The Iowa Lakes Community College Softball team picked up two big wins today. Game one saw a walk-off triple from Bailey Smith to pick up the 6-5 win over Mid-Michigan College. Game two was an offensive clinic by the Lakers to win 18-3 in five innings over SUNY Adirondack. The Lakers are now 8-6 overall on the season.
GAME 1: 6 (ILCC), 5 (MMC)
Mid-Michigan struck first, scoring one run in the top of the first. With one out, Taylor Larson gave up a double and single to score one. A Laker error allowed the second run of the inning to cross the plate. The Lakers were able to get one run back in their half of the inning. Kaitlyn DuChateau led off with a single and advanced to second on a Marrissa Miller walk. Groundouts by Macy Pickett and Alexis Cullinane pushed DuChateau across the plate.
In the bottom of the second, Larson led off with a single. This was followed by a Karlee Akers single and an Abby Burgess fielder's choice to load the bases. DuChateau put a ball in play to score Larson and tie the game at 2-2.
Both offenses remained dormant until the bottom of the fourth. Larson again got things started with a double off the center field fence. She then advanced to third on a passed ball and scampered home on Burgess' sacrifice fly.
With the Lakers up 3-2 in the fifth, Mid-Michigan regained the lead by scoring three runs. They did this on a hit-by-pitch, Laker error, and homerun. Miller quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning, leading off with a single. She then stole second and advanced to third after tagging up on Cullinane's fly ball to right. Korilynn Christians then hit a two-out single to left to bring the Lakers back within one.
The score remained 5-4 in favor of Mid-Michigan until the bottom of the seventh. Miller led off with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Pickett. Cullinane followed with a single bunt of her own and then quickly stole second to put the winning run in scoring position. Bailey Smith delivered a triple down the right-field line to give the Lakers a 6-5 walk-off win.
Kassidy Elkins picked up her first collegiate win, throwing 2.2 innings. She did not allow a run on five hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Taylor Larson threw the first 4.1 innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. Larson was also 2-3 at the plate with two runs scored. Bailey Smith was 1-2 with two walks and two runs batted in.
GAME 2: 18 (LLCC), 3 (SACC) 5 innings
The Lakers offense came up big in game two, putting up eighteen runs on fourteen hits in five innings. DuChateau led off the game with a hit-by-pitch. She then stole second before coming around to score on Miller's triple to left. Cullinane followed by reaching on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners. Cullinane stole second, and on the attempted play at second, Miller scored to put the Lakers up 2-0. Smith was then the second batter to be hit by a pitch in the inning to put runners at first and second. Christians then blasted a ball over the centerfield fence to put the Lakers up 5-0. Pickett put SUNY Adirondack down in order in the bottom half of the inning with a groundout to herself and flyouts to Miller and Christians.
Miller got things rolling in inning two with a leadoff single. Cullinane followed with a single of her own before both runners advanced sixty feet with a stolen base. Miller was able to then score on a defensive error to make the score 6-0. Smith followed with a walk before Christians drove in her fourth and fifth run of the game with a double to center. A hit-by-pitch for Larson and a walk for Brooklyn Bode loaded the bases before Christians scored on a Murphy hit-by-pitch. The final two runs of the inning scored on a passed ball and a DuChateau sacrifice fly.
The Lakers added to their 11-0 lead in the third on a solo home run off the bat of Christians.
The top of the fourth saw DuChateau lead off with a home run. Cullinane then hit a one-out triple before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Elkins to give the Lakers a 14-0 lead.
Larson led off the fifth with a double and advanced to third on a groundout off the bat of Bode. Murphy then used her speed with a bunt single to score Larson and then scored on DuChateau's second homerun in the last two at-bats. Iowa Lakes was not done yet, as Miller followed with a double and then scored on a defensive error on a line drive from Cullinane. With the Lakers up 18-0, SUNY Adirondack got themselves on the scoreboard with two singles and a three-run home run.
Macy Pickett earned the win, throwing five innings and allowing three earned runs on five hits and five strikeouts. Korilynn Christians led the Lakers at the plate, going 3-4 with six runs batted in, three runs scored, and two home runs. Marrissa Miller also had three hits in the game, while Kaitlyn DuChateau had two home runs with four runs batted in.
The Lakers will continue on their fourteen-game spring break trip with two more games tomorrow, March 10th. They will start off at 9:00 AM (EST) against Northland Community College before taking on Kishwaukee College at 11:30 AM (EST).