottom of the fifth inning 11-6.
The visitors didn't give up so easily, as they scored three runs the following inning, putting the pressure on the Flyers. Lewis extended their lead at the bottom of the sixth with a third run by Hoffman. With the bases loaded for the second time in the game, a hit by Spodarek allowed Frafjord, Katie Jensen (Warrenville, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South), and Magdaziasz to run to the home plate to make it 15 runs for Lewis. Spodarek would add one more run to the scoreboard, ending the Flyers' scoring at 16 runs, completing the dominant comeback.
The visitors would add two more runs at the bottom of the seventh, but the Flyers ended up taking the victory, with a final score of 16-11.
GAME TWO
The Flyers were looking to carry the energy from the first game into the second, and that's what they did after they finished the bottom of the first inning with a hit by Frafjord that resulted in Magdaziasz scoring the first run of the game.
The game didn't see any runs for the following two innings, but the visitors' Cassie Smith and Katie Pilcher scored two runs at the top of the fourth inning, giving Truman State their only lead of the game, 2-1. They didn't score any more runs for the following two innings, but they also managed to keep the Flyers to zero runs and only one hit across the fifth and sixth inning.
It was now time for the last inning of the game, and the Flyers had one last chance to make a comeback and get their second win of the day. The Flyers' kept Truman to zero runs and zero hits, giving Lewis the chance to make the second comeback of the day and win it at the bottom of the seventh. After Jensen reached first base on an error by the third baseman, Magdaziasz advanced to second base and Hoffman advanced to third. With the bases loaded, a hit by Frafjord that went down right field gave Magdaziasz and Hoffman the opportunity to run to home plate, scoring two runs that completed the Flyers' walk-off win
With a final score of 3-2, the Flyers' doubleheader victory improves their record to 11-9.
UP NEXT
The Lewis University softball team will come back tomorrow (March 22) for a home doubleheader matchup against William Jewell College, with start times set for 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
For the latest news and updates on Lewis softball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @lewissoftball on Instagram and @LewisSoftball on X.
